The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-03-29
SPEECH
On the "Albaugh School
BILL"
BY Highlands Representative,
Hon. Jonah BrittOn.
Delivered In the Ohio Legislature on
Thursday, February 18th,
1883.

ests involved in it, but the dearest prin.
ciple that underlies our republican form
Of government, threatened as the meas
ures embodied in this bill does threaten
them; when consider that nearly one
half OF all the taxpayers of our great
State are directly affected by its opera
ton, and yet not more than twelve or
fifteen of the one hundred and forty.five
members of both branches of this as
sembly are directly affected by its oper-
alton, cannot but feel the responsibility
of attempting to plead for (what conceive
to be) the dearest interests of the people
of our State. If all were alike affected
by its operation, each member would
have . personal interest that would
arouse him to its dangers. Let me ask
you, then, as disinterested judges upon
the claims presented by the advocates
of this bill, to weigh them in the scales
of impartial justice. Not only in mon
eyed point Of view, but by the standard
of right and justice.
"a government of the people and by
the people" is the bed rock upon which
our government rests, and upon which
its perpetuity depends. Any law that
attempts to abridge or destroy that right
is undermining the very foundation up.
on which our government rests. What
grievance do the advocates of this bill
propose to remedy? Have they brought
any indictment against our public school
system that this bill can amend? What
is it, and what has it accomplished It
has been more than thirty years in
building up in its present form. What
has it accomplished History tells US
that one hundred years ago this spring
the first settlement was made in our
State. That was by the hardy New Eng
landers. Virginia-the State where Gov
ernor Berkley in 1871 in answer to some
question from the Mother Country,
thanked the Lord they had no schools
nor newspapers in the colony, and hoped
a century hence might find them in the
same condition"-the Carolinas, Ten
nessee and Georgia also contributed their
share of emigrants to our wilderness,
and even far.off Europe helped to swell
the tide. Our common schools have
taken the descendants of all this hetero.
geneous mass and built of it Common
wealth that stands to-day, in physical,
intellectual and moral grandeur, equal
to any in the worlds history. But gen.
tlemen tell us it is the city, town and
village schools that have done the work,
and we are far behind other States in
our schools. To stand in this chamber
and hear Ohio slandered by her o,un sons
is an indignity I spurn, and appeal to
cold figures to disprove the imputation.
Turn to the last published report of the
condition of the illiteracy OF the United
States, and we find Ohio has of her pop
ulation over ten years of age S.6 per cent.
that cannot read. But two of all the
States of the Union have less per cent,
viz: Maine and Iowa, and the Terrific
ries of Dakota and Wyoming. The two
latter have scarcely any children, and
the two former combined have not the
population of Ohio. Take old Massa-
chusetts, with the Hub thrown in, with
practically almost the same system this
bill seeks to inaugurate here in force
there for more than a century, and she
is behind Ohio. But from whence come
the boys that fill our colleges and uni
versities, and furnish the determined
energy and brain power that run every
department of our great State and Ma
ton? Ask down at that Governors
chamber. Go to that judicial bench
Go to the men in every department o.
the business of our country, and th<
answer comes, from the common schoo
in the country the foundation was lait
for future greatness and success.
But this bill says "you must step dowr
and out" to more than thirty-thres
thousand sworn officers of our State
the very men who have built up oul
present school system. The men who
without q murmur assess and pay ths
taxes to keep up our common schools
officers who labor without one cent oi
pecuniary reward; their only recon.
pense the consciousness of doing good
in the intellectual and moral elevation
of the rising generation; the men who
have superintended the erection, anG
borne the cost necessary to builG
more than ten millions OF dollars worth
of school-houses, that dot every part o
our State the men who annually pay
out six millions of dollars without any
per cent. being taken out, or withou
even Civil Service commission beini
necessary to sit in judgment on theil
qualifications or fitness. To think Of oul
State and Nation in every department
from twenty-five dollar postmastershil
up TO the most lucrative appointment IL
the Nation being one continued politi
cal scramble for place and pelf, and thel
turn 10 set Of unsalaried officials VIII
disburse their millions every year with
out any regard Whatever to politics
affinities. Is An oasis In our politics
desert beautiful to behold. Yet thes
are the men to whom this bill says steI
down and ont Y0u ara mot diacharRin