The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-09-30
PROF. HoGG AND THE BLAIR BILL

Knight OF Maine!
PROF. IIOGG AND THE BLAIR BILL.
Prof. Alex. Hogg of Fort Worth, has
always favored the Blair educational bill
for federal aid to the public schools. On
Monday, September 2G, he figures in the
Fort Worth Gazette as the author of a
long argument favoring the Blair bill.
He gives much statistics and specious rea-
soning for the position he takes. He
quotes the broadcast generaities from the
constitution, ana makes 1t apply espec-
tally to the bill in question.
As far as Prof Hogg is concerned per
sonally, he is all right. This is free
country, and a man has a right to his own
Opinion,b but when he attempts to reconcile
his support of the Blair bill with the doc
trines of the national democratic party,
he errs in every particular.
He quotes in support of his position as
follows, from what he says is plank in
the democratic platform, passed in the
national convention at Chicago, July 10,
| 1884:
"The future of the country unites with
the ldboring men IN the demand for the
liberal support by the United States of
the school system OF the states for the
common education of all the children, the
same aTording sufficient foundation for
the coming generation to acquire due
knowledge of their duties as citizens
Now, as a matter of fact, after close
examination of the democratic national
platform by The STATESMAN no such
plank can be found, and all that pertains
to the question of schools is the follow
ing: "We favor 4 the diffusion
of free education by common schools so
that every child III the land may be
taught the right and duties of citizen
ship which can be readily seen does not
touch the question involved in the Blair
! bill at all. A close scrutiny of this much
discussed Blair bill will disclose, to use
common expression, "a bug under the
chip In the first place this bill origi-
mates with prominent leader i'll the re-
publican party and the question should be
asked whether it is not a matter favoring
that party. Does 1t not carry ont exactly
principle which is the tradition of that
| party-of Capitalization of power?
Every attempt has been made by the re-
publican party to do something
looking to an advancement Of this
idea. The Blair bill under the
show of comforting favor is right
in the direct line of this policy, and the
saying of the Trojan when Simon took
his wooden horse into ancient Troy, fear
the Greeks, even when bearing gifts may
be applied to the present case. Under
show of this favor the tentacles of the
national government begin to reach out
to grasp state privileges by having n say
in something which pertains alone to the
state.
In the second place this bill makes an
outlet for the immense surplus caused by
the high tariff, and thus gives the protec-
tionists an argument for keeping the tariff
in statu quo. When this money is being APP
piled to the schools in the southern states
if there is any attempt of the latter to cut
the tariff down, the protection advocates
can use as an argument that we will cut
down your public school pro rata.
This bill is undoubtedly opposed to the
principles of the democratic party, and
where it was supported by any democrats
in the senate, it was done with mistaken
idea that it would benefit the poor people
of their states and, not because they
deemed it democratic. If these facts are
not so, why was the bill advocated so
strongly by the republicans, only two of
the latter voting against it! The STATES
MAN does not mean to charge Prof. Hogg
with wilfully misstating the platform of