Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-06-09
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.

pl'NS lNNpibllOdll SOhNeuJlOu Ill OIlO
on Wednesday. We call special at
tention to these resolutions:
" Fourth-We stand by free education
our public school system, the taxation Of al
for its support, and no division of the
school fund.
Fifth-Under our Republican system
OF Government there should be- g. q con. &c
ton, direct or indirect, between Church and
State, and we oppose all legislation in the
interest of any particular sect. Upon this
subject we should not fail to profit by the
experience of foreign Governmen 5, where
the efforts of the Church to control the
State constitute an evil Of great magnitude,
and ondangers the power and prosperity of
the people"
The issue foreshadowed in these
resolutions is one that can not be
evaded in Ohio. The people there
have had the question presented to
them in such practical shape, that
they understand it in all its bearings,
and they intend that those who
ask for positions as State officers
and as members Of the Legislature,
shall tell where they stand.
This is not a war against the pecu-
liar belief, or religious ceremonies, or
form of worship practiced by the Ro-
man Catholics Ohio Republicans
nor Republicans anywhere else pro-
pose to interfere with mems con-
sciences. But there is q sect in our
land, that makes an arbitrary demand
where its leaders think they may
safely do so, for n division of the free
school fund. They demand that q
certain portion Of it shall be set
aside to them, to be used for the main
tenance of their sectarian schools.
They profess to believe that the free
schools Of the age, conducted as they
are all over the United States, are
" Goddess schools and that it is dan
gerous for Catholic parents to have
their children educated in them
This they make the pretext for a di-
vision, and in Ohio have defiantly
given out that they will carry their
cause to the ballot box and force
recognition of their demands.
1t is this feeling, this sentiment;
this ecclesiastical dogma, if you
please, that the Republican party in
tends to fight. 1t is this division of
the school fund thus defiantly de-
manded, and not the religion of the
Roman Catholic Church, against
which the fight is to be made. If the
Roman Catholics have a right to any
proportion of the school fund, to be
controlled by their priesthood, then
the EpiscopalIans have q right to
demand their proportion; the Bap-
lists have right to their proportion,
the Presbyterians theirs, the Metho-
dists theirs, and so on. Thus, in
stead Of one great common school
fund, devoted to the improvement Of
the rising generation, we would have
q dozen, or n score of insignificant
funds, managed and controlled indie
pendently Of each other, the prime
object Of each being to build up a
particular sect. In that case the free
school system would become a hiss
and by-word, and would forfeit the
respect Of all intelligent people.
Such policy is contrary to the ge.
MUS Of our free government, and will
not succeed. In the language of the
second resolution published above,
the efforts OF the Church to control
the State constitute an evil of great
magnitude, and endangers the power
and prosperity Of the people" 1t is
far more dangerous and much more
to be feared than the ghost of Caesar
ism, with which sensational or small
fry newspapers attempt to frighten
timid patriots.
Judge Taft, who was a prominent
candidate before the Convention at
Columbus for Governor, in a speech
ratifying the action of the Conven-
ton in nominating ex-Goy. Hayes,
made these admirable remarks:
"Teis division of this fund among the
churches or sects would be as fatal to the
school system as the dissolution of our po-
litical union would be to our political pow
err Without our common schools our liber-
ties are dangerous, our ballots dangerous
without them we can not have the largest