The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-03-07
REST THE PRUSSIANISM OF
EDUCATION

Bishop Warren A Gambler III southern
Christian Advocate.
Quite apart from what is common
ly understood by the doctrine Of
states rights" the Capitalization Of
power in the federal government IS
not good for the Union any more than
it is good for the states. 1t must in
evitably put too much strain on the
center of our governmental structure,
and in the same proportion diminish
the efforts of the states to perform
their proper duties. In the end that
means ruin or revolution or both.
Nevertheless, there has been for
many years steady trend towards
ever-increasing Capitalization. In this
the states themselves have been much
to blame. They have oeen too ready
to renounce their rights and flee their
duties in order to get money from the
national treasury. The Commercial
Appeal of Memphis put this matter
we'll in recent editorial:
''It is beyond doubt that the ma
t;onal treasury has been regarded as
a sort of legitimate grab-bag by too
many of our forty-eight common
wealths. 1t has been very easy for
too many of the states 10 go along
and have the national government
look after things they should look af-
ter themselves. 1t has appeared as
if the federal government were very
liberal on the one side, but at the
same time it has been very eXacting
on the other. The national govern
went has been willing on most occa-
sions to step in and help the states
out financially, but the price it has
demanded is that it be allowed to
step in also politically and do some
thing more than help out. The states
are learning to their sorrow that fin
ancial dependence occasions political
dependence. The states themselves,
while apparently the gamers, <are in
reality the losers, since they are eX-
changing their birthright for doubt
full mess of pottage.' -
This evil tendency was greatly ac
celerated by the war. In the urgency
of that great emergency the people
were willing for the federal govern
ment to exceed its powers and en-
croach upon the rights Of the states
and invade the liberties of the citizen
in order to defeat the common enemy.
By natural consequence bureaucrats
at Washington were permitted to do
some of the very things for which our
forefathers rebelled 'against George
III. And now that the war has passed
these men do not wish to lose their
power or surrender their emoluments.
As Governor Lowden of Illinois said
in recent address, "The bureaus in
Washington tasted the delights of
power over fields which before had
been exclusively occupied by the
states. Propaganda, that new found
weapon of all causes, good and bad,
was employed to perpetuate these
powers Federal aid, generally speak
ing, is bribe offered to the state gov
ernments to surrender their own pro-
per functions"
Governor Lowden does not use too
strong word when he characterizes
federal aid as ''bribe;;" and what is
more, the people are bribed with their
own money.
The government has no money ex-
cepS what it extracts from the pockets
of the people, and in carrying it up to
Washington and bringing it back
again to the people the gatherers of
taxes and the dispensers of appropria-
tions have to be paid, and thereby
much of the money of the people is
lost in going from them and coming
back to them.
Nothing is gained by looking to the
government for everything we want.
Even when no inequity is practiced
in the distribution of public funds,
the people can get no more out of the
treasury than they put in it. But in
equity is inevitable when the treasury
is turned into grab-bag. Long arms
and big hands grab far more than
their Just share. Thereby the strong
are enriched and the weak are i'm
poverished.
The whole thing gravitates at last
into socialism of the worst sort. Lib
erty is sacrificed while the treasury
i looted. Public interests are not
served by such methods, but rather