The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-09-10

The Attempt 10 Gain Control Of the Pub.
lie SchOOlS-An Interesting Bit Of His.
tory.
Democratic orators and papers point
TO the Constitution as n perfect defense
against division of the school fund, and
make that their only reply TO the Re
publican charge that our Public Schools
are in danger from Roman Catholic de-
signs npon them. Republican orators
and papers insist that there are many
other ways in which the schools can he
destroyed. But the Democratic answer
is. ''the Constitution prohibits division
of the school fund"
The Hon. Thos. l.. Young, Republi
can candidate for Lieut.. Governor, in a
speech delivered at Portsmouth on Mon
day, gave n bit of legislative history
which shows when the first attack was
made on our schools, and which had it
been successful would have accomplish
ed what the Roman Catholic leaders seek
to wit, the destruction of our schools
without in any way coming in collision
with the provision in the Constitution
which protects the school fund. That
bit of history just now is Of great inter
est to the voters of Ohio.
Mr.. Young was representative from
Hamilton county in the Legislature in
1866. Don Piatt was also in that Legis-
Iature, but Don Piatt, then as now, had
such happy faculty of always rubbing
the hair the wrong way, that any bill he
introduced was certain of defeat. Piait
had a bill in charge which he was exceed
ingly ANXIOUS should become a law.
The bill read as follows:
"a bill to authorize Boards of Education
to receive certain donations, and for
other purposes.
''SRCTIoN 1, Be it. enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of Ohio,
That the Board of Education of any
township, city, or Incorporated village
shall be and is hereby authorized to ac-
cept any donation of school houses prop
erly constructed and so situated as to be
IF s,-rvice.
''SEC. 2. That it shall be the duty of
said Board of Education to continue the
schools organized in said school houses
by enrolling the scholars, and supplying
all that is necessary, and subiecting such
schools to the laws of the State already
ia force.
''SEC. 8. The power is hereby granted
the donors of such school property to
select from teachers duly qualified under
the laws now in force instructors and
appoint the same to instruct and carry
on said schools.
''SEC 4. This act shall be in force
from and after its Passage
That is a very innocent looking bill,
bat Don Riatt knew it would fall still
born should he acknowledge its paterni-
ty. So Fiatt asked-,,s n personal favor
Hon Geo. B. Wright, of Hamilton
county to introduce it to the House.
Wright did so, but no action was taken
OH the bill until the following session.
Meanwhile Mr. Wright resigned and his
agency ia the matter ceased with his
mere introduction of the bill. At the
next session-an adjourned session.
Piatt called up the bill, and after spirit
ed debate on its merits it failed of pas
sage. The bill seemed on the surface so
innocent that it at first secured dozen
Republican votes, mostly the represent
aiives from Cincinnati, but the Legisla-
ture was in Republican control and de-
bate on its merits put the great mass of
Republicans on their guard, and that
debate, coupled with the solid Demo
cratic support it received, aroused suspi-
cious Added to that was the fact that
Don Piatt was a warm personal friend
of Archbishop Purcell, and as Hon. ].
w. Fitzgerald-who was elected in
Writes place-appeared as a zealoua
supporter of the bill, il became the more
strongly suspected as having a covert
design-the House came to think there
was "a coIored individual In the fuel'n
and so the bill failed, every Democrat
voting for its passage. But it mt one
time received fifty-two votes in the
House, and had there been but one more
Democrrtic member the bill wanld nave
passed the House.
And now we will give the substance of
that bill as dissected by Mr.. Young in
his speech.
The first section simply authorizes
Boards of Education TO accept dona-
tions. Did that require legislation? Any
Board of Education has right to ae-
eept donations for educational purposes
without Legislative enactment, provided
the gifts are not tFammelled by condl-
tions which cannot be lawfully carried
out. So that section had no sense in it.
The second section makes it the duty
of the Board of Education accepting do
nations of school houses to continue the
schools organized therein by enrolling
the scholars and supplying ali that is
necessary, and subieeting such schools
to the laws of the State then in force.
Now, surely, there was nothing danger
ous in this section, because the School
Boards were bound by pre-existing laws
to do the very things required of them
by this section, and for this no legisla-
ton was required.
But the true inwardness of the whole
bill is contained in the third section. 1t
contains the fang which was to strike at
the life of the common school system.
1t reads thus:
''SEcrIoN 3. The power is hereby
granted to donors of such school prop