St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-25
BLIND BIGOTRY.
To the Editor of the Globe

The great mass OF the people has not read
the law, and, therefore, will be m1sinformed
and misled by your unfair stat ements and
wrong conclusions. A copy of that statute
is before the writer hence he is not obliged
to depend on newspaper assertions.
In the first place, such a measure is rot
IAN assumption of paternalism on the part
of the state because it only assumes to do
that which the neglecting parent fails to do
educate the neglected child; for such q
child becomes ward of the state. The law
does not prescribe code of ethics for the
government of individual conduct" There
is mott word in it relating to ''ethics," NOR
atty or religion. And, least of all. does it
claim ''power to regulate conscience, or to
compel individuals to surrender" their free
agency"
While admitting that it is right 'to Ameri
canize the youth of the state by compelling
them to adopt the prevailing language of
this country" you raise the cry that 1.-The
fact is none the less conspicuous that the
sole aim and intent of the Bennett law is to
compel the adjustment of parochial
schools" This assertion is simply I'M
true. The first section says: Every
parent or other person having under
his control a child between the ages
OF seven and fourteen years shall an
nually cause such child to attend some pub
lie or private day school in the city, town or
district i'll which he resides for period not
less than twelve weeks in each year" For
neglect of such duty penalty is imposed. but
it is provided in the second section. that any
such child shall be excused from attendance
at school required by this act upon its being
shown that the person SO neglecting is not
able to send such child to school, or that in
struction has otherwise been given for like
period of time to such child in the element
airy branches commonly taught in the pub
lie schools, or that such child has already ac-
quired such elementary branches of learn
ing" In publishing extracts from the law
the other day you very discreetly omitted this
proviso. Had you printed it, that ''conspicu-
GUS fact you thought you had discovered
would have been demolished.
But the principle which is now creating
such a hubbub in Wisconsin, is found in the
fifth section, which reads as follows: mo
school shall be regarded as school under
this act unless there shall be taught therein,
as part of the elementary education of chill
dren, reading, writing, arithmetic and United
States history. i'll the English language"
What a spectacle An association of foreign
religious bigots presuming to dictate to this
country that their children, most of them ma
tives, shall not be educated in our language,
and the Roman Catholics allying with these
unpatriotic Lutherans in crusade against
our common schools.
The GLOBE further says: 1--WE hold that
the two fundamental principles of American
government free speech and religious toler-
ance, are assaled by the Bennett law.'' No
body but Lutheran or Roman Catholic bigot
could write such finished falsehood. Will the
author of the editorials under comment read
the Bennett law with unprejudced eyes and
digest it with unbiased mind, and learn that
he has done great wrong to his unsuspect-
ing and credulous readers
A. GILKEsoN, 533 Broadway.
st. Paul, April D. 1890
We give space to the above communi-
cation, not as model of courteous dis
cussiOn or fair argument, but simply to
illustrate the blinded partiSanship and
bigoted fanaticism which actuate the
supporters of the BENNETT law. 1t is
unnecessary to inform habitual readers
of the GLOBE that our conscience Is our
own, and that we acknowledge no mans
right to dictate a policy for US. In OPP
posing the principle involved in the
BENNETT law we are supremelv indIf-
ferent as to what class, sect or denomi-
nation is to be affected by the operation
Of the law. 1t so happens that the
BENNETT law assumes that those who
profess the Catholic creed and the
Lutheran faith, or who speak the Ger
man language, are on that account 'un-
American" and unfit for freedom. We
believe that the BENNETT law asserts a
false principle, aud the GLOBE would
make fight against it as readily and as
vigorously to prevent the oppression of
Mormons as of Catholics, for Chinese as
for Germans.
A newspapers individuality is sepa-
rate and distinct from the personal feel
ings and beliefs of those who make the
newspaper, so that it is a matter of no
consequence in connection with this dis
cuSSiOn what the writer's religious Opin-
ions may be. But to remove the false i'm
preston sought to be made by our cor
respondent that the GLOBES conscience
is in the keeping of the Catholic church,
we state for his information that the
author of the GLOBES articles written
in opposition to the BENNETT law is
Questioning Presbyterian of the
Straightest sect.
1t is not question of religious preju-
dice or race pride involved in the oppo-
sltion to the BENNETT law, notwith-
standing certain nationalities and relig-
| ious sects are opposed by it. 1t is a
struggle for liberty-American liberty
the freedom Of mind and conscience
| the God-giyen privilege belonging to
every human soul to expand to its own
greatest fullness. Opposition to the
| BENNETT law is a denial of the right of
| set of politicians in a tate legislature,
| by majority vote, to refuse to authorize
a private school, unless it submits to
their coercion and shapes its course of
instruction under their dictation.
AS to the proper Interpretation to be
placed upon the Wisconsin law, the
text of which has been published IN the
GLOBE, we refer to the popular vote in
the late Milwaukee election. The people
of that city saw it in the same light that
the GLOBE sees it, and they did not
hesitate to put the seal of condemna-
| ton upon it.
The Republican politicians of Wis
| consin are beginning to discover the
error they made, and are SO anxious to
shift the responsibility for its enact
ment that they are now actually con-
sidering a plan to abandon party or
| ganization in the next state campaign,
so as to avoid meeting the issue raised
by Gov. HoARD's attempt to enforce the
odious law.
NO TARIFF WILL HELP 1T.
One of the strong points of the Re-
publican tariff bill is that it protects the
straw piles of the farmers. These he
has been in the habit of burning to get
out of the way, as there was no sale for