Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25
D. P. HURLEY.
His Speech Delivered Before the People
Of Hiilsboro Yesterday.
The Candidate for the Office Of Superintendent
Of Public instruction Makes Public
His Platform.
Special to the Gnzsttc.

10 TIE speech Oh u. L, Hurley OF SprlHB-
town, Tex, candidate for superintend-
ent of public instruction delivered here
to-day before an enthusiastic crowd:
lam candidate for the ONCE Of supsrinten-
dency of public instruction in the state Of Texas
am candidate at the urgent solicitation of
friends. II have been led to yield to their so
hcitations by any unpatriotic motiEe-ey any
unworthy ambition for the hOnors or emolu-
ments OF ONCE, do not know it; If have
been led TO yield to their solicitations by any
other motive than that OF IN honest and sincere
desire to promote the public good, and to rem
DER valuable aid to our great and growing com
monwealth in training her children for worthy
citizenship, ! am not conscious OF it.
Education, telloT-citizenS, Is sscond to no
terisl prosperity, and the pe-petnity of free in
Stitutions, are all vitality linked with it. The
quality Of our civilization is conditioned upon
1t. The schoolboy OF to-day is the citizen Of to-
morrow, welding the power OF the ballot box,
formulating governmental policies and shaping
the destiny of generations yet to coFae The
state has undertaken the education of her chill
dren. How this is done is Of the utmost con-
cerz both TO the citizen and to the state. The
trainers OF our constitution, with vtas forecast
have laid deep and broad the foundation for
popular education; and successive legislatures
have framed system of public school instruc-
ton singularly adapted 20 the condition and
wants of the state. NeVerthslsss our school
system Is not yet perfect and much time, expe-
rience and legislation will yet be required to adj
lust 1t to the almost endless diversity Of eondt.
territory. 1t is Easy to see that the success of
tina system very largely depends upon proper
administration BY the superintcndent Of public
instruction, How it is now being admins
tered, then, is an inquiry most important to the
people; and am constrained to say, with all
the policy of the present administration, is, in
my judgment, radically wrong, and IL once
firmly fastened upon the state, FAUST inevitably
lead 10 most disastrous results. When the pub
lie school policy Of Hon. Mr.. Cooper is fully
understood believe 1t will meet the emphatic
condemnation Of the people of the state. say
fully understood, for have good reason to be-
heVe that the average citizen has given less at
tention TO public school administration "a an to
any other department Of the state government.
He has taken for granted thSt all was right.
But, before entering upon the discussion of
the grave issues involved in this canvass, / wish
to stats distinctly that entertain sentiments of
high respect for my competitor, Hon. o. H.
Cooper, and hence shall eadsavor to say moth
ing justly offensive either TO himself or his
friends. But whatever criticisms may indulge
must be construed As directed, not against the
individual, but against the policy, the system,
the theory. For my honorable competitor has
theory theory fully deVeloped and clearly d9-
fined. And respect hin ali the more because
believe be is honest in his views. But he is
young. Yot mental conviction is no evidence Of
truth. Paul verify thought he ought with him
self to do many things against the infant church
but he found out his mistake afterwards. Old
John Brown, too, of Kansas notoriety, verify
thought he ought to murder the shareholders OF
Virginia, and enancipaie ths slaves; but he
paid the penalty OF his error upon the seAtfold.
SO Professor Cooper honestly holds = public
school theory; nevertheless think I shall be
able to skoW you that his theory is erroneous
and unsound-contrRry to the constitution as it
iE-sntagonistic to much Of tho present school
code, intensely compulsory, strongly tinctured
with YInkseism, in tone dietatoriAl and disre-
speettul to the people IN spirit and tendency,
rectly and inevitably TO Capitalization.
II succeed in establishing these charEes-and
feel every confidence that shall-then you
ca.6n f 2a hs s's ought T no to bs the
tinued in charge Of the public school
interests OF the state. In the first placs,
strongly advocates compulsory local taxation.
