The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-19
STATE AND NONSTATE SCHOOLS
How the Board of Education Came to
Be Constituted as 1t Is.
he E,ditor of the 1ndiananolis 1o,1rnal.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
1t would seem, from short notice in the
Journal OF the 14th, that the nonstate
schools are pushing things. Through the
several pastors of those churches that have
invested in school plant, they are appealing
to the voters of the State. This may not
be the best way to reach them, but these
presidents are inexperienced in the ways of
politicians and may be expected to blunder;
hut many Of the greatest achievements of
life are accomplished by mans strength and
awkwardness. They show awkwardness; it
remains to be seen if they have the requi-
site strength. Some time ago, probably
year or more, the nonstate schools proposed
a compromise on the only question at issue
between the two classes of schools, SUBJ
stantially on the basis of the amendment
to the Greeting bill, which the committee
on education proposed, namely, that the
State Board have no educator on it, not even
a trustee of any college. The State schools
Indignantly rejected the proposition, saying
they would appeal to the people, and to the
people the question has gone. For this APP
peal the state schools were the better pre-
pared. For third of a century they had
been organized and had so successfully
worked their scheme that they had so con-
trclled the state superintendent and the
Legislature that appropriations had run up
from nothing into the millions, and they
hope for millions more. Having their forces
well in hand, it was not difficult to secure
the nomination of their man for state SUI
perintendent on both tickets, and presum-
ably the same was expected, if it has not
been accomplished, as to legislative candi-
dates. Now, the presidents of these nom
state schools are mostly preachers, as guile
less as children in political management
therefore they propose to reach the people
through their preacher brethren hence this
will Inc hf
seen.
BY the way, how the State Board of
Education came to be composed of the
presidents of the three state schools and
the principals of the schools of the three
largest cities, not one of whom is chosen
by the people, with the Governor and state
utterly powerless as against the school
combine, is one of the most interesting
the constitutional convention of 1851 'abol-
ished the county seminary system and the
State University also, in compliance with
and another presented by T. A. Hendricks,
that no schools but the common schools
should receive state aid, 1.-THE university To-
the act of 1867. which constituted it "a
charge upon the State" and made it a state
school, although the Supreme Court has de-
cided Estate VS.. Carr. Ill Ind, 1850 that it
is not public corporation. but private
one. went to hustling Just like ''sectarian''
schools, selling scholarships and begging
so as to exc out an existence for which the
government grant did not sufficiently pro-
vide. But, for reasons not relevant to the
story, it utterly failed as it would fail now
but for the millions it has received from the
State and the large annual appropriations,
tremity its president and one or two of its
trustees spent a week or two lobbying with
the Legislature of 1863 for special APP
preparation, basing its claim upon the loss
sustained by fire few years earlier. At
that time the State Board of Education
consisted of Messrs. Morton, Brett, Hord,
Rugg and the identical Mr.. Ristine who only
twelve years before had offered the resolu-
ton in the constitutional convention in
nary system and the State University also
had been abolished" Not one of them
of either House could be induced to offer a
bill in accord with it, The lobby went home
with their eyes opened to the fact
that the State Board must be reconstructed
if ever their scheme was to work. Now no
Legislature was ever manipulated by a
more adroit lobby, cultured, modest and
1866 they appeared, not to ask a dollar-no,
not they, but with the specious plea that the
educational interests of the State should
be in the hands of educators not of poll
ticians. TO not arouse suspicion their bill,
already prepared, was offered by the rep
resentative from Vigo, and it went through
ficers not caring to be burdened with the
care of the schools. and no one suspecting
ures which in thirty years was to bleed the
State to the amount of nearly five millions.
That is now ana why the state Board was
made to consist of such men as now con-
stitute it, What has followed is history
pretty expensive history, too, yet the nom
state schools kept on doing good work. and
a great deal of ii without the aid of the
State never asking it and never complains
ing of the injustice Of supporting them
selves by voluntary contributions and being
taxed to support the state schools Also
Though they felt and suffered somewhat
from the nonfraternal methods resorted to
TO obtain students for the university that
had been made u state school in spite of the
action of the constitutional convention, and
which was swimming in every luxury
money could buy, they never complained
until in 1897, when. through the Geeting
bill. this octopus sought to discredit the
diplomas of these nonstate schools. Now,
that is the whole case in a nutshell These
money to spend as lobbyists and scorning
to ask the Legislature to make appropria-
tions out of which their expenses as lobby
lists can be paid. as the state schools pay
their lobby bills and then decline to make
itemized statement to the state auditor
they have accepted the gage of battle Of
fered them. and in the absence of the po-
itical machinery third of a century has
given to the state schools they blunderingly
appeal to the people through preachers
Whether it will amount to anything or not
remains TO be seen. The ubiquity of the
state school machinery has no doubt seen
to the nomination of legislative candidates
just as to the nomination of state superin-
be heard from. Some preachers are good
mixers when they set about It,
indianapolis, Sept. II. u. L. SEE.