The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-09-09
POLITICAL MATTER.
The School Amendment.

House of Representatives in collision witt
the Roman Catholic Archbishops of The
country in trying to hoodwink the intelli
gent. voters on the school amendment
question was fully exposed by the Repub
lican Senate. The indecent haste with
which it was hurried through the House
by Mr.. Lord, without free and full de-
bate on the merits of the Article, was
equal to positive proof of the great wrong
about being inflicted on the country
Their efforts to include in the proposed
Article clause restricting Congress from
legislating to enforce its provisions, show
ed the insincerity of the Democrats in re-
moving from the arena of politics the
greatest bulwark of Republican liberty
a free public school system, guarded by
constitutional guarantee and legislative en-
actment from all churchly interference. -
his great question will continue to agi-
tate the public mind until the votes of a
loyal and liberty-loving people shall safe
ly place it beyond the reach of every open
and secret foe.
The amendment proposed by the Senate
is so just and comprehensiv. in its provi-
sions that no opposition can be found to it
except from the Democrats who know its
adoption would deprive them of the only
slogan that can rally large body of voters
to their side who cannot be held by any
other subterfuge.
Here is the Article as submitted by the
Senate
| ARTICLE XVI. No State shall make any law re-
speeding an establishment of religion or prohibit
ing the free exercise thereof; and religious test
shall ever be required a qualification to any of
/ ice public trust under any State. No public
property, and no public enuc Of nor any loan
of credit by or under the authority Of the United
States or any State, Territory, District or NUM-
cipal corporation shall be appropriated to, made
used for, the support OF any school, educational
or other institution, under the control of any re-
gious anti-regious sect, organization, or de-
tenets of any religious anti-religous sect, or
ganization, or denomination shall be taught; and
no such particular creed tenets shall be read or
| taught in any school or institution supported in
whole or in part by such revenue loan of credit
and no such appropriation or loan of credit shall
be made to any religious anti-religiOus sect, Or
ganization, or denomination, or to promote its in
terests or tenets. This article shall not be
strued to prohibit the reading of the Bible in any
school or institution and it shall not have the eff
feet to impair rights of property already vested.
| SEC. 2. Congress shall have power, by apprOpri-
ate legislation, to provide for the prevention and
punishment of violations of this article.
If this Article was incorporated into the
Constitution of the United States, it would
entirely remove all the fears entertained of
any division of the school fund for secta-
rian purposes, or the appropriation of pub
lie money for religious institutions. There
should be no difference Of opinion in max
ing such wise provision for the good of all,
yet it is an historical fact that every Dem
ocratic Senator present when the vote was
taken voted against the amendment and
defeated it. Mr.. Pinkney Whyte, in his
speech on the subject, undertook to state
by authority that the Pope had changed
his principles On the subject of non-secta-
rian schools, and stated with Irish Amer
lean pride that if he voted for the amend
ment he would deem himself faithless to
the spirit of his State. But he was alb
sent when the time to vote arrived and
thereby saved part of his faith at least
When Mr.. Edmonds asked any Senator to
stand up and show that opposition to non
sectarian schools is not now the official
doctrine of the Roman hierarchy, and
paused for reply, even Mr.. Herman Of
New York, who stands nearer the ear of
the Pope than Mr. Whyte, did not volun-
teer to respond. He ard all others pres
ent knew there was no change of opinion
on the school question in the minds of any
of those who have been clamoring for its
control or division of the fund. Arch
bishop Purcell himself has written to the
Cincinnati School Board that ''the entire
government of public schools in which
Catholic youth is educated cannot be given
over to the civil power. We, as Catholics,
cannot approve of that system of education
of youth which is apart from instruction
in the Catholic church" By adopting
the amendment proposed by the Senate
with the clause empowering Legislation at
tached, we will get rid of this vexed ques-
ton, and the taxpayers of the State will
save millions of dollars which are annual
ly appropriated to sectarian institutions.
na.The difficulties that have for some
time existed among the Republicans of
( Baltimore city having been amicably ad-
justed, the following announcement by the
Chairman of the State Central Committee
has appeared in the Baltimore papers:
Il n