The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-20

Qered Q0uBt1Uf Gy Tue apprehension tuat
the whole system Is threatened with de-
|struction. The people themselves will! be
casting about for other means OF educating
their children. The enemies OF public edu-
cation will brand al we have done as
miserable failure, and urge that there is no
use IN trying tie. thing any further. So
that. although in fact there may not have
been aBy real danger to the school interest
on financial grounds, yet the panic and the
decentralization created by the declarations
OF the ssitators may actually bring about
the very thing which they predict.
| 1t were better to receive one half OF the
money annually due from the State, aud 10
receive it promptly and puuctuaiiy, than TO
secure The whole sum amid these angry and
endless dissepsions, which tend only to de-
| ve!op amopg the people 4 feeling OF uneasi-
ness an disgust II we tamrer more with
the subject, there is grave reason to appre-
hend that the cause will lose the confidence
of the people. and they will welcome any
thing that is proposed to get OF the con-
teurion.
We have supposed that the convention
will repudiate. This was only by way Of
argument. A convention could do no more
| in this respect than legislature. There is
no magical efficacy in the name OF conveu-
ton. IL the legislature cannot free itself
OF the funding bill a1d the coupons because
the courts regard it as contract, no more
can the people, through convention, free
! themselves OF the contract. It sticks like
the shirt OF NessuS, and passing legislative
acts or framing new organic systems will
not cast it Of What if we elect new set
OF iudgesi That merely frees us OF the
| State courts; behind Is the great shadow OF
the Supreme Court of the United States.
| But how many years will it take for all
these things to occurs How long are We
| TO wait?
And now let us turn back moment
and catch up thread dropped some
way back: What is all this contention
about? Let us scrutinize this closely and
see whether there IS really anything OF
| value in dispute.
no PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN The
M'crLLocH SETTLEMENT AND THE MOZART
| PLAN.
Then, first, the McCulloch bill provides
| that the old bonds, bearing per cent,
shall be called in, and new bond issued.
PAYABLE IN forty years, bearing 3 per cent.
| interest for ten years, per cent. ln-
terest for twenty years, and per cent.
interes, for ten years. During the next ten
wears we are to pay only per cent. i'll
terest.
Now. here Is an extract from the Rich
mond Wig OF August I. 1879, the leading
organ OF the Mozart party:
| ~ would use nv best endeavors TO secure vote
Of the ps ople sauconing settlement al per cent;
for forty. year: OF tns oasl5 81 s3'sS 'oeoo
ANA thai Is atill the Generals position, a. *e u-
derstard il. in which he is heartily supported by
| R1adiusters 10 whole ~
Here is another extract from the IThig, OF
date August ), 1879:
Now let u. come to 4 per cent. settlement o:
| the State debt with hip-hp-hurr:A: Not me
swind!e Of the brokers' bl|-no, no no. But 4 rcaI
3 per cent. that which General Mahon: proposed IN
his No zari-Hail speech. aut which ali ReadJu,iers
are ready 20 agree There IL eolo e!hu2 an2l3'e
| There Is something simple. Ger ain. That Is what
the State ana neoPe Ts caSnnt aSrsS 10 SoS whs are
the Funders. brokers. and hontholdcrs: " nat nave
they got say 10 Ihis straight per csie' "lnoa.
| trimmings? Ah-lhey cannot sSal!oW IL so. lucy
must have It wa,ered and sugared before their weak
stoInachs can stand il. But they will have 10 core
TO II IL LAST
It will be observed that there IS no guar
re-! for the neIt ten gears. The Whig'
speaking for the leaders OF the Mozart
party. PROPOSES to pay per cent. now
and rrtil 1899, Just as the McCuloct
| bill! does. 1t is only at the point OF 1889
that any difference ari.eS. Up 10 that point
we are all agreed.
The agitation then refers to the question,
What we are to pay in 1SS9-ten years of;
whether we shall then pay per cent. CT
Der cent. The difference amounts to about
500. 900. And this crusade against the
! COMPROMISE of last winter IS all about
the raising OF this additional sum in and
after the year 1899. when the property OF
the COMMONWEALTH will probably be worth
third more than it is to-day, and our popu-
iatiou will amount to scyera! hundred thou
sand more than it does at present. For tnls
| cOntentiou-as abstract aS. " llcn Is ine
most useful animal, the horse or the cow
debated IN the boys debating societle>-our
poor old Commonwealth is to lie conyulscd
anew from centre to circumference, the Yery
existence Of our schools is to be ieoparded,
and a paradise OF demagogues lnaugurated.
the like OF which mas not been seen even in
these degenerate political days.
II we cannot pay per cent. in 1889. it
will be time enough to faise the question
then. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
| thereof.
THE SCHOOL OFFICERS PRESUMED TO BE IN
| STRCCToRS IN MORALS.
But, finally, will ii be the proper thing
! for the friends Of education to place them
selves in the ranks OF those who are teach
ing the people TO violate The public faith
| There is q very conspicuous display or au-
Gacitv on the part OF these people when
they are appealing to the public school
teachers and the school officers OF Virginia
to aid them 10 the work Of destroying the
solemn contracts entered into By the State.
What teacher would be it to teach the
humblest boy in the Commonwealth his let
ters II he could not command that chifd'S
respect rs teacher and example Of sound
morals? Shall our schools be set up
under the shadow OF Mozart, and all
the BOYS set to work to learn rs their
first lesson that State may renounce It's
obligations There is no move sacred call
ing than that OF the teacher; there Is no
more sacred cause than education, unless
we except religion. But the teacher touches
the springs of the youthful heart before the
preacher, and the seeds when ne pants
there are those which contribute largely 70
the formation OF the character IN after iile.
Next TO tie Church the School Organlza-
ton of the sta.e-pTivate and pupllc-toc
university, the college, the high schooi, tue
elementary schools the great Moral
Teacher and Guide OF the people The
conscientious and sensitive school officer
who is invited to make himself an expounder
in the casuistry OF getting rid OF contracts
ought to repel such solicitation with scorn.
The people look to the school trustees, 10
the county and city superintendents. 10 the
army OF patient and faithful public school
teachers, to teach them morals, not to ctfer
them the example Of the fragrant, or even
Questionable, violation OF that command
ment. the breach OF which has perhaps in
the estimation OF mankind more disgroee