The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-04-24
THE EDUCATION BILL.

up in the House at an carly date, is
full OF evil possibilities and pToba-
bilities. Briefly the scheme Is as
follows: It provide that ST., 100000
of the public moneys shall be distri
buted among the several States and
Territories in such way as to
equalize the school privileges to all
children in the country, without
regard to color or race. The expend.
iture is to extend over period OF
eight years, as follows: First year,
$1,000, OOe; second, $40. 900, 600; third
$15,OO0.OOO; fourth, $4,000. 900;
fifth, s11,OOO,0OO; sixth, 100000;
seventh, $7,O0G,Oy0; eighth, S. ,o0O,-
coo. The money is to be turned
over TO the respective governors, in
monthly instsllments, based on the
ratio of illiteracy, the conditions
being as follows:
l. That none of it ehaIl go 20 any
State or Territory that does not have a
common school system for sll children,
without regard 10 race or color.
That no State shall receive from
:his fund more money than it annuslly
eXpends for school purposes.
3. That mona of the Appropriation
81 al be expended for the erection or
rental Of school houses, but that accom-
modstions for the school shall be fur
nished by the States.
4 That one.tenth the fund shall be
applied TO the education of teachers snd
IN maintaining normal and training
schools.
5. That esch year there shall be made
to the Secretary of the Interior by the
Governor of each 6tste detailed s.ate>
ment Of the disbursement of the school
fund, with the mum Der Of schools, average
daily attendance, the relative number OF
white and colored children, and other
information IS 10 the us9 Of the fund,
and the condition of common school ed.
Ccation in the State, and if it shall be
shown that the fund has been mlsap-
piled, such State shall not be entitled to
further aid until it shall replace the
money misspplied.
This IS all very philanthr0pic and
benevolent en- the surface: and is in
tended to captiYate the unwary, bat
the ASPECT of things changes when
we eome to dig below tho groupings.
The Treasury is OVERLOOKING with
money wrurG from an unwilling
people in the shape of war taxes and
excessive duties. There is an an
nual surplus amounting to over
100000, 600, and this vast sum our
Congressman can find no Legitimate
way for spending; hence this raid
on the Treasury, which is put forth
as a Republican measure for the
beneftof the dear poor people. Hon
est craftsmanship would say that
the better way to help the people
would be to tighten the burden of
taxation until the revenue OF the
government was barely sufici-
ent to meet the legiti-
mate requirements. If Congress
is to spend money in these ways,
there can never be q reduction of
taxes, and the high tariff policy
must necessarily be pursued.
Schemes of a similar nature could
be devised endlessly. This one has
the extra fault-but one character
istic of Republican legislstion-of
striking a dangerous blow at the
independence aud self-respect Of the
State. 1t is directly in line Of tie
party plan OF government central-
ization, and besides, hits the COM
monweslths in q vital spot, that of
the education Of the people. If the
general government can vote money
for education, it certainly has the
right to dictate how it shall be ex-
pended, can say what books shall
be used, who shall be the teachers
and what must be taught; it can
found and endow universities
and colleges, designate the
professors, and keep the instruc~
ton within a certain line of
political thought or party policy;
indeed, if 1t can make this app1o-
priation, if can make OF the educa-
tional system Of the State political
football, to be kicked about by pol
iticians and partisans, the same as
the civil service has been managed.
To say that Congress would not at
tempt these things is to display ig-
norance Of the history Of the Re-
publican party, which has from the
first been grasping the rights of the
States and the people, and gather
ing power into the hands Of a CEN
tralized government.
It is believed the House will see
the hidden dangers in this bill and
promptly consign it to the waste