The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-01-18
flow Can Democrats support the Blair
Rill

To 1t seems incredible that the BLAIR
scheme for saddling the national Treasury
with tho cost OF education in the several
States should be sanctioned by votes OF Dem
Ocratic Senators and Representatives or by
the approval ola Democratic President. Not
only would 1t involve fragrant breach OF
tho Constitution aud fatal acquicsconce in
the emasculating tutolage OF a paternal Gov
crnment, but regarded merely from the point
ofvlew.of expediency, the proposed method Of
apportioning the public moneys is radically
vicious, for. far from stimulating communi-
ties to help themselves, it would actually SGT
O premium upon State torpor and local neg
lsct Of duty.
1t should be plain as q pikestaff that II our
organic laws can ever be so construed as to
permit tho shifting Of school tax from a
State to the Federal Treasury, there would
be no legal bar to tho foisting of road tax,
q poor tax. tax for the support of courts,
police, and prisons, or. In short. oil local bur-
dens. upon the same broad shoulders of the
central Government. Ofcourse the State and
county administrations. being thus de-
prived OF any pretext for existence,
would sink into contempt and impo-
tcncc, and before long be suppressed.
kNo otutC WIN u tIuCC VI IN lle III llS past VI
OF hope In its future, no State which deserves
to keep shadow OF independence, will
accept, under the smooth guise of national
contributions to its school fund, a deadly
solvent OF its dignity and energy. under
whose relaxing influence oil Its powers of
self-improvement and all its cherished local
Institutions would perish of dry rot
Thus far we have looked at Senator BLAIR's
specious proposition from the standpoint OF
tho Constitution, which should henceforth
he instinctively upheld with special fervor
by tho Southern States, who have much
more to dread than their stronger Northern
brethren from plausible entertainments OF
centralizing theories. But from the point OF
view Of Northern States the principle OF
distribution propoundcd In the BLAIR bill
Is palpubly absurd. Instead OF encourage
ing the citizens Of each State to cdu-
cato themselves, by apportloning their
share of the Federal subsidy to tho vigor OF
tho effort made uron their own behalf, 1t
positively graduates the amount OF national
assistance to the degree OF illiteracy which
given community has seen fit In the past, or
may hereafter see fit, to tolerate. In other
words, the less the taxpayers OF Delaware,
for instance. may deem 1t worth while to pay
for the support Of their own schools, tho
more the taxpayers OF New York shall be
forced to contribute for the relief OF Della
ware. This would be reversing with a
vengeance the measure proverbially meted
out to tho idle and the Industrious appren-
tice. Under the dcbasing operation of such
methods OF distribution. how long would it
be before the Northern States themselves
would be prompted by mean self-intercst to
cut down their own appropriations for edu-
cation in order to obtain slice OF the Fod-
eral gratuitios fairly proportionate to their
large share OF the burdens imposed by Fed
eral taxation?
The Democratic party would cease to exist
II its leaders were to sanction such a princi-
pie as that advanced in the BLAIR bill. II
lation. 1t would be waste OF words to quote
tho Constitution; and the whole traditional
machinery Of State and county admnistra-
ton would be gradually discarded
as obstructive and supcrtluous. Tho
capacity of local initiative and self
development would decay. and system
OF paternal government would be-
como impreSnab!y established In this
country, pervading all its laws and rooted in
the relaxed irresolute, dependent temper of
its people. In its logical outcome, patornal
government has but two forms-Crsarism
and Communism-and toward ono or tho
other every nation that foregoes tho hubit of
local self help and self-lmprovement must in
ovitably drift.