The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-07-12
ga Coming Struggle.',

Inc New York Tribune cannot be accused
OF being party organ In the remotest sense.
Its utterances, therefore, cannot be supposed
to be biased by any of those considerations
which might influence professed partisan
journals. In the issue of the Sth inst. there
Is significant article entitled ga Coming
Struggle" 1t says that "at the threshold of
the second century of independence, We flnd
ourselves confronted by third question
which may yet involve the very existence of
the Republic" The first great question settled
was that our government should not be one of
caste, and the second that national unity
shall be maintained. The question which so
confronts us, says the Tribune, and which
must be met,is: "Whether popular educa-
tion belongs to the churches or the state"
The Tribune continues: sit is not well TO
deceive ourselves with the idea tha. this issue
will be disposed of so easily. The opposing
beliefs on this subject, held with absolute sim
cerity by multitudes of people on either side,
are quite irreconcilable. No compromise be-
tween them Is possible. With all the fervor
OF religious faith, many believe that it is a
elm TO separate religious instruction from pop
ular education. With not less firmness and
fervor of conviction, others believe that self
government cannot continue to exist among
Us unless free, non-sectarian schools are
maintained by the state for the education of
all Its children. BY the latter class it is held
that our only safeguard against the evils in-
cident to broad extension of suffrage.
against the growing power Of corrupt combi-
nations, and against the increasing tendency
toward Communism, is the public secular
system of education.'' The convictions of
the opponents of the state school system.
are SO plainly stated by the Catholic Tele-
graph in the following extract that the Tr;b-
ane thinks 1t is folly for any partisan journal
to ignore the importance or the imminepce
Of the question:
There could, therefore hardly be a more inn
pudent falsehood than the assertion that a nub-
lc secular system of education does not inter |
fere with the religion of Catholics. y
The present system Of public schools brands the |
Cathoilc faith as a crime, and the American
State Furnishes it yearly by fines equal in amount
to the sum which the Catholics are compelled |
10 expend after the payment of school tax up- |
ON the Catholic education of their children
me 1r1oune tnen proceeds 10 notice tho |
declaration of the st Louis Republican, the |
leading Democratic paper in Missouri, that |
Republican managers are undertaking to |
raise this question to save themselves, assert
ing that no such actual issue exists and |
that 1t is one entirely manufactured and |
fictitious. In reply to this the Tribune calls
attention to the demand of the Teleqrdph |
above given, 10 the recent effort to Sc
cure the admission of parochial schools
as part of the school system of New |
York, to the passage of the Geoghan bill by
the Ohio Legislature which is designed
to give church schools special aid and
the assurance then publicly given that
the adherents of Of the Catholic church
would help the Democratic party In the
pending campaign and also instances the
fact that in the city election of St. Louis,
the question was forced upon the people by
the enemies Of the public school system.
The Tribune warns Republican partisaus that
it will be entirely futile to attempt to ignore
the question, and informs Democratic parti-
sans that it will do them no good to pretend |
that 'no actual issue exists,'' for between thos.
who believe secular education is wrong and
those who believe there is necessity to the
maintenance of free institution, there Is not /
only IAN actual issue' but one of the |
gravest character which admits of nc CON-
promise. The following extracts are from
the concluding part of the Tribune article:
The Democratic party, especially, cannot af-
ford to treat this issue as fictitious one. manu-
factured by Republican demagogues 1t SO hap |
pens that every emphatic demand for division |
of public school funds, the recognition of pa |
rochial schools, or abolition of the system of |
secular education, has come from the adherents |
of the Democratic party. 1t so happens too |
that many of those who have been most prompt |
and earnest in resisting these demands have |
acted with the Democratic party as Liberals .
sNor will 1t be denied by any candid man |
that the great body of indedendent American
voters has quite as strong feeling on this |
question. If the Democratic party supplies |
from its ranks every assault upon secular edu-
cation and non-sectarian government, and yet /
processes to regard the whole controversy as a
fictitious issue manufactured by its opponents
it will be very likely to forfeit whatever conf
denoe in its sincerity independent voters may |
have learned to feel. But while other |
topics engross public attention, friends of the |
public schools well know that the opposition |
is one which may slumber but will not die, |
and that sooner or later, the question must be |
met manfully, candidly. and decisively. 1t |
will not be settled by harsh words, or appeals
to prejudice. The system of pubic schools will |
stand, because its necessity, as the basis of a |
free government, will be calmly, courteousy, |
but conclusively demonstrated.
The only opposition to an improved and |
efficient public school system In Maine, comes
from the Emery-Rawson stripe of intense
Democrats, who evidently consider school |
system which will secure the education of |
every child in the state, deadly foe to their
school of Democracy. There may be church
men opposed TO our free school system, but
if there are, we have failed to find them or 10
see any of their declarations of hostility.