The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-06
THE REAL ISSUE.

few days ago there appeared in the
Journal what purported to be statement
of prominent teacher in the employ of the
State, to the effect that the contest in In
diana was to be one between the State and
the UNCONVENTIONAL schools. If there is to
be such a contest it must naturally come
from the distribution of state funds to the
higher institutions of learning. The Consti-
tuition of the State preeudes the voting OF
any money to any sectarian institution.
For that reason many fail to see how an
issue between the state and the denornina-
tional colleges can be raised. If such an
issue were raised the people would not take
much interest in the contention.
There is very deep interest on the part of
many thoughtful people and taxpayers as
to the extent to which the State should be
taxed for the support of colleges and higher
institutions of learning. If this is the is
sue to which the president of the State
Normal School refers he was unfortunate in
not making his meaning clearer. In recent
years taxation in every State has been in
creased. 1t is not matter of party policy,
but the tendency of the times is to go to
the State for money to do things for which
private contributions cannot be obtained.
Many thoughtful people have seen this ten
dency and are anxious that taxpayers shall
not be called upon to support institutions
in which they can have no real interest
and from which they can derive no possible
benefit.
The Normal School, for the education of
teachers, and technical school, so long as
confined to the mechanical arts and agri-
culture and the sciences necessary for their
development, may be considered as neces-
sary 10 the support and development of the
common-school system. There are many in
telligent people in Indiana who think that
the State should go no further than that,
and that it is not just to tax all the people
to an extent which is equal TO 800 or $500 for
each graduate from a university to educate
them for their own benefit. This might
have been necessary when the State was
organized and when there was no school
for higher education within the reach of
the people of Indiana, but all this has been
changed in seventy-five years. There are
two universities within a days travel of
the center OF the STATE. Inc University Ol
Chicago will in short time become one
of the great institutions of the country. To
create a university which shall compete
with that in Chicago will require an ex-
penditure of $SOOO,OOO or $l00O0,0OO. Unless
Indiana is prepared to raise that amount of
money within few years it cannot have a
state university which will compare with
Chicago or Ann Arbor.
IT the friends of the State University de-
size to make a campaign of education as
the champions of such expenditure by the
State as will make the present university
worthy of the name they win be likely to
find those who will join issue with them,
but they must not in candor and fairness
drag into the discussion any phase of the
secular college as if that were an issue. Let
them meet the question frankly, stating it
manfully upon the ground of continued and
increasing state aid to run one institution
at the expense of the State, and enable its
friends to make war upon all private insti-
buttons to an extent that its graduates will
be Disseminated against when they appear
as candidates for teachers.