Year: 1875

fSAANN So NAAS ~"sAp"ab"I Va @AA NhS fuOp-
tions proposed by the Republicans in
their State platform, they are giving ser.
ious attention TO but one--the School
Question, To that point they seem anx-
ious to cOn6ne the attention of the peo.
pie, and to it limit the controversy.


The wiley politicians controlling the
Republican party in Ohio may coon dis
cover that the plan of contraction pro-
posed by them in convention is not popu-
lar. The people of Ohio are willing to
submit to hard times when they must !;
but why they should deliberately vote
hard times upon themselves for the bene-
fit Of their creditors they cannot easily
understand. In this dilemma the unscru.
pulous Republican leaders soon hit upon
battle cry, which they hope will be
more seductive than the cry of hard
times. 1t is the old "No Popery" cry.


The Repository and other county papers
are close behind the rabid Cleveland
Leader, in their wild attempts to infuse
religious and seOtarian bitterness into the
fight. The Republican STUMP is resound-
ing throughout the State with like fran
tic appeals to the prejudice of the people.
In the Hayes club in this city last week,
five speakers sawed the air with great
violence on the same question, and Hayes
is making it his whole stock in trade
and Morton, Noyes and Taft find in it
an easy escape from the rough road their
financial doctrine leads them.


Now what is there of the school ques-
ton before the people of Ohio at this
timer If there is anything of it before
them, it must be as political question.
There is no other way in which it can be
a fair question for political controversy
Now, how does any question become a
political oneH Solely by two political
parties taking issue upon it. Have the
two parties in Ohio taken issue on the
school question: The Republican party
adopted the following in its last State
convention;


1--WE stand by free education, our pub
lie school system, the taxation of all for
its support, anG no division of the
school fund


The following is from the Democratic
State platform: ..


We favor the complete separation of
Church and State, religious independ-
ence and absolute freedom of opinion,
equal and exact Justice to all religious
societies, and purely secular education at
the expense of the payer, without
division among or control by any Sect
directly or indirectly, of any portion of
the Public School fund.-"


In the face of these declarations can
any fair-minded man--Democrat or Re-
publican, Protestant or Catholic-claim
that the school question is involed in
any degree, or to any extent, in the COM
ing election2


1t will not do to say that some of the
Catholic clergy have made claims to q
division of the School Fund. That does
not place the burden Of that question, in
any of its aspects, upon the Democrats
in the present contest.


With that we have nothing to do, and
we do not intend that the people shall
be diverted from the true and real ques.
tions by the trick of Republicans in
thrusting this matter forward. The
Democratic party established the present
system of free schools. .Et .


The Constitution of Ohio provides,
Article vi, Section 2, "The General As
sembly shall make such provision, by
taxation or otherwise, as, with the in
come arising from the school trust fund,
"will secure a thorough and efficient
"system Of common schools throughout
the state; but no religious or other
sect or sec,s shall ever have any exclu
siye right to, or contro! Of, any part Of
the school funds Of this State"


This constitution in "A Democratic docu-
ment. 1t was prepared by convention
controlled by Democrats, and H,Htaiurd
by the Democrats at the p1llh and b. il
they nave ever stood.


In the light Of these facts no honest
man should claim the school question is
a political one, and no intelligent voter
should allow himself to be n,isIead by
the silly pretense of desperate poll
ticians.