Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-04-03


He would have the average OF expenditu
3 for each child of school age somethir
|. nearer that found In the old States whi,
u are filled with populous cities.
y That. Mr. President, venture to saw C,
t never be brought about under any syste
: of supplying funds for public comm,
d schools. The agricultural and sparsel
. settled States will generally show the sma
= est proportion of illiteracy. and, at the san
. time. the smallest sum expended year
+ for each child of school age. Vermont. (,
= instance, ,expends sc for each child of scho
e age, while Massachusetts expends $40 4:
D yet the proportion of illiteracy is niue
less in Vermont than In Massac husetts.
$ The length Of the school year in Main
/, Is about one hundred days, and the amour
E expended for each child Of school age
, smaller than In Vermont; bnt the State !
! the scale OF intelligence stands third fror
the Ihead of the column, and, as hay
stated before In debate upon this bill
through all her smaller towns, and indee
outside of the cities in the State, it will h
hard to find person above ten wears 0
age who Is unable to either read or writ.
The South. Mr.. President. has learne
the lesson which the North had learned be
fore-a firmly established. well organize
depends not upon money so much as upo,
the interest and efforts of the localitie
where the schools are maintained. IL /
what has been SO often called In this de
bate self fhelp" that maintains commo,
schools, il is local interests and local taxa
uon; 1t Is feeling which the head OF tn,
family has, which the neighhorhood ha~
which the township has, that their mean.
supply the sources Of revenue and theiI
children enjoy its benefits.
You may raise armies and build fleet.
and 1t Is question of money; you NAV
rear public buildings and other great pub
Tic works, and this Is question of money
| nut II you try to build up common school
system among the people by Federal an
propristions, the vitality Of the system
viii disappear, and II you seek TO minnIe
the two the tendency will always increa,.
| to depend more and more npon the larges-
of the General Government
1t was not simply. Mr.. President. from a
| desire that the Federal Government should
not aggrandize, that certain things nearly
( affecting the lives Of the people were left
/ To the States and 10 the Municipalities
| which the State creates; ii was because
| these things which so nearly touch the
/ lives Of the people could lie better done by
the States and the municipalities than hy
the General Government. The care of the
poor. the maintenance Of roads and bridges
the constitution of the jury box. the jnris-
diction Of magistrates In ordinary cases.
and the maintenance Of public schools are
All wisely left outside Of the domain Of
Federal interposition. These are entwin.
ed with the every day life Of the people
and the more they are left 10 local manage
F he h,t fx,f H.
Comparing the State of Nebraska with
the State of Massachusetts,, the proportion
Of illiteracy in Massachusetts is much
greater than In Nebraska. while the exprn.
diiure per capita is much greater In Mas
sachnse,ts. Perhaps the comparison viii
not apply toeyery State or group Of States.
hut Z, morally carried ont. my observation
has been in the direction have stated to
the Senate.
Now. Mr.. President, upon the general
proposition that the common schools are
better left to the States and to the locali-
ties the senator from New Hampshire and
are at odds, and his view not only as to
what the Constitution carries. but as to
what i Is wise and practicable for The
General Government to do, In many things
that come nigh 10 the every dav life Of the
people, Is not my view
The Senator IS well able to make his
view clearly seen and known, and | read
now an extract from the speech which he
made here when he launched his bill in
the work Of establishing 1mmon schools
hat the Senator said further shows his
OF the reach OF the geneia al
powers of the Federal Government under
our fundamental laws.
Here Is " hat the Senator said
The nation i. n " hole a. such IL must act ~
such IL Is TO he saved lost. la this battle for
1t. life the whole line must be maintained and
adv auced. Rcintorcemrnt> must b. sent 10 the
weakest part>. Because they are The weakest
i. the reason that help 1. wanted. II they
were -iroug no r,infortements wuuH be need
cd. Nor doe, II ch.a.rge the duty and nrcessi-
1, even II there BE- forces unless they fight.
They must still be aroused 10 duty, for the
work must BE- done. The evil i the same
whether the battle be lost for one cause or for
another: but in this struggle believe there /.
a. great danger 10 The future of the country
from the Northern cities is from the Sout 1ern
ststes.
Mr. President, We may look far and
wide and search long and deep before We
will fnd 10 the record of any debate that
Ina, taken place in Congress for hundred
wears, a clearer and stronger and more
sweeping statement of the doctrine Of
those who believe that in the General Gov
ernment lies the power to do all things,
and that whenever and wherever trouble
arises, or a wrong Is found, or grievance
appears or an unsatisfactory condition ex
i,t>. then ii is not only within the Consti-
tuition but both wise and practicable for
the General Government % assume con
troll and to lind the remedy.
lis a remarkable and eloquent state
ment which the Senator from New Hamp
shire made and covers all this ground
Senators will perceive that he Is not here
advocating the somewhat occult but IN
doubted power which lies ia our govern
ment. as ii must lie in any well-ordered
government, the power of 'self-preserva-
ton" the power which ex sts er Hecessi
tate rel He has talked graf deal about
this in the debate which has arisen here
during this session, and he las wisely left
his larger view, which he maintained IN
1852, in the background; bH his bill Is the
same, his purpose is the sane, and If the
measure shall ever be enacted into law it
! carries with il all the vast, stately, majes-
/ tic programme which he has marked out
as the field for the work d the General
/ Government. He has struk out in one
! fell swoop" all the various functions
which the States and the municipalities
/ have hitherto exercised upm the subjects
which covei the every day life of the peo-
pie
The nation
He says
is a " hole; as such 1t must at as such il must
be saved or lost. In this battle for its life the
whole line must be maintain.d and advanced.
Re-enforcements must be sen TO the weakest
parts. Because they are The weakest Is the
reason that help Is wanted II they were
strong no re-enforcements wNld be needed.
But the Senator goes frther. If he
finds State and local apathy upon its do
nestle concerns he would hive the Gener-
al Government become tfa agitator and
stimnlator of life and exerton, and would
have all these which beliNe should come
from the localities, furnihed from the
central power. He says:
Nor does it change the dut. and necessity,
even II there be forces, unless hey fight. They
must still be aroused to duty for the work
must be done.
Moreover, Mr.. President as applied to
this subject of education, tie advocates of
the bill, as represented b the Senator
from New Hampshire, SOW that their
purpose and intent were fU the General
Government to assume the ustenance and
supply for the commons -scbol system both
| North and South. Upon his all-embrac-
, ing plan which flied the mid and aroused
; - ., ca, t.,r frAv Nnx