Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-17
"National" Education.

sIuOO1e III tAC NdAAOuS ONob~1 A0f~ D~N-
proposed in both Houses of Con-
gress, and the general expectation
is that some one of them will be passed
before the close of the session. The ba-
sis for the distribution of the money will
probably be illiteracy; that is, the share
of each State will be in proportion to the
illiterate class of its citizens Owing to
the large negro population of the South,
if this rule is adopted, our section will
receive the greater share of the proposed
educational fund, and it is anticipated
that an appropriation of 100000 a
year, for five years, viii be devoted to
this purpose.
The South will have no objection to
her share of this money being distributed
within her limits. Capital is all she
needs to enable her to develop herself,
improve her natural advantages, and be-
come the wealthiest, and, consequently,
the most powerful section of the United
States, and this money will materially
assist her in the desired direction.
Neither has the South any objection to
the education of all her people. She
appreciates as highly as-indeed we be
lieve more highly than-any other sec
ton the inestimable advantages which
knowledge bestows. Nevertheless there
are decided objections to this proposed
educational appropriation, unless it is
accompanied by certain healthy restric-
tons
We confess that, in the abstract, we
do not relish the idea of the Federal
Government being at all concerned in
educating the citizens of the various
States. as any such step would neces'
sarily be a move towards establishing the
doctrine of the paternity" of the gov
eminent, and its supremacy over that of
the States-in other words, destroying the
chief foundation stone of the republic
by making the General Government,
which is the creature of the States, greater
than its creator. This perniciOus doc
trine has already taken too deep root in
the land, and its effects are greatly to be
feared. Every step in that direction is
but another towards the destruction of
Federalism, and the unifcatiOn of the
Republic, and is simply a stride on
ward towards Imperialism. For this
reason even educational appropriations
by the General Government, to be dis
tributed among the different States, are,
on the principle of "timeO DanaOs dOna
fsrentes," to be feared.
There is, however, another side to this
question. The money proposed to be
distributed from the United States Urea
sury among the States for this purpose,
it must be remembered, is money which
has been already contributed by the citi-
zens of the States to the support of the
General Government in the way of taxes,
and since, under our present unjust
system of taxation, the revenues of the
Federal Government are far greater than
its necessities, it is but fair that the sur
plus should be returned to the citizens
of the several States in any manner in
which it will be most likely to accom-
plish the most good. Surely it could &C
complish nothing more beneficial than
securing educational facilities to the peo-
pie, and especially to the ignorant blacks,
who, though possessed of the ballot,
have, in the large majority of cases, not
the remotest conception of the vast
privileges which, while denied intelli-
gent Chinese, have been conferred upon
them.
1t is evident, therefore, that while it is
desirable that this money should be dis
tributed, and the various States should
enjoy all benefits to be derived there
from, it should not be distributed with
out proper restriction. The Republicans
or Nationalist, as they should more
properly be called-in Congress are
DESTROYS that the fund should be con-
trolled permanently by national au-
thority, while the Democrats rightly con
tend that there should be no interference
whatever by the General Government
with State schools. This is the great
point of contention between the two par.
ties over this subject, and it is most sin
cerely to be hoped that the Democrats
will stand firmly by their colors and OBJ
stinately refuse to allow the bill to pass
so long as they can prevent it, unless it is
dis inctly understood that the Federal
Government must relinquish all claims to
this portion of the peoples money, and
that as soon as any State receives her
share of the fund, it is 10 pass, at once
and finally, into the control of such State
and her legally constituted authorities.
Let the right of The Federal Government
to supervise the education of citizens of a
State once established, and it will be very
easy matter for such citizens to be in
structed in the theory that the States are
but provinces, that this is nation, not
a Republic, and that the Federal Govern
ment is All-Supreme. Such a doctrine
is pernicious in the extreme, and when
it is once acquiesced in, it will require
very little more to induce the citizens of
the republic TO regard themselves as
subjects of a great centralized govern
ment rather than as citizens of free,
sovereign commonwealth. 1t is earnest
" to be hoped that the Democracy will
oppose it bitterly on all occasions and
under all circumstances.
SILK Culture in Georgia.