The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1872-02-22
SPEECH OF NH. HARRIS, OF VIRGINIA,
ON TUE
SCHOOL-FUND BILL.


SCHOOL-FUND BILL,
In the House Of Representatives at Wash
ington, on Tuesday, the 18th inst, Mr.. Har-
ris Of Virginia. said:
Mr. Speaker [ am indebted to The courte-
sy Of my friend from Pennsylvania TMr
Storm fer permission to occupy fifteen min
utes in the expression Of my views In oppo-
sition to this bill.
Sir, all history teaches that war, successful
war, tends to strengthen government. All
governments in time Of war, whether repub-
lican or monarchical, gradually assume the
form Of despoisms We have not emily seen
in our time and in our country, but through
out the civilized world, that in time Of war
the commander-in-chiof Of the army and of
the navy Of country is absolutely despotic,
whether he be COMMUNICATIVE hief of the ar
my of republic OF a monarchy. We see men
arrested and imprisoned. Everywhere pub
lie travel is controlled all pubic conyeyan-
ces are searched and examined no citizen can
move from his own house to his neighbours
without the requisite pass all the actions of
the citizen are under control, and he can do
nothing without showing military authority
| for it. Therefore assert in time Of war all
governments are despotic.
| assert further, Mr. Speaker, the cardinal
fact that liberty is thing Of education. Men
may become educated to despotism; they may
become educated to yield their necks to the
yoke and kindly to submit to despotic author
| ty For four years our people from the ulf
| 10 81 b.,1 nh
have been educated to submit to central DOW
er, to the will and dictation of one man.
Congress, finding the people thus educated in
to tame submission, has from that day to this
been making giant strides in fastening upon
the people the idea Of Capitalization and the
absorption Of all the power of the people as
we'll as of the rights Of the States in the hands
Of the Federal Government. Many gallant
| soldier-I refer not to the North or the South
carried his flag over his head, on which was
emblazoned /" Liberty and the rights of the
people" little dreaming that he was forging
the chains with which he was to be fettered
Sir, when the war ended, this party now in
| power and the Congress Of the United States,
finding the public sentiment ripe for submits
sion, step by step undertook to deprive the
people of the States of their rights and to
| transfer them to the central power of the
amendment; then their civil rights BILL the
suspension of the writ of haJeas corpus the
remodeling Of the Supreme Court, were all
| part of that system; and next we have this
| bill. one of the series designed to carry out
the same object of making the States subscr-
Went to the General Government.
There is one provision, sir,ip this billwhich
strikes me as very singular. It is the section
which provides that one-half of the proceeds
Of the public lands shall be invested in United
States bonds, the interest Of which shall be
paid annually to the States. What is the OBJ
ject OF that sir? 1t has two-fold object
One is the bolstering up or maintaining the
credit of the Government; the other is the
making the States dependent on the General
| Government. Unlike every other creditor,
| who has to certain extent control over the
debtor, the Government. when it is debtor,
has the control over the creditor. Let this
thing go on for a number Of years, and let the
States in course Of time have due them by
the General Government millions and millions
of dollars, and what will be the effect on the
State governments They will feel that for
the first offence, either real or pretended,
| this fund will be withheld from them And
the Government has been cautious not to-
provide any means by which it can be sued.
1t is supreme, and controls supremely the re-
lations between the States Consequently
the States become subservient to the General
Government because the Government holds
the purse strings aud the States have no pow
or to compel payment.
Then, sir, l oppose this bill for the reason
have giveu-that one of the great objects
of it is to centralze the Government. It pro-
yldes for the appointment Of school com
missioner, or superintendent Of education,
who is to report to the Secretary of the Treas
ury and upon his apse diait this fund is to
be withheld from any States Where is the
appeal! There is an appeal to Congress- and
if the decision of the superintendent is not
| reversed at the next session, the fund is for
ever lost to the State. The whole poper of
granting it to the States is given to one man,
that one man being appointed by a partisan
President. And the appeal is to Congress,
this central power where for six long years
| they have been struggling for Capitalization,
to judge whether any State is to be cutitled
to the fund or not. For one, am not will
ing to vote away the public lands in which
Virginia has SO deep an interest, and then
trust to Congress to do her justice. Congress
is to turn itself into great school commission
and to regulate the school system Of the whole
country.
This bill has many conditions in 1t, and
says that, for the failure of any State to com
ply with any Of these conditions, the money
is to be withheld and the s ate is to forfeit
her right And, as to this, who is to be the
first judge? The superintendent of educa
ton. And which is the court of last resort :?
This Congress. Hence, sir, it must be man
fest to every man that this centralizes power
more and more into the hands of the Govern
ment.
Ioppose this Bill, Mr.. Speaker, for the
further reason that it undertakes to force up
on the country mixed schools. The gentleman,
under the guise Of friendship to the South
comes like panther with his claws conceal
ed beneath his soft down, and with gentle
4 u