Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-05-03
THE BLAIR BILL.


The Democrat of last week devoted
nearly two columns of its editorial
space to a structure on the CHRoNI-
Giles advocacy of the Blair educa-
tional bill.
We are always open to conviction
and will have no hesitancy in
adopting a new creed when the
error of our old faith has been
pointed out to us. But sad TO say,
the learned dissertation of our con-
temporary ON constitutional law,
and its patriotic defense of republi-
can institutions, has failed to con-
vert US to its way OF thinking. We
still banker after the flesh pots of
Egypt in the shape of those $40, O00,-
900 which the Blair bill appropri-
ates for public education, and still
record the CHRONICLE as strongly
in favor of the passage of such
measure.
When the idea of appropriating
the surplus in the National treasury
to public education was first pro-
mulgated, the Democrat opposed it
on the ground that it would humil-
late the South to accept such aid,
and later, advanced the idea that it
would create mixed schools. Since
the discussion of the act in the
United States Senate, our contem-
pOrary has abandoned such posi-
tons, and now bases its objections
to the measure on the high ground
of unconstitutionality. 1t fears
that the appropriation of money by
Congress for educational purposes is
a step towards monarchy or strong
central government. We combat
ted the former positions of our con-
temporary and think its present
attitude equally as assailable. There
might be ground for such apprehen-
sion as the Democrat expresses if
the bill provided for taking public
education from the control of the
states and creating a National sys-
tenn of public schools {; or even ifthe
act provided for perpetuity, and
the appropriations were to be con-
tinued. But nothing of the kind
is intended in the Blair bill. There
is a surplus of $150,000,000 in the
National treasury, and it is propos-
ed to turn half of that over to the
states to be expended by them for
educational purposes. The Federal
Government assumes no control in
the matter further than in the dis
tribution of the fund among the
states. The question mostly moot
ed is whether or not Congress has a
right to appropriate money for the
purpose. A large majority of the
Senate was of the opinion that it
has; only eleven Senators having
voted against the passage of the
bill.
The Democrat seeks to make an
argument of its estimate of
the character and ability of the
Senators who supported the meas
ure as compared to those who OPP
posed it. We never heard of any
thing so essentially weak. Wheth-
er Lamar or Hampton are the men,
tai equals of Beck and Harris is a
matter of speculation and entirely
irrelevant to the issue. OF one
thing we are certain-they are all
good Democrats, and the fact of
their occupying opposite positions
proves that the bill is in no sense a
partisan measure. The Democrat
says, of its knowledge, the CHRoN-
ICLE is the only one of the numer-
Gus "weekly papers throughout the
South" favorIng the bill, that denies
its unconstitutionality. We are
constrained to believe that our con-
temporary has misconstrued those
papers, for such position would be
extremely idiotic, and we are not
disposed to credit such a wholesale
indictment of the Southern press.
To insist on the passage of an avow-
edly unconstitutional measure
would be to abjure congressman to
violate their Oaths of office-but the
folly of such a position needs no
portrayal.
The opponents OF this bill are the
first people on record to suppose
that the education of the masses
is tendency towards monarchy.
Popular education has generally
been esteemed the greatest bulwark
of popular liberty, and so it has
always proven. General education
is in fact essential to the life of
republican Government. Where
every man is allowed a voice in the
affairs of the Nation, he should be
able to exercise that right intelli-
gently. 1t is the ignorant masses
who submit to monarchial rule in
Europe. The Russian Nihilist are
nearly all students, and if the Sla-
yonic masses could have for a few
wears the benefit of such a measure
as the Blair educational bill, the
Romanofrs would tremble on their
throne and the Ukase would be
supplanted by legislative enact
ment.
The Democrat thinks the follow
ING paragraph from the CHRONICLE
very inconsistent;
Such statesmen are tinged with
panrbonism, they groPe in. the
moonlight OF the past and banker
asser the exploded doctrine of State
sovereignty. The Chronicle would
sTSs with all lis might any ten
d .5Ppcv 10 Capitalization or an en-
ue ,,.s ~ naent 81 states rights by the
e GoderaI Government, but We fail to
"a anvthing of the kind IN tne
educational bill.
four contemporary believes tnat