The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-03-27
NO. 25

{ ueprlVlnE themselves anu families Of
the poorest comforts OF life, toll on to
supply the tax from which this Is oh.
tained. Now do not wish that my
opinion on this subject should be con-
strued as in opposition to education.
] care not whether / am in con-
flIct with popular ideas, especially as
endeavored to be established by those
sucking the public tit. l propose to
speak and do what believe right, and
for the State and Its substantial, in
dustrious citizens, as they are the ones
l desire and endeavor To represent,
whether get in return political pre-
ferment or private retirement What
should care for office or position un-
less can be useful to those for whose
benefit office was created. am not
one who feels dependent on the pub
lie crib for his bread. What am or
what have done, or what have, is
the result of my own hard efforts, eff
forts rendered hundred fold harder
for the last few years in order to pre-
vent the entire confiscation of the re.
suits of the labors of former years under
the grievous weight of the present high
tax4tion. Taxation for what, to sup
port and sustain government, 20 pro-
tect 1t in life, liberty and property, the
great boon and boast of the American
citizensg No, to perpetuate public
farce, $50 called" education. More than
this, and ten times worse, this taxation
goes not to educate those who contribute
it by the God imposed requirement,
the sweat of the brow, but to pur-
| Anli -, ,ke
just in its demands. The idle, lazy,
vsgabond yclept free school teacher
gets all the benefit derived. The chill
dren of the slothful, worthless parent
is the pretended beneficiary and recipi-
ents, and can they be educated in this
way9 would as soon expect maiden
placed in one of these bagnios to be
raised up virgin as to expect any
child to receive an education In the
average free school of the present sys-
tenn. 1t is a sham and an imposition,
and one that the people Of this State
would not tolerate an hour, If they |
had to contribute the money by which |
it is sustained directly out OF their |
purses, with full impression of Its |
uses or abuses. Then, where is the |
sense or good of starving and cripling
the government-end rendering it una
voidably inefficient by throwing away
hard-earned public revenue on a sys-
tenn of schools that is admitted |
to be, on all hands, complete
failure and unterly worthless, outside |
of the towns and cities, and would |
not and could not there exist except by |
the aid of other resources and man
aged under different auspices.
Now, l am one OF those that have
the eccentric idea that the State gov
ernment ought to be placed on n sub
stantial footing, with revenue ample |
for its sustenance and support under a |
frugal and economical management, |
but at the same time revenue bearing |
in the lightest manner possible on the |
people who have to supply it in times
so peculiarly depressing in a pecunia- |
ry point of view as the present. / |
would not withhold dollar needed |
for good and effective administration |
of the laws and the protection of life,
liberty and property; but enter my
solemn protest against the theory, and |
still more the practice of taxing one
persons property, the results and pro-
ceeds of his skill, labor or industry, for
the purpose of educating another's
child any more than to feed and clothe
it, always excepting the orphan, the
cripple and the deformed. II public
weel and national or State policy de-
s,nana m nnblic free, schools let tho fnnd
out that principal already engrafted in
our last Constitution, to an extent
nrrh
distinct anu based on the idea of equal
taxation for equal benefit, raise the
poll tax for school Purposes to five, ten
or more dollars, but COMPEL every
man who sends children to school to
pay it. Do this and protect the fund
from being Equandered and wasted,
and will as cheerfulfy meet this tax
as any man in the State. Then you
may talk to me about equal and fair
taxation.
1t has often been limited in the pres-
ent Legislature about party policy. II
could be- allowed to prophecy, il
would be thath this Legislature, Demo-
cratic as it is supposed to be, permits
the present administration to drag and
founder along through the next two
years of its appointed existence with
no aid or relief, which will be the case
If this vacillating temporizing and ex-
perimentsl policy prevails, it will be
the death of the party, and l for one
fear that the knell has already been
sounded. Three terms of comparative
failure, three terms of disappointment
with increased hardships to the good
people of this State will weary their
patience and be pronounced enough,
and they will with heavy hearts turn
away from their political idol and seek
comfort and relief from some other
source. Other parties are here now,
in embryo, and il will need but o con-
tinuance of such failures as we have
had to bring one OF them forward into
perfect life, and it IL the natural attri-
butte of the human family to get rid of
hsrdships in any way possible. 1t is TO
be yet hoped through .he timely inter-
ference of the Senate,if no other way,
that the appropriation Of the available
State revenue to the public school fund
will at least be suspended or reduced
to the lowest constitutional limit until
such time as that the State government
can recover it's vitality and get into q
healthy condition. This Legislature is
to great extent an experimental ono, ,e,-
pecialiy as to financial matters and reve-
nue.. The members should remember the
words of the dying Albert Sidney
Johnston, ''success IS the test OF merit,
though often hard il is just" Much
might be said as to the deliterious
effects of this fostered free school pet
of foolish policy upon private educa-
tionists, those who must rise or fall
on merit alone, and TO whom all must
look for true education. tits night
mare and incubus on those who have
devoted their carly life, and otter scant
means, to requirements betting them
for the pursuit, which is the source OF
all human knowledge, mental cultiYa-
ton and advancement, and 10 my m1ni
10 doing more 20 reduce tie r;a ndard
OF real learning than all 9th r. ST.,
this superficial stmattsi7pg J. Il be-
coming satisfactory, not Cnly 20 the
people in general but is even becoming
eelf-sufficient to this learned profess
sioDs, and we hnyc noW mushroom doc
tors and lawyers b. the score wso ought
TO be hugging the plow handle for
their daily bread GDd for the good of
their country. In conclusisn ! would
warn the present dominant party Of I
what they are DOING.
Ii
Alter taxing everything and sleep
u = a - n N-NH Il i.