Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-03-12

Gods, his own paper has deserted ana
gone ever BAG and baggage into the
ranks of the advocates. for the en-
and Capitalization Of. Fed
eral control. Scarcely any bill eSe1,
Introduced in Congress goes as far in
this respect as does the Smith
Towner measure, which the Gazette
chanpioned in last nights. editorial
"Uncie, Joe" Cannon says that the
Smith Towncl' bifi is 50 drawn that
the whole thing is to be controlled
and managed from Washington.
At a tine when this country is,
staggering undet the greatest burden
Of debt It has ever borne, this all.
blandly proposes to saddle on the al
ready over 5u,Tened tax payer an ad-
dit:onsl debt Of one hundred million
dollars year, to be parcelled out to
such States as are willing to barter
their educational independence for
mess Of financial pottage.
It furthermore PROPOSES the crpa-
ton Ola Fedora! Secretary Of Edu-
cation. political appointee with
powers as unique as they are danger
Gus. To this soon to BE- created Gar
It IS proposed to entrl1st at a time
when the general unrest fostel'ed BY
abnormal economic conditions threat
ems national financial disaster; the
annual distribution Of this huge sum.
which this royal dispenser Of patron
ange is authorized to allot to spinciess
rlicndicart States. Before any State
can have the benefit Of any part; OF,
this furd, however. it must show IN
writing to the satisfaction Of THIS
contemplated Secretary of Education
that i i prepared to carry out the
provisions Of the Smith Towner Act:
Analysing these provisions, we find
| that any STATE desiring to participate
in this educational iund must submit:
its system Of education to the sole
| Judgment of this omniscient Secr-
taIy. If he refuses mis- approval, the
State must revise its courses Of st;dy
Tor the children in the schools AM
the teachers in the noraml colleges
to the degree prescribed by this po-
fitical appointec, or, #. SO ordered. not
merely rcvisa them. but reso:m them
altogether. If this power, plainly
conferred by the Sm:th-Towner 1lii
tlron the proposed Secretary of Edu'
cation. does not make that official ar
/ educational dictator: the meaning OF
/ the phrase has changed since the cur-
[ rent dictionaries. were electrotNncd
t.Ncwhere in our coyntry's Constitu-
tion can W. discover any justification
To- such legislation. The Smith
Tcwaar bill is fatty unconsttutiona
| While purportinr TO be bill II
! ENCOURAGE cduaction in Sthz
! State il : IN reality, 2 bill to con.
! troll education in the States, FOL
under i, 70 State would receive ar
Iaprrc priation Unless its system con,
I formed to the rules and ,stand&sd$
! hid down =. a Federal department
| The following EXCERPT from the st.
Louis Post Dispatch sounds as if i
had been written by your late Editor
himself:
1T is now seriously proposed. II
the Smith -Towrcr bill. to create i:
Department Of Education which skal
take over the entire educational in.
terests ef the country. to the cxclr'
sion of The State. and conduct then
from Washington. However Tagging
| the State school system NAV be If
some Of the States. no greater ca
lamity could bcfall this country thar
to have Federal system substltu'
ted. It is necessary in great alner-
gencios that Tic Government shHilo
| be empowered to conscript our bodlr'
and our wealth. but never should i
be permitted the power to control OF
Interfere with the free development
Of our mind. 1t Is this process ct
increasing the Federal powers little
by little, under pleas Of utility and
necessity, which account for their
present alarming magnitude ard
which, if persisted, il will render ours
the most obnoxious bureaucratic
Government on earth.
The passage Of this bill would b.
q gigantic opportunity for the graft
ers; the school book publishers wouu!c
crowd the lobbics in Washington.
fixing the books all children OF the
United States mist -se. and naming
the prices they must pay. It would
make the schools the pawns of poL-
ticians ami the prey OF graftcrs. II
it be said that the bill would increase
the salary Of teachers, then let u
pay our money for this good purfosc
direct to our own State n taxes, IN