Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-07-31
An Answer at Last.
Union.

neighbor, "What are you going to do
about t?' explaining that we must get
federal aid or increase our taxes; that
standing at the foot OF the list or at the
head, as the question is stated, of edu-
cation OF illiteracy, we must improve
our condition, and that il can only be
done by getting more money from some
quarter, and to oppose the educational
bill meant increased taxes. And we
have asked, "What are you going to do
about it ~ We at last have the answer.
Here it is. It is given with good deal
of flourish, but nevertheless here it is;
wherever there is real public in-
terest in schools it will be found that
good schools and good teachers abound,
whatever may be the wealth Of the coun-
ty. And it will be found that in seme
comparatively poor counties are the
best schools, and in some OF the compar-
atively rich counties are the poorest"
With all due respect we submit that
this is pitiable. What will the country
say? A part of our children get sew
enty-eight days OF schooling in the year,
but 221 900 children never see school
house. Illiteracy is our normal condi-
ton. The federal government makes
an offer to the south that gives Tennes-
see $8, 900, 900 to aid the state and to be
under the management OF state officials.
The friends Of this measure find an op-
ponent in our morning contemporary,
and ask it what it what it proposes. Are
you for an increase OF taxes Some
! thing must be done, and our neighbor
says, Yes, something must be done, and
we suggest, get up an interest. All you
need Is the interest--a real public inter-
est. Get that up that is a substitute
for money; it will bring the schools and
teachers, money or no money-good
schools and good teachers. Just get up
an interest. And this is the American
answer to the question. II you are
against the educational bill what are
you for--more local taxes? And our
neighbor says Just get up an interest
Never mind about the money to pay
teachers. Never mind about the money
to build school-houses. Never mind
about the money. All you want is the
interest. Why not meet the question
and bluntly say you are opposed to pub
lie schools? This article lets it out.
Get up a public interest and You will
have good private schools without taxes,
for that is the meaning OF it. What
does this mean? Public schools are
based on public money? Children
have more sense than to believe that
public excitement or public interest
makes public schools without taxes.
Throwing up hats does not pay teach
ers; hence if the article has any mean
ing at all it means quit the public
schools, get up an interest and let each
man educate his own children. II this
is not it, will our neighbor tell us how
getting up an interest will pay teachers
without public money? Getting up
an interest and having public schools
without money is like Netherland's S
landlord who took in the traveller, but
couldn't feed his horse, couldn't give
him any supper, couldn't furnish him
a bed and couldn't even give him a
drink, and the angry traveller said,
"What in the devil do you keep? and
the landlord coolly replied, "We keep
tavern"
The Americans new system of pub
lie schools, based on interest without
money, is as frivolous as an interest
bank accout without dollar of depos-
its.
In solemn truth, the article is pitt
full begging off from answering hard
questions.
One of three things every man in
Tennessee ought to say: / am for the
educational bill or ! am for more
local taxes; or / am against public
schools. This is the way they debated
questions in olden times.
The Union is on the side OF the help
; less children. 1t means to stand and
fight for them as did Garland and Lamar
and Hampton and Voorhees, and Brown
I, and Pendleton and Jonas and Jackson
and Colquitt and Ransom and Williams
: We are proud Of the fact that nineteen
/ out OF twenty-five democratic senator,
!, stood shonaler to shoulder in the senate
!, and passed mis- bill over the s!lYicks o
! bloody-shiri republicans and fossil2et
a democrats. There has been no N4r.
g pitiful spectacle than that of the Ole
g democratic fossils in the senate--them
/ selves propped up like skeletons
shrieking strict construction" anC
= holding up the hands of such bloody
/ shirt republicans as Ingalls,, who bit
's terly denounced the bill because tn,
e south got something under it. AnC
{, our neighbor says, in effect, "We stant
d by the bloody shirt and the fossils. w
want public schools based on interes
"a without money" What are we comin
y to2 What is the estimate of public in
a telligence when leading newspape
L can oford to say. Give us public school
ie based on public interest; we can't stan
al taxation ? The alarming conditio
OF from illiteracy is emphasized when
10 leading newspaper says we can affor
ID to go to the people and tell them ths
m for public schools we don't need none,
ne we need interest. We again repei
Il, this is pitiable in the extreme.