The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-04-14
COMMON SCHOOLS.

c,eut!y comprehensive in its scope to
meet the wants and expectations Of the
ever advancing population of Texas, is
/ "a thing ot the near future. The years
which lie immediately ahead must toe
-i-noiized by the production Of system
equal TO that OF any American or Euro
r.au state. or the best interests Of
/ T~xl. must suiIer great. if not irrepara.
bio INJURY.
7 W. are fond Of pointing to the mag
n,igaut provision already made for the
4lpror; Of our school system. So we
have abundance of money. bat under
the present and past policies Of the
State. this immense sum has been per
m.ttaj % lay Iiis or is ia the hands of
the railroads as loan. and as far As it,
0Nn lawful and rightful use i-concCrned.
10 Tar as the poor children Of the state
are concerned, II might As well have
been carried 90 mid-ocean and buried
there. Children have grown up within
our border, since this loan was made,
Who are now serving out terms in the
penitentiATy or are driven to Mexico rs
outlaws. who would have been good and
useful citizens bad the rightful means
ui the slate Lern used as the law contem-
plated. These are hSRely truths and
not at sll pleasant to hear n fact they
are anything bat plimentary and
yet they must be told, and that loudly
TOO. iu lsJer that an adequate remedy
be provided iof the situation
uf all the pressing needs of 'Gexas to-
day. the one paramount Is, not money
for the schools. bus an efficient system
10 inse.liseuily handle the vast sums
already plJyL!rI tor such purpose. III
vo have not tLr originality to form
such Il system. one which r.ll meet
our peculiar needs. let "a look abou;
for a plan adopted by Others, which
promises success. aud hasten by the
shortest routo. and quickest modes to
adopt IT, Each year ~s ere receiving
thousands upon thousands OF imHi-
grants from all the states Those from !
che South as rule are too poor to
educate thcr growing sons and daugh |
t,r- Those from the North aye aacils- !
toned 10 the common free school, and |
understand well the nature Of this |
great boon to the poor They will not !
long remain IN community where |
the privilege is wanting Every inter |
est ut every class then is best served by |
bulll.uE up here a system of public
Tree schools adequate to the wants of
the population.
Ii has been uurea.onably charged |
that the democratic party ct Texas is !
hostile to the idea of free schools tut I
those SO charging forget that from
lsfj 10 1873. the state government |
w5s in the hands Of the republicans, |
and no single intelligent effort
was ever mads to inaugurate the sys-
tenn Bat with our power, numbers |
anil pry-ti.e. unless we do something4
positive ia this way in the near future, |
we N,asSaat- hope long toz~ssea 80 the !
charge of hostility. We have now the |
uulisputcd care OF the state, Its pub
De policies are all democratic, the faults
rs well as the yirtucs Of the policy will
both belong to as and it We are to es
cape the odium ct an entire and COM
plcte failure TO establish an efficient
system of public schools, we must act
promptly and intellisently.
Whatever barriers are presented in
ourfundamcntal laws. must be removed,
and "A way devised by which the full
benefit of the state magnificent liber-
ality in this way may he r.aped by the
bonehciaries contemplated in the pro-
vision We must do this, aud we repeat.
it must for !he reasons above given. be
promptly done. But higher, nobler,
and puFer reason yet remains TO be
stated, because it is a sacred duty the
democratic party owes to the youth of
T.v.a