The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1911-12-08
ALFALFA BILL ON
SCHOOL ABOLITION
The Sage of Tishomingo Tells Why
state Schools Should Be
Preserved.

VIM H. Murray, known in political
parlance as Alfalfa Bill" and held
by the people as the Father of Ok
lahoma's Constitution, relative to the
proposed initiative bill to abolish the
district agricultural schools, four nor
mails, and others, i'll his characteristic
way made this observation: China
once built railroad with complete
equipment, operated it one day to the
satisfaction of the pig tails curiosity,
then chopped up the track and de-
lstroyed every yestige of the magniti-
cent thoroughfare This was the Boxer
lism inherent in the Chinese race; and
this is just what the proposed initia-
| tive bill seeks to do. Those fifteen
colleges for higher learning have Just
been completed-the first great cost
paid, and now the opponents of higher
Iedueation, the Boxer element, propose
to destroy them. The supreme test
| of the peoples ability to rule is now
before them, and incidentally the wis
dom or folly of permitting them to
rule through the powers of initiative
and referendum. The American peo-
pie will surely watch the contest with
painful attention, with a view of de-
ltermining whether they will embrace
| the forward movement styled The
Peoples Rule If we have more of
these institutions than any other
state it is because our statesmen were
wiser than the builders of other states.
| If there be argument against these in
stitutions it is the same argument us
ed against all educatio nat public OK
pense-universities, colleges and COM
mon schools included. The children
of the poor-not the children of the
rich, receive the most benefit from
education at public expense.
while the bulk of the people OF
every commonwealth neither desire
nor need an acamedic education, it is
profoundly necessary for every civiliz.
alton of every state, whatever the form
of government, but specially true of
ldemocracies and republics, that few
men be thoroughly and well educated,
the more the better; and since in dem
ocracries and republics the citizen is
given the largest liberty of choice,
lsuch governments can do little more
than provide the opportunity leaving
all entirely free to become wise or re-
Imain ignorant. 1t, therefore, remains
1.-THE duty of the state to provide the
lmeans for the education of every child
Ito the limit or human learning-in the
larts, sciences and literature-and that
at the expense Oh the public. Here is
the cornerstone of the strongest civili'
lzation. Indeed without this people
may be governed we'll for a while
never long-as has been instanced by
some of the Indian tribes, but with
neither mental nor moral activity, the
two things most needed for noblel
manhood.
"A little learning is a dangerous
thing, in a society where the whole
population are kept in ignorance. None
receive higher education, but all are
advanced just far enough to become
lconfirmed anarchists
Expensive? o. yes but too much
money cannot be provided, if wisely
Ispent, for education and public roads
THE old Romans built the roads, but
they neglected education. If We de
stroy these institutions we shall be
lneglecting both.
Il shall have more to say on this
Isubiect later, for the thing uppermost
lin my breast is the preservation oi
lOkIahomas constitution and her edu
Icational institutions.
II shall refuse to believe that ouI
people will vote for the Boxers bill
| have an abiding faith in the people
to govern themselves wisely as vel
as justly"