Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-04-26
the Defeat Of the school ApprOpria.
tiOns

THE DISCUSSION IN THE SENATE YESTERDAY.
In the Senate yesterday afternoon, Mr..
Blaine, from the committee of conference on
the deficiency bill, submitted report. He
said there had been great reluctance on the
part OF the cOnferees of the Senate to recede
fOm the amendment apprOpriating $4,000 for
the public schools of the District, but they had
found 1t impossible to secure the agreement of
the House., They had discovered also that it
was agreed to in the Senate under miSap-
pfehenSlon, the statement having been made
that the money advanced last year had been
feI felunded, nae While the fact was that the money
nad not Deen repaid and would not be. The
1ormer bill read, To be paid out of any mo-
ney of the District not needed for other pur-
pG9tS'
Mr.. Window said he had not been able to
concur in the report: There were several
amendments to which the Senate cOnferees
ought to have insisted. His chief objection,
however, was to the receding from the appro.
priatiOn of $4,000 for the schools of the bis
trict 1t would have been as well. finding that
the Senate had acted on misapprehenSiOn,
to have submitted the question to them with
all the facts before them. He cared not
whether the money last year was gift or a
loan: The money should have been paid by
III tins Dill was to repudiate, if not a legal.
moral obligation He read from report by
MI: Albert &. Brown, of Mississippi, in 1876, in
which, after referring to the liberaity of Con
gTesS TO the new states and the large amount
0fproperty owned by the government i'm the
District, he took the ground that the govern
vi
pTopriate from the general fund for the schools.
The new states have received an acre out of
every eighteen for the support of schools. In
1856 there were appropriated sl2, 500 for the
schools, when there we're but about 1000
pupils. Now there are over 1900. 1t was not
asked ask d. in this bill that the government pay
per cent, and even that only as loan. There
were in the public schools of the District
Iu26 white pupils and 7;25s colored pupils
the government. under the promise that they
should have better facilities for education than
The states where they were. The government
the expense of the people of the District and
refused to aid in their support after it had
brought them here, or even to loan them
from tabular statement showing the average
coz cost OF EDUCATION per pupil in the large cities
to ess sh9W that the cost in Washington had been
that the schools funds had been economically
administered. The cOlored people were
poor, and he did not think there was prop
erty enough owned by the parents of ali the
G0lored people to keep up one of the schools.
Then there was large class of citizens of
other places who came here. holding positions
under the government, whose children made
e;thlrd OF the pupils in the schools, but who
paid little or nothing to the support of the Dis
trict government. He appealed to Senators if
0ne-third of the children to pay for the educa-
.tlOn OF the other two thirdS-one brought here
on % the Invitation OF the government and the
IL
ment-and even refuse loan to keep the
schools open? He said the District had been
looked upon as mendicant begging crumbs
from fro at the government The District had paid
$35,On0OO for improvements here while the
government had been paid but $6.0OO,O0O, while
Il Seae eMned n ha1 1T the property and all the streets
it was the government that was the mendi,
cant. He appealed to the Senate to vote down
the report and not permit the children to be
turned out OF the schools. losing opportunities
Tor education that could never be regained
MI Beck defended the action of the House
and the other members OF the conference COM
mlttee; Ihe reason why there had been SO
many M deficiency bills was because the heads
vi tne several departments had been to the
House and urged that they must have these
appropriations now, and could not wait for the
regular rel 1I r. deficiency bill The bill was passed
should be put in that was not immediately
urgent or that could wait for the regular def
cheney bill. 1t was obviously right to strike
out the item Of $4,000 for the schools, and it
carried no hostility to the schools. 1t had been
s SHOWN bY the Secretary of the Treasury and
tne Dlstrlct commissioners, that the state
ments made on the floor of the Senate, mad
facts. 1t was better to let the bill pass making
provisions for the urgent necessities that
would be recognized by the House, than to
subsequent delay. The matter for the Schools
could be referred to the District committee
and reported tomorrow morning, and by two
fhe eGe5 a soIld pass the e. Senate He believed
pc reached In some other way than by insist
Mr: Blaine did not think the schools of the
not matle. He felt that it would be impossi.
Bile to induce the House to agree to the apprO-
prlatiOn until the relations between the Dis
trlet and tile government had been fully con-
sidered.
The conference committees report was
agreed to-yeas 30, nays l9.