Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-02-13
EDMUSDS' UTAH SCHOOL BILL.

LIN MIS- ll4u StHOoL DILL
WE have had information to the
, effect that since the passage Of the
Edmunds-Tucker law, Senator Ed.
munds has been appealed to by a
carpet-bag element from Utah, to
use his influence to have certain
additional legislation passed by Con-
gress, designed to still further IN
wade the rights Of the majority class
Of the citizens of this Territory.
We have also been informed that
this appeal met with a refusal, and
that the Vermont Senator replied
to it by saying, in effect, that the
Gentiles Of Utah had had from
Congress all the legislation they
could reasonably ask, and must fight
it out with what they had, 50 far as
he was concerned.
1fthe above is true, it would seem
that the ''ieeberg of the Senator
has thawed out n little under the
Establishments lavished upon him
by the agencies Of Capitalization for
Utah, and that the frozen rigldlty of
his former resolve has been super
seeded by an astonishing pliabilIty,
which he shows in yielding to the
manipulations Of those influences.
So far has he forgotten his former
self that he has introduced into the
Senate n bill designed to become a
complete school code for Utah, and
to abolish and forestall all local
legislation upon the subject Of
schools. A synopsis of the bill,
which was described as ga most
elaborate and comprehensive mea-
sure" appeared among the press
dispatches in our issue Of yesterday.
The bare introduction into Con-
gEess of this bill is an outrage upon
American principles and doctrines.
The school stands next to the home,
and to take from the people the
control Of the schools in which their
children are educated is closely
akin to taking from them the con-
troll Of the domiciles in which their
children are born. When centraH-
zation seizes the schools Of the peo-
pie, it can take only one step more.
to seize their homes.
Fullexpressions of the American /
doctrine upon thissubject have been I
called forth by Senator Blair;s bill, /
which aims to take money from the
United States treasury and distribute
1t among the common schools Of the
various StItes, without, in any man
ner, interfering with the manage
ment Of the schools. This bin
has been denounced by hundreds Of
newspapers and public men as an
outrageous attack upon the right of
the people to maintain ami manage
their own schools, and other social
Institutions and affairs; and not
withstanding the great amount of
good 1t aims to DO in facilitating the |
education of the children Of the
it has met with the most
determined opposition in Congress
and throughout the country on &C
count Of its covert attack upon fixed
American principles. The Demo-
cratic party is solid in It's hostility
10 the famous Blair bill.
But this bin, compared with the
Edmunds Utah school bill, is n snat
to a camel. The latter, Instead of
providing the schools Of this Terri
iCry with financial aid from the
general government, provides for
Of an oppressive char
'cter TO be laid upon the
'eople GA pretense OF their
'u2port. The taxation provided
or in this bill is immense. There
s three mill Territorial tax, a six
nil county tax. and n district tax
or school buildings the limit of
which is not stated. Probably IL
las none. The worst feature of the ,
whole measure is the fact that the
territorial and county officers to
upervise schools and school affairs
re made appointive instead of eIec. i
i've by the people who pay the c
nonies to be discussed by the min I
1ns Of Capitalization.
We do not wish to believe that :
ne Senate will give serious atten- a
on to this latest legislative produc- {
on, fathered by Edmunds. but he 5
often In Utah. The fact that the =
'tah Legislature is now maturing p h
'hool code, with a view to putting v
he district schools in the best nos J
bic condition, ought to prevent =
'ngressional action upon the sub a