In his sixth biennial report (page III he says:
1.-THE levy OF local taxes will never become gem
constitution it must be left to the option OF each
district. The permission plan must be zbEn-
doned and the mandatory system adopted"
And page lS) in his formal statement Of the
grave defects OF our present constitution
''The absence OF definite provision for local
taxation is mentioned frat of all, thus giving
it first rank in his theory OF state education.
Again, page y he wants the law changed
as to give him power to compel every examining
teachers, to uss tbs questions which he dictates
and no others. Further, he wants to compel
every county in the state, whatever may DO its
circumstances, to hold county teachers insti-
the attendance of teachers On the institute be
mGds mandatory" County superintendency is
now optiOnel, Dut tphEe lb) ne strongly GdVo-
Gates compulsory county superintendsncy in
all the organized counties of the state" No
matter how small the population, no matter how
small the school fund, no matter what the peo-
pie OF the county mGy think about it, every or
gsniLed county in the state shall be compelled
to employ and pay q county superintendent.
page l6) he says in substance that every school
district in the state must be compelled by law to
have : school At least six months every year.
No matter what may BE- the condition OF the
people Of the district, no matter how impossible
to spare the children from farm or home work
no matter what the people Of the district may
think or desire, the school must be open; the
teacher must be there and must be paid. And
how Is this compulsory policy to be enforced7
On page 10 he tells "a he would enforce it by
withholding the Pusiic school fund from any
district that failed to maintain Q six month";
term. Tha constitution as it now is etfectuAlly
protects the right Of every child, male
or female rion or poor, black OF
educational fund Of the state, but we here find
Professor Cooper urging constitutional amend
Ten's protection, an amendment that shall
place in his hands the unjust and dangerous
power Of Withholding the school fund. not from
individual children merely, but from whole
communities. The propositions to confer
such enormous power upon the supsrin-
tendent, . power so wide-reEeAing IN its
trous TO communities when exercised, ought
not for moment to be entertained. But it is
necessary part Of public school system
based upon compuisioD. But compulsory st.
tendance on the public schools Of every child in
the state, ; specified number OF months each
yesr. is q necessary part OF the system. 1t can
not be operated as : system without it. / have
no doubt this is part of his policy. The logic
Of consistency makes it ineVitable. The nom
attendance OF the children during the six
months contemplated would utterly defeat the
whole schems. The children must be compelled
70 attend Hear what he says on page II
Of his report: 1.-THE constitution of 1859 was
more radical than either Of its predecessors and
more elective in some OF its provisions than
our present constitution. It cannot be doubted
that conservative school law, enacted in Ac-
cordance with its provisions, would have been
acceptable to the great majority OF our people.
Let me digTess hers for moment 70 remark
that IL Is painfully fresh in the living msmory Of
Texas that the constitution Of 1859 was framed
during the siekening period Of reconstruction
under the desDotic Yule OF that loEthsome milf
tary tyrRnt. Z. J. Davis, whose administration
wss statewide centralized military poweA
seiEiag with relentless grasp every local right
dear to the people, laying its corrupt and
greedy hand upon the treasury OF the state.
and grinding the rights and liberties of the pso-
pie into very dust and powder under the iron
heel OF centralized military dcspot1sm. Such
was the origin Of the constitution of 1867, 70
which nv honorable competitor paya such
h&ttering compliments. But the hfth section OF
the precious document was Es follows; 'fTho
legislature at its frat session for soon there
after as possible) shall pass such laws a. viii
REQUIRE the attendance on the PUBLIC free
schools CO the state Of all the scholastic popu-
latioa thereof, for period OF st least four
months Of each and every year At its frat
session the legislature shall pass compulsory
school law, or as soon thereafter ~ possible.
Here is constitutional mandate with intense
emphasis. And yet Professor Cooper says that |
IL cannot be doubted that = school law enacted |
bav hsa,