Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-12-24
Reform Measures,

The measures Of reform in State affairs
proposed by the Bangor Commercial, Prog
ressive Age and Maine Standard are substan-
tally the same. They are directed chiefly
to reducing the efficiency Of the public schools
and abolishing our charitable institutions.
The editors Of these organs of reform appear
to believe that the State has been nearly
ruined by the support which it has given to
the common schools and it's charitable institu-
tions, and so they 60 for a change which
would nearly extinguish the schools and quite
wipe ont the charitable institutions If they
are correct in their ideas what calamity it
was that Columbus discovered America. Had
it not been for that unfortunate event schools
would now I've unknown in this State, the
barbarian pappooses needing only to be taught
tue use of the bow and arrow and the most
artistic manner of scalping and torturIng
their enemies to qualify them for the active
duties of life 1t was great mistake which
Columbus made. Could he have looked for
ward a few years and seen how churches,
colleges, and schools, and all the arts of civil
lization have supplanted the wigwam and
the dense ignorance aud barbarsm of the
Indians, in al. this great country, what an
unhappy man he would have been.
In The last issue Of the Progressive Age,
whose editor and proprietor has been a mem
Der of the republican party from its origin
until few months ago, We find the following
with much more of The same sort
The republican policy pursued in this State for
the past twenty years has been parental. The
party assumed at its start, to he a moral party,
party with moral ideas of government, thus signi-
fyug that its policy would be a departure from
that which had before heeu psr,ued. The State
has been made to stand in parental relation to
the people. What are simply privileges have
been treated as obligations. Education, for in
stance. is simply a privilege. la no just sense,
can it be termed obligation. Yet we have
seen the opposite principle carried so far in our
legislature as nearly to adopt measures making it
compulsory.
1t will be noted by the reader Of the above
s"Ds 'A'' h"o' "'""S e'ot eho Pioecnt pollcy
of the republican party is the policy which
it adopted twenty years ago, at it's origin.
1t has kept, according to his admission
TO the policy then adopted. 1t is not
charged with any departure from the
early principles of the party in regard to the
management Of State affairs. MIR. Rust then
has changed If the party has not. In fact
the school system as it now stands in every
particular, the mill tax, the normal schools,
every law upon the statute book in regard to
education, was established years before Mr..
Rust left the republican parry. For twenty
years he now Gays the republican party has
been all wrong, and yet during all that time
he was member of the republican party and
published and edited paper sustaining that
party.
In the paragraph above quoted he says
"What ale simply privileges have been treat
ed as obligations. Education. for instance
is simply PRIV lege"
If the editor will turn to article VIII Of the
constitution Of Maine he will find the follow
ing language
A general diffusion OF the adrantaqes Of educa
ton being essential TO the preservation Of the
and liberties of the people; 10 proBote The impor
Eaat object the Leg stature are authorized and II