The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1884-05-07
A STRING OF STATISTICS.
THE HONORABLE SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS
AND HIS OFFICIAL FILINGS AT THOSE
WHO DO NOT AGREE WITH him.

rrc Fcors General Buffers Influence
on Wenkmindcd Citizens Who
Haven't Sense Enough TO do Their
Own Thinking..lfe Gives His
Opiniou Of Those Who Turn
| Their Faces backward to the
rIcxhpots,, md Deals q Blow to
Those Who Fail to Realize the Ne
sro's Right to Confiscate Prop
erty for Education Of His ChAi'
drcn.
A correspondent OF the News and Courier
hns interviewed the Honorable State Superin'
,endant Of Education and elected from MIN
some filings ut the opponents OF public educa'
ton. and has drawn from him many facts
about lands and schools, and States and Ter
~-i,orics. 1t Is strange to US that a man who Is
50 well Informed In history and statistics
should have. been able TO tell so little to the
Educational Committee In Washington.
..,olone,, have you road Senator Buffers
letter on the Educational biN?'
"Ynu meal, the lettor TO Mr.. Cnnncr7 Yes, !
-ca ! 1t as it appeared In the NetUs and Cur
ier."
"How do you understand itT'
nation OF his attitude In opposition to the 70
ucational bill before the Senate, and n defnt-
ton, In pnrt ut least, OF his views OF popular
cdnrntiOn."
what do you think Its effect is?""
az fear said Col. Coward chat the effect Is
p%rfjudicIal, to Il certain extent, TO the cduca'
tinnnl interests OF the State, because II has re-
awakened n latent opposition to the public
school system which had become almost dor
mani. / am persuaded that our people have
fully adopted the schools, AVID Will not he IN
c'inrd under any circumstance 10 o. o ar,
which Gen. Buffers letter Is calculated 10 en-
courage will cause n greater d"grce or friction
IN the work Of the public school system. In
nearly every school district there are snine In
dividuals who are ut heart bitterly opposed to
THE OF THE
ami who, pcrsistantly turning their fnces
bnck ward to the fleshp"ts OF tlie rnst. iail 10
realiZe the fact that tho negro Is now u free.
man and q citizen. Tine great success that
has attended the public schools OF INC STATE,
the declared purpose OF the Dcm"crntic party
tn maintnin them for all classes, and tle gen.
crai advance Of the public opinion 10 a higher
aud broader plano, had shamed most OF these
individuals Into silence. Now that they find
themselves standing under the shadow OF d
sspok enIng and aggressive than ever
"What Is YOU answer to the objections
which are urged against
NATIONAL AID TO EDUCATION
rs now contemplated?
"Thcsc objections, 1t seems to me, mny oc
chased into four grOnps-objectIons on con
stltutional grounds, objections to the particu'
lar bill tciore the Senate, objections to the
general policy OF public caurutiOn, and obJec
ions growing ont OF political craftsmanship
Although reared q States Rights an accord
Ing to the Straightcst Of the sect, Calhoun's
the Constitution OF the United States having
been q textbook In my alma mater, | mus
cand!dly confess my, ability. to appreciate
the force Of amy objection urged on the ground
- ortIt,,Ior,1If Ep11owinn the vinwR n
the most enlightened writer's on the subject o
government, The trainers OF our Constitution
with singular unnnimity, recognized and net
cd upon the great fact that n government such
ms they desired to form must be based on tho
virtue and intelligence OF the people. In ont
OF his letters Mr.. Madison says: "A popular
government without Intelligence or tint
means OF acquiring II Is hut the prelude TO {
tragedy or a farce, or perhaps 10 both.' Ac
cordingly
THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS
In the days Of the Confederation saw the ne
cesslty Of providing the means to secure IN
public schools. So early as l7@ the 10Th sec
ton Of every township OF the public domain
was reserved and consecrated to that purpose
No doubt was entertained Of the necessity
and proprlcty of this step. The only qnes
tlon upon which the was any division Mt nj
was rs to the agent by whom the schools wer'
to be organized and managed. The Frdern,i
lists generally advocated that the work Sholilt
be lone ny the General Government; the Re
publicans, whose lincal descendants nre tn.
present democratic pnrty. and not The mod
ern wolf In the guise OF that august name
were OF the opinion that the States individ
ually should do II. II must he remembered
that in the government, under the Articles q
Confedrrniinn, the principle OF State antonn
my was carried tn such an extreme thnt th'
cohessiveness Of the government was. In tn
q nguage Of that day, little better Than n rnp
! OF sand. From this fact we may infer the In
tcngliy OF their conviction about the necessi.
