The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-30
The " Educational Question. I"
IRON the N. Y World.l

| the Republicans. in the hands of their
mugters. IL not intimidated by q season
able dehopettdtiou oi public opinion
will nominate Grant for third term,
with what Is called the educational
question" Us the fore-plank OF their
platform, we perhaps shall be excused
| II we undertake to define this so-called
question.
What does 1t signify? In it's mere
terms, as propounded by Grant him
self at Des Moines, or as re-stated In
his message, 1t signifies nothing, pro
posing for the most part what nobody
opposes and everybody sanctions, but,
as might be expected, this very non-sig
nitlcance Is significant, implying, as IL
does. u false imputation. for party pur-
poses, upon u large section OF our co,in-
trymen u political calumny, in short.
for the creation Of political capital.
! The reality of this slanderots implica-
ton will appear on recalling in full the
terms In which Grant pronounced the
question For the message adds moth
ing to the Des Moines speech except
the Presidents proposal to expel the
Bible from public schools and to tax
all church property. Having referred
10 the civil war, which he Is quite
shrewd enough 10 see that his party has
squeezed dry ut last. he proceeded In
his Des Moines speech to say:
at IL tn be hoped that like trials will
never again befall our country. lu this
sentiment no class OF people can more
heartily join than the soldier who sub
mittcd to the dangers, trials and hard
ships Of the camp and the battle field,
on whichever side he fought. No class
Of people are more Interested in guard
ing against u recurrence Of those days.
Let us then begin by guarding against
tutions. do not bring into this us
sembltgc politics; certainly not parti-
san politics but IL Is u fair subject for
the soldiers IN their deliberations to
consider what may he necessary to So
cure the prize for which they battlcd.
In n republic like ours, where the citiy
zen Is tho sovereign and the official the
servant, whore no power Is exercised
except by the will OF tho people, IL Is
important that the sovereign, the people
should foster intelligence that intelli-
gcnce which Is to preserve us Us free
nation. IT we are 10 have another con
test in the near future Of our national
existence, | predict that the iii
viding line will not be Mason
and Dixon but between patriot
ism and intelligence on the one
side. and superstition, ambition and ig
norance on the other. Now, the cen
tcnnial year Of our national existence,
] believe, is u good time to begin the
work OF strengthening the foundations
Of the structure commenced by our pa-
triotic forefathcrs one hundred years
ago Mt Lexington. Lot us all labor to
aid al nccdful guarantees for the secur-
ity Of free thought, free speech, ~ free
press. pure morals, unfettored religious
sentiments. and Of equal privileges 10
all men. Encourage free schools and
resolve that not one dollar appropriated
for their support shall not be appropri
atcd to the support of any sectarian
schools. Resolve that neither the State
nor tho nation, nor both combined,
shall support institutions Of learning
other than those sufficient to afford to
every child growing up in the land the
opportunity Of u good common school
education, unmixed with sectarian, pa
gan or atheistioal dogmas. Leave the
matter Of religion to the family altar,
the church and the private school sup
ported entirely by private contributions.
Keep the Church and State forever sep
arato. With these safeguards, | be-
licvc the battles which created the Army
Of the Tennessee will not have been
fought In vain
All Of which, Of course, pregupposes
what IL manifest and wickedly false,
curcly established, but, on the contra
ny, are threatened with destruction by
his political opponents; that, speciii
caIIy, a recurrence OF civil war "in the
near future" il u peril which besets our
country; that the besetting peril
Iies.in projected union of."the Church
and the State !" that the projectors and
patrons of this union are the opponents
Of his party, under the joint influenced Of
"supcrstition, ambition and ignorance )"
that his party Is exclusively the party
Of patriotism and intelligence" and,
finally and particularly, that IL Is neccs-
sary to guard against "evcry enemy OF
free republican institutions" by keep
ing his party In power where 1t is In
stalled, and putting it in power where
IL is not. Such Is Grants speech done
into plain English And such Is the
educational question" in its obvious
aspect It is a party libel for party
effect against one Of the grcat religious
bodies Of the country.
This aspect Is sufficiently shameless
but the question has an aspect less OBJ
vious, though more serious, 1t not more
shameless. At the first blush 1t appears
to be solely u piece OF hcartless doma-
gogism. 1t Is this, certainly; but there
Is reason to think that 1t Ia daring
scheme Of Capitalization besides Sim
pie demagogism of this recroant stamp
could at most only drive the nail OF Re
publican ascendancy but the Rcpubli-
can leaders or ringleaders, who would
fain persuade themselves and others
that their party is the country, are not
likely to stop short with merely driving
the nail, but, If they can manage to
drive it, will seek to clinch it too. And
for this purpose what device are they so
likely to adopt rs that OF taking away
the control Of public education from the |
States and giving il to the Federal
Government? The Republican party, |
whether or not theparty Of patriotism
and intelligence" Is confessedly the
party of Capitalization, and every In
crease in Capitalization serves to In
trench the party in power by proper
tionately increasing It's moral or Inn
moral and political influence. SO great |
an increase in Capitalization as invest |
ing the Federal Government with the |
control OF education, therefore, must |
strike the Republican leaders as the
precise thing to secure the ascendancy |
which they flatter themselves a vigor-
Gus hue and cry against the Pope may |
enable them TO renew. And there Is no
reasonable doubt that in their party |
plotting tho two are associated together,
being, in fact, parts Of one plot. So
much may be safely affirmed on the
warrant OF antecedent probability; yet |