St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1913-02-12
PRESS COMMENT
ga SinQuIar


Mr.. Munsey's Boston Journal
doesn't think much of the Works
resolution for the limitation of the
presidency of the United States to
a single six year term by constitu-
.icnal amendment. A singular
manifestation" is it's comment on
the passage of that resolution
through the senate. It assumes
that 1.-The personality Of RooSe-
Welt has been urpe-luoit in the
minds of those wha IRE cost ;iesfve
in the matter" and takes its posi-
ton accordingly. But, if one were
looking for "a singular manifesto
tion," one need look no further than
this same editorial comment in the
Journal. Having duly castigated
the Works resolution as a vile anti
Roosevelt propaganda, and conse-
quently thing of the devil, and
having all but questioned the sanity
of those who advocate this particu-
lar amendment, the Journal con-
cludes:
1.-THE American people have pro
crossed for one hundred ana twenty
five years with the constitution ss it
stands, and we are more democratic
now by far than we were when ii
enlarging the power If the ;eople
ali TIE time instead OF ini-s1g 1t,
and the people will not deliberately
cut off from themselves The right
to call into their service the man
of the hour during crisig when the
very destiny of the leoablic may be
hanging in the balance"
This tribute to "the constitution
as it stands is apt to strike Col
onel Roosevelt as being quite as
truly "a singular manifestation" as
the promotion of the Works resola-
ton itself. The colonel, If memory
serves Alright, has not been a very
ardent champion of "the constitu-
ton as it standsi' '-EManchester
Union.
The Page-LeVer-Smith Measures
The Page-Lever-Smith legislation
now awaiting the decision of the
House as to whether it shall be sent
to conference or referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, will, if
passed, in proper form, easily be
the constructive chef d'oeuvre of
this session.
Too little is known by the country
at large about this big and highly
important departure in the direction
of adding to the efficiency of our
national educational system. Brief
ly stated, the legislation is this:
The Lever bill proposes to appro-
pirate $3,00O,OO0 a year for univer-
sity extension work in agriculture
that is, for demonstrating to the
farmers the scientific work of the
department and the experiment sta
tions, and $48O,000 a year for di-
rect aid to the agricultural colleges
of the states, giving each state $1O,-
900.
The Lever measure stops here.
The Page bill goes much farther. II
gives, first, the 100000 annually
to extension work. Then it gives
100000 a year to aid district ag-
ricultural schools, 100000 more
to introduce the teaching of agri-
culture, trades, and domestic science
in the rural schools, and $1,000
900 to teaching trades and domestic
science in the city schools.
Aside from the broader scope OF
the Page bill scheme, it is funda-
mentally different from the Lever
Smith measure in this: that every
dollar which Senator Page would
give from the Federal treasury for
these purposes, must be matched by
a dollar from the state. The state
gets no Federal money unless it,
proves it's sincere purpose to coop
crate in the work by giving it's half.
This seems to be an altogether
desirable condition. 1t would be bad
economy, to plunge the National
government into the general BUSH
ness of endowing state education,
without proper assurance that the
endowment would be used rightly.
state could be counted upon, with
all confidence, to take and use any
money handed it by Uncle Sam; bat
it would be much more certain to
make proper use of that money,
and less likely to accept it reck-
lessly and inconsiderately, if fol
every dollar it received it must also
put up one of it's own.
The Page bill represents the truly
national, the really business-like
handling of this proposition. IT
will be most unfortunate If, in the
eagerness of competing ambitious
for the distinction of having par
ticular name and a political party
label attached to such a measure, the
legislation gets held up, or is passed
in a less desirable form.
In the matter of education, we
are coming nowadays to understand
that all our vast expenditures and
all our pride in them, have not CIV
en- by any means an ideal system.
It is not so practical as, for instance |
that of Germany, which has contri- |
buted SO very much toward making |
that nation the industrial force it
is. We have need for the very sort