Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-01-31
EDUCATION IN MISSOURI.

temporary. the Globe-D Democrat. seem
to have taken a contract to deiame tn
state Of Missouri, and thereby, in some
bedy's interest, keep immigrants ant
Investors from coming here to Blu.
lands, start manufactures or enter int
business. Its motive. otherwise. TO
such a course as it pursues. is almost In
applicable, unless it be from malice. en-
gendered by the bad opinion which tn
people Of the state entertain for tn
methods which were said to have oh
tanned in procuring the money whicl
brought the paper into existence. How
ever that may be, here 1t IS, u metropol
itan newspaper OF large circulation. IL
every issue of which may be iount
ISLANDERS most foul against the people il
whose midst It lives. move and has it
envenomsd being. The injury which
It has done to Missouri real estate anc
Missouri industries in the few year.
OF its existence, is incalculable.
Its last effort of mark is an attempt te
make people abroad, for those who live
in the state know better, believe thai
the democratic party of Missouri, the
dominant party, is hostile to free public
education. Hear it,
1.-THE public school system of Missouri is
legacy OF rnestimable value. which the republi.
| eon - yanuoafhaR fa tho ,,ann1a IF III. as-,<
on its retirement from power. When that party
obtained control Of the states affairs, public
schools were unknown. and the state school
fund had no existence. During the six years OF
republican management, this system of public
schools, SO admirable in its completeness which
is now the pride and boast of democracy, was
originated and put in successful operation"
The statements here made are SO
glaringly false that it would seem that
common decsney would prevent their
publication; but. perhaps, it is too much
to look for ave comm on decsncy from
a paper which makes its Sunday issue a
s%ign-board to a%ssignstioD houses and
brothels. probably hs indications OF what
it holds to be progressivensss and latter
day education.
1t is not necessary in this article to
search historical data in order to aseer-
tain just when and where the republican
party vas horn. In Missouri it had its
birth during the turmoils of war. and 1t
held control OF the state government
only by the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF the in
teliigent and tax-paylng part of the pop
ulation. When the bayonet was remov-
cd from the peoples throat. it was sum-
marily and lngloriously hurled from
power. amid the e%xecrations Of a COM
munity which had never before been 80
robbed and ty~rannized W as 1t was by
the tIliterate, bigoted and brutal repub-
lican registrar. Let US see if it is true
that public schools were unknown and
the state school fund had no existence"
when this patty came into power.
The act OF admission Of tho state.
which was approved March 6, 1890. oon-
tained, among other things. this propo-
sltion THAT section numbered SIX
teen In every township, and when such
section has been sold, or otherwise dis
posed of, other lands equivalent thereto.
and as contiguous as may be, shall be
granted to the state for the use oil the
inhabitants of such township, Tor the use
of schools" Also. THAT thirty-six
sections, Dr. one entire township, which
shall be designated by the president of
the United States, together with the
other lands heretofore reserved for that
purpose. shall be reserved for the use of
a seminary of learning, and vested in
the legislature of said state. to be ap-
propriated solely to the use OF such SEM
mary by the said legislature" Accord
ing to the terms OF this act, the state
met. and on the nineteenth
day of July, 1920. accepted the two
propositions, in trust. for the common
schools and state university. This was
the origin of the two funds. They began
when the state wal formed. and very
many years before there was a republic
can party anywhere.
In the constitution of 1890, the first
one adopted in the state. these words
are found and the means Of
education shall be forever encouraged
in this state. One school or
more shall be established in each town.
ship" They were SO established
wherever practicable. This was before
theIa was any republican party.
The historical sketch of education IN
the state. In the last university cata-
logue. says: "Long prior to the civil
war. d system OF common schools. with
provisions equally az wise and benefcent
as those contained in u present laws,
was established. Tho people of the
state increased the taxes 50 1-3 per cent.
in order to spportlon these taxes to the
support OF common schools In every
county in the state. These taxes are
still continued, and are paid by the peo-
pile without q murmur." This, also,
was before there was any republican
party.
In confirmation OF the statement a.
made in the preceding paragraph, We
have before US the statutes OF Missouri
for 1925. in which we ind q school law
protective of the school funds. providing
for district schools, and otherwise estab-
fishing. II all material respects, the sys-
tenn Of district school education, which
the state has to day. In 1889 Hon.
Henry s. Geysr. a strong southern man,
a whig. and afterward United States
senator, introduced a bill In the Missouri
legislature. which was passed, and be-
came the first general school law In
Guiding the university as we'll as district
schools in the school system.
The pretext chosen by the Globe.
Democrat for Its assault upon the dem.
ocratic administration in Missouri is ths
alleged statement by a democratic news
paper at Jefferson City, to the effec
that future democratic legislatures woult
not vote appropriations to Lincoln Insti
tute, the normal school for colored stu
dents, because those students had inter
ested themselves in a congressiona
election, recently. in favor of a republi
can candidate. The Globe emocra