The Portland daily press., 1899-01-12

| MIR. Moreyb Ant-Usury Bill and What
II Intends To Correct--There May he
War ON Academies--The militia
II.
uPEcIAL TO THE rnxss.j
Augusta. January II. Representative
orrin McFadden Of Dresden, today pro.
sented in the House q resolve for con-
stitutional amendment prohibiting the
appropriation of money by the state for
the support of seotarian schools. Mr..
McFadden did not announce his inten.
ton until this morning when he read
his resolve at meeting of tho Lincoln
county delegation. Mr.. McFadden's
measure differs somewhat from the form
of the resolves introduced for the same
purposes ut previous sessions, for Mr.. Nc.
Fadden begins by defining what schools
may receive state aid and thsn goes on
to bar out all the rest The educational
system OF the state, according to the re.
solution, consists of the common
schools the high Schools the normal
schools and the public libraries. which
should be literally supported. No men,
University of Maine, which with the
academies Is knocking for admission to
the treasury.
DR. Harris, president Of the University
is here this week. The academies are on
hand Us the accounts of the daily pro-
ceedings OF House and Senate reveal.
Whsn the question comes up for debate.
1t is likely that tbs academies will get
some hard knocks. Here is the way they
look at 1t in some sections; The town
with an academy gets state aid for that
institution of learning and 1t takes the
place of free high school. In the near
by towns pupils who can afford the ex.
pense 60 to this academy. the result being
that in the towns from which they come,
tho high schools are given up and the
poorer pupils who might attend . high
school at home but are not able to 20
to an academy in another town, are left
with no opportunity to advance beyond
this common schools. In other words, 1t
Is claimed that the state has entered up.
on the policy of building up the acsds-
mics at the expense of the free high
schools. Mi. MoFaddsn's resolve strikes
out article OF the constitution and sub
stitutes the following: THE educational
system of the state oonsists Of the COM
mon schools, the high schools, the aor-
NAL schools and public libraries. and
oil these shall be literally supported by
general laws; but no donation, grant or
endowment shall ever be made by the
legislature to any sectarisn school or 9TH
er private institution of learning"
Judge McFAdden, who offered the re-
solve, is a tall, elderly man. with the face
of scholar. In the course Of his "a years
Of life he has been school teacher. sold.
Ter, farmer, an ffiosr of the government
and judge. He is q man who acts
on his own convictions and he Is not in
this movement because of the A. p. A.
or the Catholic church. He does not be-
lieve in the one or fear the other. When
the Rebellion broke out, Ju dRe M,Fsdden
was in the South and was tried by a
vigilance committee. He was forced to
enter the Rebel army, but succeeded In
escaping to the Union lines, taking two
C,nfederates along with him. he then
entered the Northern service and when
he resigned In 1857 held the rank of lieu.
tenant colonel. Since then no has been
prominent in the affairs Of Lincoln
county. Mr.. McFadden served from 800
to 1851 as collector Of customs at Wiscasset
and was judge of probate OF Lincoln
county from 1886 to 1893 He was mem.
Der of the legislature in 1869.
Judge MoFadden when asked about his
said that he had introduced 1t
because he believed that the state should
encourage education through the me.
dunn OF general laws rather than by
special act II think that the state
Of education, said MIR. McFadden, "bus
I do not think that the state is now in
position to do moro than is already pro
vided for by the general law. am not
an A. p. A. man and have not sympa-
thized with that organization. My 1850
luton Is not aimed at Catholics In
drawing 1t used the word 'sectarian,'
but perhaps it would be better II that
was stricken out. When the state was
formed in 1890 there was nothing in OK
stence corresponding to the free high
schools of today. Then the state had
great tracts of wild land and parcels Of
this land were given to endow aoade-
mics and colleges There Is none Of 1t
eft now. and what the state gives out
with one hand must be taken from the
people with the other. We have a law
which says that II town will maintain
\ high school a certain number Of weeks
in the year the state will reimburse IL for
one half OF the expense, provided the
paid by the state does not ex-
coed $780, That law Is equal in its
operation. apl lying to all towns. The
only objection to it might come from the
larger towns on the ground that they
bear what might seem to them to be too
large share Of the expense. Nav the