Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-01-24
THE BLAIR EDUCATIONAL BILL.

INK BLAlB EDUCATIONAL BILL
A well-known gentleman of this
city who keeps posted on current
politics, has called our attention to n
New York Sun article opposing the
Blair Educational Bill as an un-Dem-
ocrat measure.
The Sun is not generally looked to
just now as an exponent OF true De-
mocracy, but we viii not beg the
question by urging this fact in answer
to its arguments.
Asi is the disposition Of the CHRoS-
IcLE to treat all questions fairly, we
regret that our space is too limited to
allow full publication Of the Suns
article. The principal point it makes
against the bill 10 that il is step to-
wards GENERALIZATION and would open
the way for the Federal Government
10 assume all burdens that have here
tofore been looked after by local or
CARNATIONS, and by that means render
the latter useless and imperative. To
quote its own language:
II should be plain as n pikestaff that
II our organic laws can ever be SO con-
structed ms TO permit the shifting of a
school tax from State TO the Federal
Treasury, there would be no legal bar
70 the foisting of a road tax, n poor tax,
n tax for the support OF courts, police,
and prisons, or, in short, all local bur-
dens, upon the same broad shoulders
OF the central Government. OF course,
the State and county administrations,
being thus deprived Of any pretext for
existence, would sink into contempt
and impotence, and before long be
suppressed.
Concerning this article the gentle
man above referred to remarked:
at has been surprise to me that our
local Democratic press fsvors the Blair
Educational Bill. 1t is certainly not a
Democratic measure. The New York
Sun article is an argument that is
sound Democratic doctrine, as far as il
goes. It has been but q short time
since a Republican convention in
Pennsylvania promulgated the idea oil
distributing the surplus revenue to
the States. If any Democrat approved
the idea, or stopped short of ridiculing
it, I have not heard from him. 1t was
supposed to be (outside Of the ques-
ton of constitutionslity,) in the inter-
est OF RrUtectipe Tariff, or III other
words, to prevent revenue reform.
The Blair, bill and the Pennsylvania
idea are OF the same cloth; no sound
argument can be made demonstrating
the difference between the two"
So far As as the CHRONICLE is con-
cerned, we humbly:confess that we are
not 30 much disturbed about the
maintenance of the truly Democratic
ms the great New York exponent Of
the faith, and don't view this measure
i'll party light We look more to
tho substantial benefits it proposes,
and having no apprehension of the
DIRE results which the Sun presumes
will follow the establishment of such
q precendent, we give it our endorse
ment
We think our esteemed fellow citi-
zen is led into error by overlooking
the historical circumstances on which
the Blair bill is predicated, circum-
stances that could never again occur
and could in no way be brought to
aid in the enactment of such measures
a. those alluded to by the Sun.
Such q measure rs this is due the
SSath from the general Government
on account of the emancipation and
Acknowledgement of the slaves. Mil
lions of people in this section whose
condition was little above absolute
barbsrism, were suddenly elevated to
citizenship, and in some portions OF
the South they constitute the majority
Of the voters. These people are not
only illiterate, but poor, and the bur-
den OF their education, il left to State
governments, falls almost entirely on
the whites. The white people OF the
South were impoverished by the loss
of their slave property and the rava-
ges OF war and are not able by them
selves to cope with the formidable
problem that confronts them.
The illiteracy among the Southern
whites is itself something terrible, but
that is their own fault, and the general
Government could not be rightly ap-
pealed TO TO assist in its removal. But
the education of the freedmen is the
duty Of the Nation that made them
citizens. This is the real purpose of
the Blair bill, it is an act of simple
justice to the freedmen, the people
among whom they live and the nation
at large. We favor its passage.
The further complaint made by the
New York Sun that National aid to
education will cause State Govern
ments to become lethargic on the
subject is not warranted; 1st, be-
cause the provisions of this bill are
temporary, and ID, because the bill
provides that no State shall receive n
greater amount than is raised by State
taxation for school purposes.