Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-16
functions of government" Congressional


Record, Dec. Z, 1890, p. 171)
Why. II Mr.. Neil examined the book of
Estimates of the Secretary of the Treas
ury." prepared for the special information
Of Congress, or the reports Of the District
Commissioners, or even the report Of the
committee accompanying the very bill Mr..
Neil was discussing, he would have seen that
We citizens of the District this very year
pay nearly 100000 Of taxes! Although far
from being wealthy. / pay over $1,000 in
taxes myself. and that too. on property on
which 1 am losing $3.50 per month, and on
which the assessment was increased over 80
per cent the past year!
There is much more that might be said
on this branch of the subject. but my pres
ent object is to enlighten Mr.. Neil more
particularly on the branch relating to the
schools, and on which. judging from his re-
marks. he appears to be equally Ill in
formed.
National Aid to State Schools.
The policy Of providing means for a COM
mon school education of all the children OF
the country dates back to an early day in
our history. Even before the adoption of
our Constitution, this idea was embodied in
law that has remained in force to this
day. the only change having been an en-
largement of its scope and an increase Of
the fund for that purpose. Even before
that, in the early colonial days Of New Eng
land, special provision was made for schools.
AS stated In the History Of the Public Do
main of the United States. every immi-
grant ship had its schoolmaster on board.
each settlement erected its school house.
and the cultivation Of the mind advanced
with the cultivation Of the soil from the
landing Of the Mayhower through our colo
NAL history"
Following out this idea of providing
means for common school education of
all the people In their petition to the Con-
tnental Congress in reference to the lands
ceded by Virginia to the general govern
ment. frlxo nd D,,f,
Putnam Of New England first suggested
the idea of setting aside a portion of the
pubic lands In each township for the sup
port Of common schools; and in accordance
with that idea, under the lead of Washing
ton Jefferson Dane and Madison, there was
embodied in the ordinance Of May 90 1IS5
Tor ascertaining the mode Of disposing of
following:
There shall be reserved the lot No. 10 of
every township for the maintenance of
public schools within said township
In the ordinance adopted July ID, 1887
was the following:
Art. 3. Religion, morality and knowledge
being necessary to good government and
means Of education shall be forever encour-
This was subsequently modified by a re-
port made by Messrs. Darlington, King
Dane; Madison and Benson. July q, 1857.
as follows:
There shall be reserved the lot No. 10 of
every township for the maintenance of
public schools in said township"
This eliminated the idea that the govern
ment was to aid in the support or teaching
OF religion, In accordance with the idea of
the separation of the church and state as
subsequently, embodied in the Constitution.
port of public schools.
BY the act of 1857, in the powers con-
ferrcd upon the board of treasury to con-
tract for the sale of western territory" it
ho not thav,
plete townships be given perpetuaIly for
the purpose of a university, to be laid of
by the purchaser or purchasers as near the
center may be, so that the same shall be
OF good land, to be applied to the intended
object by the legislature of the state"
BY the act of April 80. 1902. authorizing
the formation of states in the eastern por-
ton of the northwestern territory Congress
which were offered for the acceptance or re-
lection OF the convention to form the con-
stitution of Ohio:
First. That the section No. 10 in every
township. and where such lands had been
sold, granted or disposed Of other lands
equivalent thereto and most contiguous to
the same. shall be granted to the inhab-
itants of such township for schools"
Crhe second related to a saline reserva-
ton, and the third to a moiety of the pro-
ceeds of the sales of public lands, for the
laying out of roads. &C.,
by act of March g. lSl3, these provisions
were extended to the Mississippi territory
and the title to all lands thus donated was
vested in the respective states. instead of
in the inhabitants Of the townships in which
they were located.
In accordance with this idea, that The
general government should aid in public
education. Washington, both in his first
message, and again in his message in l7g6
urged the subject upon the attention of Con-
gress, saying that there was nothing more
deserving OF their patronage than the pro-
motion of science and literature"-that
knowledge in every country is the surest
basis of public happiness''-that in a com-
try in which the measures of government
receive their impressions so Immediately
from the sense of the community as in ours
II Is proportionately essentiaP'-and that "a
ficurishing state of the arts and sciences
contributed to national prosperity and rep
utation." And in his farewell address he
adds: Promote then, as an object of pri-
mary Importance, institutions for the gen.
eIal diffusion of knowledge In proportion
to public opinion. 1t is essential that public
opinion should be enlightened"
And in like manner did Presidents Adams
Jefferson. Madison, Monroe and John Quin-
cy Adams all advocate the same idea; and
1t was by the influence of such men that
there was established in the early DAYS of
our government permanent fund for the
education Of all the people. 1t was a noble
act-one that will stand for all time as
grand monument to the farsighted states
manship of the men of that day.
Speaking on this subject, Daniel Webster
said: Il doubt whether one single law of
any law given. ancient or modern, has pro-
duced effects of more distinct, marked and
lasting character than the ordinance of
1IS1"-that lit set forth and declared 1t
to be a high and binding duty of govern
ment to support schools and advance the
means of education"
In the act of 1S4S for the organization of
the territory of Oregon, Senator Stephen
A. Douglas inserted clause setting aside
two sections in each township of the pub
lie lands instead of one, for public schools:
and that has been applied to all the new
states since admitted.
Not only that, but there has been favor
ably reported by Mr.. Neil's colleague. Hon,
Il. Z. McRae. at this session. House bill 100
which provides that each of the states
which received but one section shall now
have the additional section in each town.
ship, so that all may share alike
In addition. there are now pending in this
Congress bills to give to Arizona 2, rs acres
to Montana lands in lien of those appropri-
ated for other purposes. to Oklahoma City
160 acres for the public free schools of that
city, and still another giving 40 acres for
the location of the University of Oklahoma
at Atchison City. In 1906 an act of Con-
gress gave to Tennessee 100000 acres for
two colleges in that state and various acts
hav mo m fiyr,a alryr