The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-07-12
THE SCHOOLS.

During all the years the Peoples party
has controlled the schools, there has been
little or no effort on the part of the Libe-
rails to have the schools Free The chief
objection made by the Liberals to free pub
lie schools was that the Peoples party con-
trOlled the schools. In early days the land
was paid for and the school buildings
erected by donations, almost exclusively
from the Peoples party. The People re-
Trained from taxing altogether, so that the
Liberals should not complain of being taxed
TO support schools controlled by the PEG
pies party. The liberals preferred to sup
port their own UNCONVENTIONAL schools, and
the People were generous enough to re-
frain from taxing them for the support of
the district schools. The alleged teach
ing of religious doctrine in any of the dis
trict schools, most Liberals knew then and
know now was wholly without foundation
The schools then, as now, were public, non
sectarian institutions, conducted for the
benefit Of all the people irrespective of the
religious creed or political utilization of
anyone. 1t would have been no more than
right for the people TO support the
schools by taxation instead of by vol
untary donations and by tuition fees
However, as a few Liberals were won't to
grumble at each suggestion of raising
school funds by taxation, the People gen
erously refrained from taxing their oppo-
nents in order TO conduct the schools. The
result is that IN nearly every district in the
whole territory, except the mining camps,
the only school lands or buildings pos
sessed by any district have been acquired
by donation from members of the People,s
party
There is large and convenient amount
of ignorance among Liberals in regard to
the schools of Utah. Practically, all pub
lie school property in Utah at the present
time has been the result OF donation by
members of the Peoples party Not foot
Of public land has ever come into posses
sion of the Utah public schools that has
not been given or purchased by donation.
Recently, however, few districts have
bought land on which to erect school build
ings by taxation, but these cases are excep.
tional. The government has never given a
cent &c aid education in Utah; so that all
comparisons of Utah, which has paid ner
own way IN school affairs, with any of the
states of the union. each OF which has re-
ceived grant OF several millions OF dollars
from the government for common school
purposes-all such comparisons, we say.
are necessarily misleading and falacious.
However, the government seems ready
now TO atone for its neglect to aid schools
in Utah; for, urged on by the continuous
appeals by the Liberal party here it has
seized the property of the Mormon church
and proposes TO deliver that property to
the schools. 1t was not enough that the
Mormons alone should have nurture5 and
maintained the public schools nearly up to
the present time by donation; now the gov
eminent atones for not aiding Utah schools
in the past by robbing the Mormon church
in the alleged interest of the public schools.
in the future.
A vast number of voters in this city do
not seem to know that it is the Liberal
party chiefly that supports denominational
or sectarian schools. Look at ST. Marks
school, Hammond hall. Rowland hall, All
Hallow's college, st. Mary's academy and