Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-15
Tsking Water.


The Chicago Times (Dem. has been
very prominent in denouncing the
Bennett law, the opposition of the
paper to the law being based mainly
upon the assertions of some of it's
correspondents. 1t now comes for
ward and shows how it has been de-
ceived, and clears the law of several
false accusations brought against it.
The Times of Jan. says:
There is a good deal of excitement
in the neighboring state of Wisconsin
over the new school law, known as
the Bennett law, and not little mis-
understanding, if not misrepresenta-
ton, of it's provisions. Inasmuch as
the law was enacted by a Republican
legislature, the Democrats naturally
seek to profit by the opposition to it
which has developed among Germans
who maintain parochial schools. But
Democrats should reflect that they
can secure no permanent advantage
from error or misrepresentation, but
must in the long run bring discredit
upon themselves if they encourage
either.
One statement to which currency
has been given is to the effect that
the law prescribes certain textbooks
which must be used in all schools,
whether public, parochial or private,
and this statement has even been i'm
posed upon correspondent of The
Times. In point of fact the law pre-
scribes nothing of the kind. The
statement that it does is unreason-
able on it's face and should be pre-
sumed to be erroneous, because in a
state with a large population main
tanning parochial schools no legisla-
ture would be likely to be so lacking
in political sense, to say nothing of
the sense Of Justice, as to enact any
such prescription. What the law does
prescribe is that children from z to
IA years Of age shall attend some
school at least twelve weeks in each
year, as the school board may deter
mine, in which reading, writing, arith-
metic and United States history are
taught in the English language This
is the substance OF it, and the evident
purpose is to require that children
who are to become men and women
of America shall be instructed in the
language OF the country.
The recent conclave of representa-
tives of Lutheran churches and the
Catholic church in Milwaukee adopt
ed and published a protest against
the law. Although this protest is in
dignant and vehement, it does not,
from first to last, contain the slight
est intimation that the law prescribes
textbooks for use in the parochial
schools.
The main objections to the law
stated in this protest are, first, that
1t invades the perogative of parents
by presuming to dictate to them what
shall be taught to their children; Sec
ond, that it involves an impairment
of the religious liberty guaranteed to
I'll epeCple by their constitution-that
is, guaranteed TO the people them
selves; third, shat it is framed in
spirit of hostility to parochial
and intended to compel peo
pie to have their children instructed
in public schools, from which religion
is purposely and necessarily excluded.
These are the main objections, details
being omitted
The first of the series is the onlyv vi
tai objection. The second has no
weight unless the third is in accord
ance with fact. There is no impair
ment of religious liberty unless the
law is really hostile to parochial and
private schools in which religious in
struction is given. If it is hostile to
such schools its hostile character can
easily be removed by amendment,
and doubtless there would be prac-
tically no opposition to any amend
ment necessary to remove that hos
tile character Therefore, the second
and third objections, valid as they
may be as against the law in its pres
ent form, are not vital. They touch
details and special features, but not
the principals of the law. And of
that something further may be said
hereafter.