Smyrna times., 1871-04-12

has the chicken cholera.
CONGRESS is still occupied with the Kp-
Klux bills. The House of Representatives on
Thursday passed the modified substitute of tho
special committee for the Ku-Klux bill, after
still further amending it, and then adjourned
over to Monday. One hundred and eighteen
Republicans stand arrayed on the record op-
posed to ninety one Democrats, who voted
against the bill with unanimity that indicated
how vital party measure they considered it.
The same bill was reported to the Senate on
Monday, last, with amendments, but no action
has yet been taken in that body.
OCR School SYSTEM The Milford Mutual
Friend, in referring to our School System, last
week, makes the following statement:
There are probably twenty school districts
in Kent and Sussex counties that have not
had free school opened within their limits
during the past year. Under the socalled
system, it is possible to have for Commits
sioners men who cannot read or write, and
this to our personal knowledge, has frequently
hlppened, and may be seen i'll more than one
district to-day"
And yet when Prot. Harkness said our sys-
TEN 'was miserably inefficient" Senator
Bayard said such statement was untrue
and libelous." Thereupon the Legislature an
Hulled the charter of Prof Harknesss S Normal
School. Did the annulling of that charter
make Senator Bayard's expression true or
prove that Prof Hardness was untrue? Is it
any advantage to our School System or the
State to thus try to injure private individual,
let his opinions be true or false? Would it
not have been better to have tried to remedy
the system complained Of than to try to niure
the party making the complaint.
SAN DOMINGO. -On the first page of to
days issue we publish a report, in condensed
form, OF the San Domingo Commissioners.
The Presidents message, accompanying the
document, we have not room for, but we will
give the gist of it. He states that soon after
he was inaugurated President he was waited
upon by an agent of Baez with a proposition
for annexation, to which he gave no 'eply, and
afterwards by another gentleman from the
same region, both representing that St. Do
mingo, being weak and poor, needed prOtec-
tion, and, if not accepted by the United States,
would have to seek it elsewhere. The second
proposition suggested to the President the duty
of laying the proposition before the country
and OF obtaining the wishes Of the inhabitants
OF the island on the question of annexation
He accordingly sent man named Babcock 10
investigate the matter. He made favorable
report and treaty Of annexation was negotia-
ted. 1t was rejected by the Senate, but under
such circumstances, as the President claims in
the present message, as reflected upon the mo
tives of those whose duties connected them
With the negotiation. He felt it due to him
self and his agents that investigation should
be had, and hence the Commission The
President in his message, disclaiming any
further personal solcitude on the subject, sug
gests the reference of the report to a future
Congress, in order that the people may have
time to examine the facts and form their own
convictions regarding the scheme of annexa-
tiOn Against the will of the paopIe the Presi
dent has declared before, and now repeats, he
has no pelicy to enforce; and to the people
the decision on this question may be left. He
is still in favor of annexation but if Congress
and the people think otherwise he will heartily
acquiesce. All the Republican papers, and
many Democratic papers agree in the opinion
that the message is a plain, honest narrative
OF his connection with the enterprise, and his
course is heartily endorsed by the Repub leans,
annexationists and anti annexationists alike