The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1922-08-25
WHAT TOWNER- STERLING
BILL MEANS TO SOUTH
Wby Senator Watson Opposes 1t
Democrats in Congress Against
Bill
W sninGton,

Washington, Aug. 19.-Echocs
come to Washington from various
sections of the country showing ac-
tivity in favor Of the so-called Town
er-SterIng Educational bill.
This bill is now il both the house
and the senate, and the best opinion
here IS shat it will never be reported
out. 1t is the same bill as in : PIE
vious congress went under the name
of the Smith-Towner bill, which was
likewise never passed beyond the
committee sage, but which caused
SC much agitation throughout the
country and which IN Georgia led as
much as anything else TO the over
whelming defeat by Senator Watson
of Senator Smith, one Of is original
co-authors.
The Propaganda Fund
1t is very easy to account for this
countrywide activity. Propaganda
has been spread by those who believe
in consolidating power n the federal
government, so that in the course Of
time state lines will disappear and
the country be merged into one ma
tional organism. 1t IS quite natural
for Republicans to favor this policy.
Hamilton, the real founder Of the
Republican party, was a consolo2-
zionist. Every right which was kept
by the states at the time Of the for
nation of the government was bitter
ly resisted by him. Jefferson, the
founder of the Democratic party, be-
lieved in the rights of the states ana
hated and distrusted federal power,
except where necessary for the n&-
tional defense.
Both Towner and Sterling are Re-
publicans. 1t was quite incompre-
hensible to the people of Georgia,
the state of Alexander Stephens, that
Hoke Smith lent his name to this bill,
and they paid him off at the polls.
The Force of Education
The greatest force in the world is
education If the federal government
as in Germany, can reach out into the
corner of the Union and, beginning
with the smallest tot, by education,
bend the ch;ld's mind to central
government at Washington, democra-
tic statesmen realize that the state
will soon have lost of Us hope-the
new generation. Too much stand
ardizat;on" of education may become
a ruinous influence in way the Ger
mans were the best educated Of all
people. There was a higher percen-
tage of book knowledge among them
and there was less illiteracy than IN
any other country, perhaps OF al!
time. They were taught from Ber-
lin, and the system was perfect, be-
cause it was supervised all down the
line by teachers who were certified
by the government. There was one
thing, however, about that system
and more or less about all the Euro
pean systems which made the chill
dren of Europe different from Amer
lean children, that was the absence
of individuality. Great American ed
ucators and the followers of Jeffer-
son in the Democratic party believe
that the loss of individuality is the
worst thing that could happen to the
American people. There is not
Democratic statesman here in Wash
ington or rather with few exceptions,
but who privately admits that he is
opposed to the bill and hopes it VIII
sleep in committee.
Tom Watson Against Bill
These men, being mostly from the
south, are however, often in a diff
cult political situation. The Dromot-
ers of the bill have stirred up certain
animosities in the peoic and with a
very large fund at their disposal for
purposes of propaganda they have
played upon variety of prejudices,
Demogcgues have allowed, maybe
encouraged, prejudices 10 seize upon
the popular mind, and row these PR
iudices are rising like ghosts to
haunt them. The propagandists are
using this fund very saillfuliy 70
reach the people of the various con-
gressional districts along lines Iii
which through prejudice they are
most susceptible. Unfortunately, IN
the south they have been made sUs-
ceptlole along lines of religious pre-
JUDGES and upon those susceptible
ties the advocates Of this bill have
been shrewdly playing. Senator
wy Nao,o,;c hoe NaaO b,,a Of