The age-herald., 1898-06-23
MT. Deans and the School Question

Candidate Deans opened his campaign be- fore an audience, gathered at Clanton, con- sisting of eighty-five populists, twenty-one democrats three negroes, and fifteen mi nors. What the audience lacked In num- bers the candidate made good in words. He talked two hours, and his speech as an entirety is weary waste of words, in which the reader searches in vain for definite programme of populistic action.
 The democratic party is in all sincerity and all honesty frankly endeavorng to cure the ills of the state. Ex-Chairman Knox frankly called attention in an ad- dress before the state convention to the evils of suffrage, suggesting remedy; and The Age-Herald has from time to time called attention to the insufficiencies of the public school system, suggesting in every instance definite reforms. These two frank and open efforts for the betterment Deans wordy tirade.
 The facts set forth by The Age-Herald in the school question are facts drawn from official documents, and to the con- welcome. The former are accurate, and the latter sound, and The Age-Herald stands by every one of them.
 The public schools are not what they stould be- But neither the popul.st party nor MT. Deans suggests a definite pro- gramme of improvement The most gilt tering generality is all the parents of uned- ucated children can gather from either. As a member of the state senate Mr. Deans has not been pre-eminent as an advocate of school reforms. It he has proposed a reform by bill or amendment or speech Tn the legislature or elsewhere, the act has escaped public attention. Nor is the rec ord of the populist party on this great question any better.
 The democratic party on the other hand appreciates the importance of public edu- cation and 1t has adopted definite con- sistent and persistent programme: we favor the improvement of the public com mon schools, and demand that appropria- tions for their support be gradually in creased as our people are able to bear the additional burden" Here is a practical and definite and reasonable programme one that is not matched in the populist platform. Governor Johnston in accepting a renomination for governor was equally definite. He said to the state convent, on |: "Our school laws must be reformed, and appropriations for the cause of education steady increased until opportunity shall be given every child in Alabama to acquire the one thing that can never be taken away from him-a capital that will make him better and more productive citizen, and that will pay increasing dividends to the state into the third and fourth gen. erations."
 The democratic party, in other words, sees and appreciates the shortcomings Of the states educational system, and pro- poses to overcome them in a feasible and consistent manner The populists present no plan of reform, although Candidate Deans declamatory sentences fill columns of newspaper space. The democrats are distinctly pledged both by their platform and by the declaration of Governor John- ston to reforms in the school laws and to larger school appropriatioes; the populists do not promise anything in a definite and satisfactory manner. The one is bound by