The Green Forest tribune., 1906-06-30

taken from the adQPeSS or Otate Superintendent John H. Hine- mon deliverd recently at De Qut en:
 Mr. Chairman and Fellow Citi- zens:
 am not here today to entertain you. am not here to ad- advance my personal interests, l have declined to offer for any public position in order that I might meet the people of the State and discuss with them what I consider to be the most impor- tant issue submitted to the people of Arkansas within the past thirty years. When the Legislature of this State passed a resolution submitting to the people of the State an amendment to the con- stitution which would permit the voluntary increase of the tax levied for the support of public education and the Governor of the State signed the resolution sub- hitting it 10 the people l said to my friends at once that l would not be candidate for any office, but that if God gave me health and strength I would go into every county in the State and urge the people to support an amendment which would permit the people of this state, if they wish 10 do so, to give a more liberal support for the public schools and to provide better educational advantages for the children of the state.
 To me it seems eminently prop CT that the judges of this court should suspend the trial of one criminal or the investiga :, tion of one crime in order to hear the cry of half million little chil- dren who have done no wrong, who have committed no crime but whose case will be tried by the voters of the state in Septem- Der of this year and upon whom these voters must pass sentence of life or death. believe Thomas Carlyle was right in his decla- ration that the failure to educate any child, capable of recieving instruction, is one of the greatest tra agedies in human existence. The Constitution of 1874 puts a handicap on the question of pub lie education. It is passing strange that the people of in this state may vote any amount of money they choose for any form of public inn provement, for grading streets, for building sidewalks or placing sewers but the same community is prohibited by constitutional limitation from going beyond a certain limit in levying taxation for the education of their children and the children of the com- munity.
 I believe that Gov. Taylor of Tennessee was right when he said in his inaugural address: "Of all the interests of the state those that pertain to the edu- cation of her people are most im- portant." believe Gov. John- son of Alabama was right when he said that the only safeguard for universal suffrage is universal education, for the ballot in the hands of an ignorant and prejud : iced people becomes a dangerous thing and a menace to our civil liberties and our free institutions I believe pr. Curry was right when he said in speaking to the Legislature to Alabama: ''l have been told by representatives on the floor of this house that the people of Albama are not too poor to educate their children. l de- clare to you with all the earnest ness of my heart that the people of Alabama are too poor not tC educate their children, for edu. cation and prosperity and edu'
 cation and good government are
 absolutely inseparable.
 Not long ago in one of the lead