Untitled article by W. A. Colcord

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · October 9, 1890

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 5, No. 40

Compulsory School Laws.

By W. A. Colcord

The editor of the Loyal American of Chicago, attempts to criticise THE AMERICAN SENTINEL'S position on the compulsory school law of Wisconsin, which requires that all children between stated ages shall study certain branches in the English language for a given number of weeks each year. It says:—

The State exercising the right of self-preservation can provide to insure homogeneity among its citizens; to do this, it must provide by law that all who are to be voters must learn English in public or private schools.

There is a fatal mistake couched in this. The State has a right to say who may be its citizens, and to make certain tests of citizenship. Likewise it has a right to say who may vote, and to make certain tests to the exercise of franchise. But it has no right to compel any one to meet these tests whether he becomes a citizen or not, or whether he votes or not. Here is where the theory, upon which compulsory school laws are urged, is wrong. It assumes that the State has a right to require all within its jurisdiction to be educated for citizenship, whether they exercise the functions of citizenship or not. This is manifestly wrong. If, from the nature and genius of our Government, a knowledge of the English is indispensable to the proper exercise of the right of franchise, let it be made a test of franchise. Then those who do not meet the requirement cannot vote. This of itself would be an incentive to the learning of the language. But the State has no more right to compel its residents to be educated so that they may vote intelligently, than it has to compel them to vote after they have become thus educated. It may, by establishing free schools, encourage education; but in the very nature of free government it cannot, of right, force any one to avail himself of the privileges thus offered. No State has a right to force its citizens to learn a single letter of any alphabet in the world. When a State to protect itself employs measures which trample on human rights, there must be something wrong with its means of protection. This it certainly does when it forces them to exercise any of their rights or privileges.

W. A. COLCORD.