‘The public schools have always been the friends of the people, and no other system has ever accomplished the good that they have. The different legislatures in the several states have long since decided this, in establishing public schools, that the rich and the poor, side by side, might attend, and receive the self-same instruction, which is for the betterment of each generation. In a republican form of government, general education is considered of paramount importance, hence the public schools. Cite me in a community, a town, or a city that has an excellent public school system, and I will point to one that is alive to its needs and requirements. A man who is unfriendly to public schools is an enemy to his country.’ [Emphasis added]
—Las Cruces Public Schools Catalogue, 1900-01