Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1878-05-14

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question is suggested, why was the
public school fund brought into the
discussion of the State debt? Goa
stitutionally it stood by itself and had
no necessary connection with the
debt. The fund was provided excIu-
sively for public school purposes. and
if it had not been provided at all,
there would have been no such fund
for the bond holders TO get hold of.
But there was manifest motive in
the minds of the sharp sighted origi-
nators Of the funding bill, and the
infection has spread much wider
since. No careful observer could
| fail to see it cropping out in the de
fences Of the funding bill in the last
six months 1t was seen by the
,harp sighted. the Unsuitable NAV Of
the coupons would swallow up the
school fund and starve out the syS-
tenn. The bOndholders concluded
that they would get the benefit of the
school fund. BY the force of the cou-
pons, while it lived. and when il
should die of starvation, they would
get the tax. legally transferred to
their benefit. Those who felt no jn>
tereSU in the public schools, and who
felt the school tax to be burden.
took with this sharp idea, aud rallied
to the standard OF the bond holding
interest This combination made a
formidable party. Though their
number is far short of the hest who
rally round the schoul-banner, never
theless. by superior tactics, and hly-
Jag a larger supply of the sineweS Of
war-the almighty dollar, they have
thus far proven themselves masters
of the situation. With the support
of the Supreme Court OF the one
hand, and the GoYeruOr on the other,
they assume to be inviucible. And
this suggests few remarks on Gov
ernor Holidays veto message. q
document that startled and made
profound impression upon the peop'e
of the State. The Gnvernor, more
boldly than any one else. whose ut
terances We have read, dragS the
public school into antagoniSrn with
the debt. He says. that, ''the sec
ond proposition Of the Barbour b'l!,
is that the Legislature is bound 20
support the free school system. at
the expense of the States creditors. >
Now the Barbour Iill contains n
such PROPOSE lou L simply atiirnS
that the public school system was
created aad provided for by the con-
stjtution. and that tn" legislature
had no power to disturb il. Nor
does the constitution say that q"
support o. the free school system a.,
at the expense OF h State
creditors. l. says no such thing -
Il cannot be construed. even by i'm
plicaliou. to Iutimetc any antagDu-
ism. whatever, Of the public schools
to the creditors of the State. This
abortive dream Of the Governor l.
purely the conception Of his fevered
brain. or more probably. that of
Bradley I Johnston with whom he
slept. Aud this abOrtive dream Is
tue grand promise upon winch he
bases his entire argument tc prove
that the Barbour bill is uncOnstitu-
ti"nal because II proposes to secure
to the pablic schools tie fund that
the constitution provides for them
Does not this brilliant Stroke Of logic
reflect honor on the Governor Of The
Grand old Commonwealth, "Mother
of States and Statesmen.
But the Governor brings another
novel idea from his fruitful dream,
whether with the help Of Bradley
Johnston. we know not. He has
made the art!iug discovery that
tree schoGIs are mere tuEmY lie
says, "Public free schools are not
necessity The world for hundreds
of years, grew in wealth, culture and
retinemeu: without them, Tney ar,
lug2ry. adding, when skiIifuliy
conducted it NAV be. (not certainly,
even when skillIully conducted 10
tie beauty and power of State. but
to be paid for like and other luxury
by the people who wish their bene-
fits . What is luxury? Accord>
ING to Webster, It is the ex!ravagant
indulgence of appetite Such is the
Governors idea of free schools. -
But who can afflrd this extrlvagant
indulgence of appetite? Certainly
not poor man. nor even the man 0t
moderate means. These ,hen cannot
indulge in the luxury of education,
they must be c0ntenled with. the bare
neceSsarics of life. ''SchoOlS are
not necessity Free schools, says
the Governor, are "to be paid for
like eny other luxury. by The people
who wish their beneftS.'' Governor
Holidays idea of free schools then
is that the poor are not To have then,
for they cannot pay for them; and
the men with money and no children
are not to pay for them for they don t
need them. And yet he says, She
cannot believe the trainers Of the
constitution meant anything else. =
But the Governor insists upon it
that the public schools are supported
at the expense Of the bond holders
He says: "A State has no more right
to educate It's youth, than an ind;vid
ual his children, at The expense of
creditors. - Does the Literary Fund.
created more than half century ago,
and before the Oldest State hond was
issued, fund amounting to 81 800
600. and Welding an annual interest
Of SIS 900 for the support of the