!. ty or popular education and the propriety o
T lis support by the General government Up
on the admission OF Ohio In 1872, the Stat,
was made the trustee OF the donations ant
the irresponsible agent or us ADMINISTRATOR
"rhe twelve States admitted up to 1913 re
coived the benefit of the 18th section, and al
The States Omitted sihce that year have re
ceived the 18th and the %6th sections.
THE LANDS THUS GIVEN
amounted 10 67.s9S,9l9 acres. Besides this
spccIal grants have been made for tn" suppnr
OF universities, amounting to l,'65,521 acres
These enormous benefits were conferred Onl.
upon the Public Land States: hut In 1862 III,
educational o ,iowmcnt was enlarged by do
nations to NIL thn States to promote the estah
> lishment Of agricultural and mechanical rol
leges, amounting TO 9:6oo,oOo IN place and ~
srript $4,000 acres, from the revenues nf which
|, the agricultural and mechanical department.
.. Of the University are supported. The total q
!, nll these rants up 10 1887 Is 7S.!50,439 acres
which nj two dollars per acre reaches n none.
value OF sI57,5lS,77S or more thnn twice n
much ms the Senate bill proposes TO use. Nov
here is
!. PRINCIPLE RECOGNIZED AND ACTED ON
r from the very foundation Of the Government
Its cnnStiiutionality has never been question
cd, hut, on the contrary. 1t has been accepted
as the practical working out or one or the Inn
l portnnt objects for which the Constitute,
promote the general welfare Indeed, II !
, difficult to conceive OF any other means b!
which the Genernl Government could so wei
/ puerile to assert that the principle involves
in the distribution Of The S77,0m,n0n con.en,
:. plated by thisb bill Is different from that upo,
L. which the land grants have been mnde. Ev
both money and the blood OF our citizens, II
, other words. was acquired by direct purchas'
or Mt the cost or war.
"Whiic I was In Washington in Fphrnar!
dy the Senate committee on education
i known as
THE BLAIR BILL
. md ! thorght It absolutely free from oh!ec
tions. 1t was amended In many particular
before II finally passed tho Senate, and som
Of the amendments nre. 7 think. ohjec'inna
bile and calculated to arouse serious opposi
| LOn IN TIE T1UUHt. Tie I1hSG oIIttt pbnatt
provision Is to be fonnr in the last sPn'rnc
or the nth section In these words: 'The secre
tary OF the interior shall have power to hen
and examine any complaints Of misnpproPr
Y the funds herein provided. and shall report I
Congress the results thereof This powe
given to the secretary may de
=. pRosr1ruTED TO PARTY v
+ "Or course the State could refuse to accep
p the benefit of the Act rs soon ne such use
(, made apparent, and she wnnlG he In no wOrs
condition than she was In before. hui thi
would he q dcplorablc remedy. II Is to b
; / oped TINT this sentence. which cnn suhserv
. no good purpose. but may prove q source n
: irritation md annoyance to both the stat
G and the General Government, will be elm
! mated before the hill becomes n law"
"And rs to the objections TO popular educa
: tion?' >.
y class or objections which sprang from opposl
ton to the general
POLICY OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
would opaE u p wider SCOPE OF discussion
= than either you or I have the time now 10 OK
3 plore. can only say that the answers ar
my, superior effectiveness In tho work Of IN
schools. the greater diffusion Of their benefit
= md the general err hancemnnt oi the prnnur
tive value Of labor. The abstract theory INA
only by those who are able TO pay for them
, however plausible to the ear. has long heel
, condemned practically by every .~civilize'
. people rs selfish md obstructive TO socin
. progress
: .'ihe last class OF objections IL really tn
y most energetic. We have reached that rnllti
) chi condition 80 earnestly deprecated b!
Washington. wherein no great general qucs
:. ton can escape
{ THE HARrY.ToUcH OF SPIRIT.
!; "This great measure for the general wrlfar
cannot escape; It must he mndc 10 snhserv
party ends. II riginntcd In the Republican
SENATE: therefore to the Republican part.
must belong the glory nf It's pnsshge and t.
the Democratic party The Ig; nininy Of It's dc
feat. The Northern Ren%b d me ,,sI
Z. neonlp nre to derive but little benefit. md q
which they feel 10 such pressing nerd MS VI
OF the South feel. Asa party they could us
l the defeat OF the hill hy the Democrats M
, stronger argument In the coming canvas
, than they could the merit OF it, pnssnge
/ hence the injection OF Objectionable feature
Y into The bill and tho Printing character q
the dehntc upon 1t. II was this spirit tina
- 49, tI,,, .ootinr, q coprpt0p hy fpEprfiNI