New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-13
FEDERAL AID 10 STATE SCHOOLS.

An examination of The Congressional Hccofd
| will show that III the recent debate on the Burn
side Educational bill Senators did not feel called
| upon to discuss the essential questions nc iSSIc
| But from the general tenor OF the speeches on
| the BILL and from what has been written III its
| favor, it can he gathered that the reasons
which have impelled philanthrOpc statesmen to
| ,mport tie measure are drawn from what are
| considered the crying necessities of the case.
The security of our institutions rests, il is held,
on the general intelligence of the Nations
VOTES, and one section of the country is afflicted
With a threatening mass Of ignorance. The
States in which this aarnir: illiteIacy prevails
are too poor TO furnish adequate meals of edu
cation. and Therefore the instinct of sclf-prr>-
cryaiion should suffice to imcte the General
Government to d these Hcak co,nI unIrirH in
their efforts to raise the standard of average
intelligence. The natural weight of such an
argument is incrca, ed by a special consideration
of the tact that the right of suffrage WIS given
| to large class Of uneduratcd people by The
| direct act CT the General Goycinm nj, AMI Il is
| therefore urged thai upon the General Govern
ment rests the moral Ob igati0n to see to it IL
| these new voters are prOpery instructed.
Without questioning at this time the correct
| ness of either of the premises or conclusions
| here set forth, it must be observed that the
| alleged danger which cOnfrOnts the Nation is
strictly local and temporary, and OF course
| these essential characteristics Of the disease
ought to be taken into account when any lcg>-
| la,ivc remedy is devised. In the first place,
then, the evils deplorcd exist only III a circum-
scribed area. 1t is not claimed that any
| Northern State lacks the will or the ability to
| organize and maintain Il system or public
schools, and it would certainly be mlsdrected
charity to send New-York or Massachusetts a
| little money to help pay their ool-teachors
| The advocates OF the pending measure may feel
| that 1t would have more National" appear
| ance if the educational fund could be distrib-
uted among all the States, but division
based on lliteracy practically gives the bulk OF
the money to a single section, which is thus re-
coepized as the needy one. If the devastated
and poverty stricken South needs aid, the pros
perous and progressive North would hesitate to
take any share of the meagre amount set apart
for this charity. Even if New York, for ex-
ample, insisted on its dividend, the sum aDpro-
priated in proportion to its illiteracy would be
too insignificant for acceptance, and would
hardly pay for the necessary Federal suDcrvi-
sion. And even if aid were extended to the
States which need none, this basis OF lliteracy"
would be basis of Wild guess work, for no
trustworthy statistics upon this point have yet
been collected. This fund, to be Of any prac-
tical advantage, should be given exclusively to
the States where emanCipated slaves have been
made voters, and the division could not be
seriously unjust If made according to the num-
bcr of such voters in each State.
Again, it is not to be assumed that this dan
ger will exist as permanent menace to the
country Ii is the result OF sudden social
revolution, and not OF constantly operating,
much less OF constantly increasing, causes. 1t
was more serious ton years ago that it now is,
and it will diminish every year. No one fears
that the time will never come when any given
State can bc trusted to educate its own. II the
Government, then, is to help the States in their
struggle with ignorance, the most help should
be given ut once, while the evil IS at its worst,
and complete Withholding of all assistance
should be contemplated whenever 1t shall be no
longer needed. But the Burnside bill estab-
fishes permanent and growing fund. The aid
proposed is trivial to begin with and it is to in
crease forever. The Commissioner of Educa-
tim may be cbecred by the comfortable assur-
ance that his Office il immortal SO long as it is
vitnlized by steadily augmenting endowment,
but Ut is hard to see how the fund would benefit
any body else after the necessity for its creation
has passed away. The Senate voted down O
sensible amendment which gave the entire net
proceeds of the public LAM sales directly for