Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-10-14
A Democrat plerces Bob's Bubble.

lion. w. i. Mct arlauu, Vi I~luuiU0lul,
West Tennessee, n Of the soundest and
most level-headcd democrats In that d.
vision of the state, has written and pub
lished two or three able and unanswera-
BILE letters in favor Of the principle of the
Blair bill. Mr.. Mcfarland has several
times been q member of the Legislature
and in 1873 was chairman of the house
judiciary committee. He ranks high as
a lawyer and an honest politician. In
his last letter, in the Nashville Union of
Friday last, he thoroughly exposes the
lnsuficiency and the insincerity of the
various makeshifts and substitutes pro:
posed in lieu of the Blair or Willis bills.
Having effectually disposed of Senator
Whitthorne's 'cotton-t tax" remedy, as
being impracticable, dishonest and alb
surd, he proceeds to put an extinguisher
upon the sale-of the public lands project,
as advocated by Bob Taylor and others,
In the following neat and conclusive
style:
But there Is another plan proposed,
that Is ito distribute the proceeds of the
public lands to the states for free school
purposes" This has been often done In
the past, and in our view is proper
thing to be done nov and hereafter, but
the serious trouble here Is that these
proceeds would not be sufficient. We
need and must have more than this to
enable us to give our children a common
school education. To distribute this
fund on the basis of illiteracy is the
equitable and proper thing to be done,
and would give us a larger proportion OF
II than any other basis. Say this Is done:
The average sales Of public lands In the
ten years from 1872 to 1882 were 49, 2S,
045, 80. the number of illiterstcs in the
| United States over ten years old Is 0, 800
$50; the pro rata would be within a frac-
ton Of forty six cents to each. OF these
illiterates there are in Tennessee; 401, 722,
and we would obtain Of this fund $3.50.
932, 10, This sum would probably be
lessened considerably hereafter, as :.
seems to be the settled policy of all par
ties now to sell public lands only to actu
al settlers, while heretofore large sales
have been made TO land Spectators,
Our whole school population in this state
In 1880 was: White, 403, 1853; colored,
141, 500, In all, 544, 1862. Our pro rata
would, therefore, give us about thirty
five cents to each n Of our scholastic
population. The average duration OF
our free schools in 1880, taking the whole
state, was sixty-eight days, less than any
other state in the union. This addition
to our funds would not add more than
eighteen days to our schools each year.
This would help some, but not enough.
Four months Of school annually will moi
do. Such q school will necessarily
break down private schools, make teach
ing improbable and deny education IA
the poor"
We commend this exposure TO those
democratic friends Of education who
may have imagined there Is some aid tC
our illiterate children really contempla'
ted by Bob's ridiculous public land prop
o%sItion. Every thoughtful man must SEE
that there Is Is no sincerity In any suct
scheme, which has simply been conjureG
up by Bob's trainers for campaign pur
poses. After the election 1t Is not ex
pectod that II will be heard Of again
Men who are In earnest In desiring suffl
cient means for the education Of th,
children Of the state cannot consistently
vote for q man who can deliberately tri
file with the most important question
that has been submitted to our peopl
since the war. II is no excuse TO 50,
that the governor has no control owe
such matters. The question Is the para
mount question Of the canvass. II ma,
be said to be the test question Of the con
test. Every vote cast for Bob Taylo
will be q vote registered against tn
Blair bill, and q majority for Bob Tay
lor will be construed by congress as al
expression by the people Of Tennessee
that they do not desire any aid for thel
public schools. Can democratic friend
Of education afford to make such a rec
ordf-KaorciM Journal.