The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-09-09
q rhnt Is. the system of common

Ll0 Dill III QuebIlOHi UuI uil lulnBp h'"V
are lawful are not expedient, AS ne
gro, am with you as far as consistency
will allow me. There are to be found in
the South over one million of colored
attending schools "
!. Senators, ! beg your attention TO that.
There are now to be found in the South
over one million colored children attend
ing school under the separate school
system.
"Are we prepared to furnish means
to continue their education -
"Are we, the negroes"-
"'when these States refuse to impose
taxation for school purposes, which they
will do2"
"That man sees, and sees with the
keen instinct which the interest OF his
own race suggests, that this bill is to
strike down the schools in which one
million colored children are now reCeiy-
ing that education which is to fit them
to become useful citizens of this country.
That is to be the result of IT. and yet for
party purposes the bill will pass Iwash
my hands of it,"
But it may be said that the opposition
to mixed schools is q mere unreasonable
prejudice, relic of the institution of
slavery. 1t ia unnecessary to argue the
question, whether it is a mere prejudice
or MOTT is sufficient that it exists and
cannot be safely disregarded by any
friend of the common school system.
There are many prejudices that wise
legislator cannot fail to consider. how
ever much he may condemn them, and
nothing is more certain than that the
advocates of mixed schools, however
honest may be their motives, are the
most dangerous enemies of the school
system to be found III the land.
I have shown you, fellow-Citizens, that
under our Constitution no property hold
er can escape the school tax that "a
thorough and efficient system of common
schools throughout the State" must be
maintained; and that mo religious or
other sect or sects shall ever have any
exclusive right to, or control of, any part
of the school funds of this State" And
these provisions of the fundamental law,
no man can deny, cover the whole case.
AS long then as these provisions Of the
Constitution remain, the common school
system is as we'll protected and as secure
as the government itself. But you, now
and then, hear it insinuated that the
Democratic party and the Catholics may
alter these provisions; and the effort Is
studiously made to inculCate that idea
among the people. Now, my friends, I
am not accustomed to use harsh lang
uage, but there are times when a man
must speak plainly, however strong may
be his utteranCe. And this is time
and occasion for plain language. When
q studied and hypocritical attempt is
being made, for party purposes, to excite
and delude the people, to arouse the
worst kind of fanaticism, sectarian fan
atheism, to set neighbor against neighbor
and household against household, there
are no words of condemnation too strong
for the men engaged in work 80 utterly
vile. l say plainly, because the truth
warrants me in saying it, that the man
who asserts that there is danger of the
constitutional provisions l have read,
being either abolished or in any material
particular modified, is fool, an igno-
ramUs or knave. Why, how could they
be abolished or altered in even the
slightest PARTICULAR Look at your Con.
sitution and you will see that the only
modes of amending it are two-first, by
amendments proposed by the General
Assembly and adopted by the people, or,
secondly, by amendments proposed by q
constitutional convention and in like
manner adopted. But the General As
sembly can propose no amendment un-
less three-fitths of the members elected
to each House shall agree to it; nor can
q constitutional convention be called be-
fore 1891 unless " two.thirds of the mem
bers elected to each branch of the Gen.
eneral Assembly" shall concur in calling
it. Now, what man in his senses can
believe that three-ffths or two-thirds
of each house of the General Assembly
will ever be found in favor of ahol-
ishing or materially changing the com
mon school system, or, that if such a
thing could by any possibility occur, that
a majority of the electors of Ohio would
sanction the propositions 2 The thing is
too prepOsterous to need refutation-s
bare statement of the Constitution is
sufficient to show its absurdity. But if
anything more were needed here stands
the fact that the Catholic voters in Ohio
are less than one-twelfth, probable less
than one-fifteenth, of the whole body Of
electors. How can they alter the Con-
stitution2 And as to the Democratic
party. the very founder of the school
system and its unvarying supporter, what
sane man can believe that it will ever
become hostile to its own creation and
opposed to the education of its own
childrenP
PRIEsTLY INTERFERENCE IN PoLlTTo5.
In close connection with the false clam,
or about the schools is another false
clamor of priestly interference in politics
We hear great deal said abouta bill
passed by the last legislature, commonly
called the "Geghan Bill" and to listen ia
Radical stumper or read a Radical
newspaper, man, knowing nothing else
of the subject, would suppose that the
bill is a frightful enormity giving pecu'
liar and immense advantages to the Cath
olic church over the other churches in
| bllO ObbIC' Oul bllCoO dlhT lIllbIS Ihhc kOOl
care not to produce the bill itself; be-
cause it ID only necessary 10 read it to
see that there is no foundation whatever
for their denunciations. There is not g
word about the Catholic church in the
Geghan law, not provision that'giyes tc
that church the slightest preference over
any other church, not provision that is
not found in substance in the Constitution
of the State, and that was not found in
our old Constitution. Ever since Ohio has
been State, ever since the year Of oul
Lord 1902, the principles of the Geghan
bill hsr been a part ofour fundamental
law. The old Constitution declared "that
all men have natural and indefeasiblt
rightto worship Almighty God according
to the dictates of conscience; that no hui
man authority can, IN any case whatevr
control or interfere with the rights ofcon
science; that no man shall be compelled
to attend, erect or support any place o
worship, or to maintain any ministry