Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-30
1t Is For the Maintenance OF the
Splendid Public School Sys-
tenn at Every Cost.
Claims Of the Catholic and Luther
an Churches Touching Their
Parochial Schools.
Partisan and Unpatriotic Attitude
of the Dem Ocratic Managers
Toward the Sublime Issue.

ONLY two weeks vet remain OF the w IS
ccnsin campaign which Is likely to pass In
to history as the most important contest In
which the political parties OF the state ever
engaged 1t is true that many who are en-
gagged in it, notably the democratic lead
ers, ridicule the claim that the issue is OF
paramount importance, but no careful
student of the situation will agree with
them. If people outside of the state
fail to realize that the fight being made by
the republicans and Bennett-law demo
Gratis in Wisconsin is for the preservation
of the public school system, it is because
they have not studied the situation, or have
been risled by the continuous misrepre-
sensations of the opponents of the now
famous compulsory education law. At
the risk Of being considered an alarmlst
by some, the writer desires to assert that
the issue before the people of WlscOn-
sin to-day has resolved itself into this:
'ShaII the public school system be perpet'
uated?"
To show that this is the real issue it is
not necessary to prove that the opponents
Of the republican party and Governor
Hoard in this contest are all enemies of
the public school, nor that a majority of
them are. On the contrary, 1t may be adj
mitted that large majority of the peO-
pie who will vote with the democratic
party against the compulsory education
law next month are not at heart enemies
of the public school. These people will
vote at the dictation of their leaders with
out once having a clear perception OF what
the question at issue is. But issues arr
not created nor brought forward by this
class of voters. lr the present case the
issue was not brought forward by any pO-
litical party. When the Bennett law was
passed without dissenting vote In either
house of the legislature neither democrat
nor republican ever dreamed that It's prln-
ciples upon which the measure was based
would ever be questioned, and not until
the Catholic church of the state and pOr-
ton of the Lutherans arrayed themselves
against the law, was there any chance of
it becoming party issue. 1t was then
the democratic leaders took up the oppo-
sition to the law, not because there was
anything opposed to the principles of
democracy in the measure, but solely be-
cause the leaders of the party In the state
thought they saw chance 10 carry the
state on new issue.
The first word of opposition to the law
came from the Catholic Citizen of Mil
of the northwest. Less than d week after
the bill mad been passed the citizens de-
cIared that the law would interfere with
the parochial schools. The German Cath
Ole papers then took up the cry and sue
ceeded in alarming the Lutherans by
charging that the law would destroy all
parochiaI schools. When the Lutherans OF
the state began to agitate the question, the
democratic leaders, knowing that many of
the Lutherans were republicans. stepped
forward to take charge Of the fight. A
short time before this the Catholic bishop
of Wisconsin issued a pronunCiamentO
against the law, and outlined the grounds
of opposition upon which the fight against
the measure must be made. Rather un-
Willingly. it would seem, the Lutherans
took up the fight along the lines laid
down by she Catholic bishops. and the
democratic leaders, going into the contest
for votes, followed the same lines And
today the fight against the Bennett law is
being conducted along the lines laid down
by Archbishop Heiss (nOw deceased)
Bishop Flash, and Bishop Katzer. the
Catholic prelates of Wisconsin. Now,
on what grounds did those preIates oppose
the measure? On the ground that the
Roman Catholic church and not the state
has the superior right to enact and enforce
compulsory education measures. This
was the substance of their declaration so
far as it had a bearing on the subject If
any one doubts it let him read the pro-
nunciamento.
And so it comes that in the year 1890 the
republican party of the state of Wisconsin
finds it necessary to cham pion the princi-
pie that the state has the right, superior
to all institutions, civil or religious, with
in or without to enact and enforce COM
pulsory education laws. Of course, in all
the controversy and agitation many side
issues have come up. Some Of the Oppon-
ents of the Bennett law are against 1t be
cause they fear it is antagonistic to the
German language; others fear that there
Is a tendency toward d state supervision o.
the parochial schools, but the real center
and force of the opposition Is that present.
ed by the Catholie preiates-the opposition
to the assumption by the state of the right
to legislate for its own perpetuity by
providing for the education of its citizens.
1t ism t to be supposed that the triumph of
the allied opposition to the compulsory ed
ucation law means the immediate destruc-
ton Of the public school system. But
that system is based upon the right of the
state to provide for its own preservation,
and if this right is denied the foundation
Of the system is attacked. If the church is
the only institution that is tC nave the
power to make education compulsory, it is
safe to say that the public school system
viii languish. and that the citizenship
which the public schools of the country
has produced will not be the citizenship
of the future.
In this contest one thing may be said
for the representatives of the church.
which can not be said for the democratic
leaders: They are consistent and sincere.
If the church is lighting the public school
system it is because it believes it to be
dangerous to the moral welfare of the
people. But the democratic LEADER. in
Guiding Colonel Villas, Chairman Wall,
and Secretary Anderson, are fighting the
public school to secure the partisan advant-
age. 1t they do not appreciate the slgnl-
fcance of the fight they are ignorant; if
they do appreciate it they are dishonest
and unpatriotic. 1t will hardly be claim
ed for Colonel Villas that he is ignorant
when the advocates the division of the
public school fund in favor of the parochi
al schools, as be did at Milwaukee this
week. Villas is demagogue of the rank
est order. but he can not be accused Of
ignorance when the meaning of a law is
under consideration. Villas with the Other
democratic campaignerS charges in all hi:
speeches that the republicans forced thu
educational issue to the front, In order Il
obscure the tariff and other issues. Thi
charge is ridiculous. The republican lead
ers. with the exception Of Governor HoarC
and his friends. would gladly have avoid
+la ,re,,a avon af n heavy sacrifice R1