The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1877-04-10
COMMON SCHOOLS.

system OF common huhoolh hull
GENTLY comprehensive In its scope TO
meet the wants and expectations OF tho
ever advancing population of Texas, Is
a thing Of the near future, The years
which lie Immediately ahead must be
signallzed by the production ofa system
equal TO that Of any American or Euro
pean state, or The best interests of
Texas must milor great, II not iropara'
bic injury,
We are fond Of pointing to the mag
niicent provision already made for the
support Of our school system, So we
have abundance Of money, but under
the present aud past policies Of the
State, this immense sum has been per-
mltod TO lay idle, or il in the hands of
the railroads rs loan, and rs far AZ It's
own lawluland rlghtiul use isconcerned,
os far ~ the poor children Of the state
Are concerned, II might as we'll have
been carried to mid-oceOn and buried
there, Children have grown up within
our borders since this loan was made
who arc now serving out terms in the
pcnitentary or are driven to Mexico NJ
outlaws, who would have been good and
useful citizens had tho rightlul means
of the state becnuscd ~ the law contem.
plated These arc homely truths and
not at all pleasant to hear In fact they
are anything but complimentary and
yet they must be told, and that loudly
too in order that an adequate remedy
be provided for the situation,
Of all the pressing needs of Texas to-
day, the one paramount IL, not money
for the schools, but an efficient system
TO intelligontly handle the vast sums
already provided for such purpose. If
we have not the originality to form
such system, one which will meet
our peculiar needs let us look about
for plan adopted by others, which
promises success, and hasten by the
shortest routes and quickest modes to
adopt it, Each year we are receiving
thousands upon thousands of immi'
grants from all the states. Those from
the South as rule are too poor to
educate Their growing sons and daugh-
ters. Those from the North are accus-
toned to 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 of every class then is best served by
building up here n system of public
free schools adequate to the wants of
the population.
1t has been unrcasonably charged
that the democratic party of Texas is
hostile to the idea of free schools; but
those so charging forget that from
1868 to 1873, the state government
was in the hands Of the republicans,
and no single intelligent effort
was ever MAIDS to inaugurate the sys-
tenn But with our power, numbers
and prestige unless we do something
positive in this way in the near future,
we cannot hope long to escape the
charge Of hostility. We have now the
undisputed care OF the state Its pub
lie policies are all democratic, the faults
as well as the virtues of the policy will
both belong to us, and if we are to es'
cape the odium of an entire and COM
plete failure to establish an efficient
system Of public schools, we must act
promptly and intelligently.
Whatever barriers are presented in
ourtundamental laws, must be removed,
and II way devised by which the full
benefit of the states magnificent liber>
ality in this way may be reaped by the
benefciares contemplated in the pro-
vision, We must do this, and we repeat.
it must for the reasons above given, be
promptly done. But higher, nobler,
and purer reason yet remains to be
stated! because it is sacred duty the
democratic party owes to the youth of
Texas.