Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-10-07
The Democracy and the Schools

Wherever the Democratic party ha
been in power it has shown an irrecon
cilable opposition to the public schools
In Texas il has ruined the public
school system. When Alabama wa:
admitted into the Union, in 1919, Con
gress set aside the sixteenth section O
land in each township for educational
purposes, but the Democrats shame.
fully mismanaged this trust until the
war. As late even as 1856 no public
schools existed, and the funds were di.
vided among the private schools. The
first free schools of the State Uf Alabama
were established 10y Republican Gov.
eminent under the constitution of 1865
The constitution of 1868, ana the Re.
publican Legislature acting under it,
set aside $500, ,510.26 for common
schools, but when the schools were in
good working order, there was a par
tial reaction by which the Democracy
acceded to power, and they reduced the
! fund S217 900. AS constitutional re
strcti0n prevented further reductions,
the Democrats called a convention TO
change the constitution, and great
pains were taken that no man should
/ be elected who was not opposed to
common schools. Every Democratic
voter was required to indorse pledge,
drawn up by Plate Semines, the last
clause of which was as follows:
"TO vote for no man as delegate to
the convention who is not in favor of
abolishing the special school legisla-
! tion."
This opposition to The public school
| system is the only principle upon
which the Democratic party is united.
1t is one of their fundamental princi-
piles, and whenever they creep into
power X is sure to crop out.
THE proposition that the legal-tend-
ers are money, or that Congress can
make them money, seems fundamental
to the policy of that portion of the De-
mocracy which proposes to increase the
currency by a further issues of green
backs. Mr.. Pendleton, who believed,
as a lawyer, the original issue OF the
greenbarks unconstitutional. but who
pIOlcSScS W nave W lIlt tC-
cision of the Supreme Court, hesitates
to declare that greenbacks are money,
or that Congress can provide for COIN
ing money out of leather, as Mr.. Cary
and the more jealous leaders pretend.
And this is natural, because if it is
Democratic doctrine that when coDsti-
tutional questions are decided by the
Supreme Court, it is the duty of good
citizen to accept and acquiesce in the
decision, then there is no room for Mr..
Pendleton, who is lawyer, to pretend
that in his judgment Congress has any
power to make legal-tenders money.
The Supreme Court upheld the pro-
vision of the act making the green
backs legal-tender solely upon the
ground that it was incident to the pow
er to carry on the war in which we
were engaged when the acts were pass
ed. Judge Miller, delivering the opin-
ion of Il bare majority Of the Court, in
favor of the validity of this provision
of the law, and reversing the contrary
opinion of the Court, in Hepburn VS..
Griswold, expressly declares:
1.-The legal-tender acts do not at
tempt 10 make Taper standard OF
value. We do not rest their validity |
upon the assertion that their emission |
is coinage, or any regulation of the val
ue of money; nor do we assert that Con-
gress may make anything which has
no value money. What we Go assert |
is, that Congress has power to enact
that the GoUernnle1at's promises TO pay
money shall be for the time being equi-
valent in value to the representative of
value determined by the coinage acts,
or to muitiple5 thereof"
And he concludes thus:
at is then a mistake to regard the
acts as either fixing
of value or regulating money
values, or making that money which
has no intrinsic value" IL Wallace,
553.
We quote the language of Mr.. JUS
tice Bradley, referring to the legal-ten-
der issue:
at is not an attempt to coin money
out of a valuelesS material, like the
coinage of leather, or ivOy, or kOwrie
shells. 1t is pledge of the National
credit. II Is A PROMISE BY THE Gov
FRNMET TO PAY DoLLAIS; IT Is NOT
AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE DOLLARS. The
standard of values is not changed
The Government simply demands that
its credit shall be accepted and received
10
Tie penang erigency. Ereyy GOCeyn-
ment has q right to demand this echea its
2ristence is at stake. The interests of
every citizen ale bound up with the
fate of the Government. None can
claim exemption. If they can not trust
their Government in its time of trial
ley are not worthy to be its citizens"
What do the Democrats who declare
hat the greenbacks are not promises
% pay money, but are themselves mon
", propose to do with this decision
If the Supreme Court? 1t all rests
lpon the ground shown by the ex- I
ract given, which fairly sums up
he argument of the whole deci-
ion. Surely it has not again :
,ecome Democratic doctrine to disre- 9
ard or overrule the decisions of the &
supreme Court upon aquestion involv-
ng the constitutional powers of Con- ,
.ress. Z
The First Rag Money. S
A hundred years ago, on the 22d of t
unn 177h the CnnIinanfal EnnnrpSS L