Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-03-11
The National Educational Bill.
IRdItorial in New Yotk stsr.l

/. There seems no longer to be room TO
doubt that one or the other of the pend
ing educational bills will pass both
Houses Of Congress. The Blair bill in
troduced In the Senate, and the Willis
bill introduced in the House, differ
somewhat in details, but both proceed
upon the theory that Congress has the
constitutional right to tax the people OF
the United States for the purpose of es-
tablishing and maintaining common
schools In the separate States.
There is no warrant for such an ex-
ercise of authority to be found In any
fair and reasonable construction of the
Constitution. The step is a great and
dangerous one toward concentration OF
unauthorized power in the hands of the
federal government, and the fact that
1t commands the support of both Re.
publicans and Democrats shows how
serious has been the decentralization
wrought by the centralizing tendencies
of twenty years of Republican rule.
We cannot bring ourselves to believe
that the Democrats who support this
measure are ignorant of the fact that 1t
violates the traditions of Democracy
and the theories of constitutional con-
structiOn in which their party has been
thoroughly committed from the days of
Jefferson down to the present time. 1t
is not ignorance of these facts that in
fuences their action, but the fear of Of
Tending constituents that expect to Sc
cure pecuniary gain, or at least relief
from pecuniary burdens. The ordinary
man looks at political problems simply
q W fn hni " 1snf Ife,
Many Southern communities recOgniz-
ing the necessity for the education of
the people, now. that all are voters,
nevertheless feel keenly the cost of pro-
viding for such education, and eagerly
turn to the federal government for as
sistance. They forget that the taxes
which it levies fall as surely upon their
shoulders as do those levied by their To-
cal authorities, They put aside, there
fore, their prejudices against augment
ing the powers of the central govern
ment, and demand of their representa-
tives in Congress the support of meas
ure which, 1t appears to them, will pour
a golden stream into the impoverished
communities. This confusion of
thought, which leads men to think
that a mere shifting of the burden can
be made source of profit or relief, is
only one of the inevitable consequences
of the pernicious system of indirect tax
alton.
We have, however, in the White
House a Democratic President, educated
In a belief in the constitutional tradi-
tions Of his party. He looks to no small
constituency for favor or support, but
to the whole people of the United
States. He, better than any congress
man, can afford to take his stand on
Democratic principles and policy, and
trust with implicit faith to the sound
and earnest convictions of Democrats
everywhere to sustain him in such a
course. Let us hope, then, that, should
the bill pass, Mr.. Cleveland will have
the courage to meet it with his veto,
and to prevent the spectacle off Demo-
cratic administration following in the
steps of a party whose usurpations OF
power and disregard of constitutional
limitations have: been denounced by
Democrats for q quarter of a century,