The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1912-03-13
That Compulsory Law Once More.
Editor News:


l feel myself very much encouraged. |
feel that am about to succeed in an
undertaking that have been hammer
ing at for number of years. l have
for five or six years been trying to get
some body to say something about COM
pulsory school education. In this l am
now about to succeed. The Adair |
County News has spoken. Robert Lee
Campbell, the poet lawyerate, has
spoken, and correspondent of the
News has also spoken. The two first
named are "agin" me, but the last is
on my side. l am not caring which
side they are on, if they will only speak
right out in meetin have been try
ing for several years to get up public
sentiment on this, what l believe to be
an important subject. Mr.. Harris, in
the News, comes square out against
my proposition, and Mr.. Campbell en-
dorses him with hurrah. Mr.. Harris
has two objections to a compulsory
school law. The first is that it is wrong
in principle. If it is wrong in princi-
pie to make parents do what they
ought to do without making. it is man.
ifestly wrong to make them pay the
tax levied for common school purposes
And if wrong to make them pay the
school tax. it is wrong to make them
pay any tax at all. Taxes are levied
for the purpose of running the govern
ment, and governments are run for the
protection of the people. If parents
will not send their children to school,
we will soon have population of igno-
rant and unlettered people. and Ken
lucky will stand lower than she stands
now in the scale of education, among
the States and territories of our coun-
try. She cannot get much lower, for
she is nearly at the bottom. Mr. Har-
ris' other objection that the law cannot
be enforced. think is untrue. In coun-
tries where it has been tried, it has
been success.
In Germany where they have had d
compulsory school law for number of
years. | understand they have made it
a success. That country stands high
IN the scale of education, and no young
people are found there unable to read
and write. We have no difficulty in en-
forcing the collection of taxes. We
have but little difficulty in compelling
men to work the roads. In times OF
war, we have no difficulty in compelling
: men to go to the front to repel invasion,
or put down insurrection. All these
: laws can be enforced. land why not q
compulsory school lawg The people OF
5 this graded sthool district a few years
ago, voted heavy school tax to carry
on graded school in this town, and we
hear of no great difficulty in collecting
this tax. Some of our citizens were
kicking terribly about the tax, but
J they don't refuse to pay it. If they
should be compelled to pay the tax and
send their children to it, think they
e would submit to it so think that the
I objection that such law as / propose
4 could not be enforced, is not we'll found
ed.
Mr.. Harris says they have a law in
Virginia that works well. 1t is a law
founded on the grades of the teachers
:, but l think that if MIR. Harris has
e much confidence in such law, h
: would long since have been recommend
ing it to his adopted State. l think
the law he proposes would be all right
if the children would attend school un
n der it. l am liberal enough to be sat
IS isfied with any law that will bring the
It children to theIschools, but will this d.
n it?
II Mr.. Campbell bases his opposition OF
! the declaration of independence, which
= says that all men are created free ant
Il equal. l can't see what that has to d.
with compulsory school law tina
would not equally apply to all law
~ whatsoever He says he is opposed t
all compulsory laws. All laws are in
l. tended to be compulsory. Thou shalt
c and thou shalt not, form the sum an
81 substance of all laws Laws that pro
hibit are as much compulsory as an
other kind. He has been a schoo
ed teacher for quite a number of years
IN and he says that 80 per cent, of tn
Id teachers, including himself, do not
n their duty. If that be so, l think
little compulsion along that line Nigh
work well. He is very much in favo
with Ar. Harris plan, but thinks tina
5Oper cent, of the teachers would op
Q pose it, but that all good and loya
r teachers would vote for it. | dom
know what he means by good and loya
teachers. Does ne mean the 80 pc
cent that do not do their duty. including
himself? Does he mean the 80 pc
re cent of the teachers, including himself
1t who would rather teach or pupil
nd than 60 or 20? Now here are the fact
ne in the case. In our county we hav
about 400 children that ought to be i