Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-02
Federal Aid to state schools.

1t is a subject of some comment that
an unusually large number of bills look
ing to national aid to education have
been introduced in the present Congress.
Most of these were offered early in the
session, and were referred to the Com
mittee on Education, where they have
rested. 1t is now thought to be so late
in the session, and Congress has so much
necessary work to do, that it will be
simply impossible for any bill, even if
now reported from the committee, to be
reached, as it will have to be placed at
the foot of an already over-crowded
calendar. There is little prospect, there
fore, that any measure granting ''nation-
al" aid to education can be passed at this
session.
This fact has brought out the further
fact that while a considerable amount
of legislation on this subject has been
proposed, it has always, so far, been
barren Of any results. A Philadel-
phia paper summarizes the number of
these education bills introduced of
late years, from which it appears that a
bill passed the Senate of the last Con-
gress appropriating the proceeds from
the sales of public lands and patent fees
in aid Of education in the several States,
on the basis of illiteracy, but never got
any further. Senator Logan is the
father and sole but earnest advocate of a
measure dividing the internal revenue
receipts from the manufacture and sale
of distilled spirits among the States for
educational purposes according to popu-
lation. Senator Blair makes specially
of educational matter, and is the author
of several bills on the subject. One
of these appropriates SIS, 600, 900 for ten
years, decreasing 100000 each year,
to secure the benefits of common school
education to all the living children in
the United States. The distribution
among the States is to be made on the
basis of illiteracy. Mr.. Gunther. of Wis
consin, is the father of bill establishing
fund from the sales of public lands
and other sources the income of which
is to be devoted to general educational
purposes. Mr. Skinner, of New York,
has prepared a measure of many details
involving an outlay of $4,000, 900 the
first year and 100000 less each year
for ten years for the advancement of
national" education through the public
schools and national" colleges.
Commenting on these further efforts
to secure Federal aid to State schools,
our Philadelphia contemporary says:
''Most of the measures proposed are
crude and experimental. Those which
would grant only the annual income
from fixed fund are too parsimonious
to do any good. That of Senator Logan
is, on the other hand, unduly lavish of
the public money. Educators North
and South are extremely interested IN
the proposed grant The hearing before
the Committee on Education and Labor
of both houses of Congress given last
month to the Committee of the National
Educational Association appointed to
urge national aid to public school edu-
cation developed how strong and general
this feeling is. Southerners desire the
benefits which such aid would bring to
their section, as it is there that the
mass of illiteracy presents itself
in such startling magnitude. The people
of the North have a scarcely less in
terest in relieving the COUNT of the con
slant danger which large numbers OF
ignorant voters present. The Southern
representatives who spoke at that hear
ing pleaded the inability of the people OF
that section to accomplish, unaided, the
work of educating their children, owing
to their extreme poverty. We have yet
to hear of any decided Northern op
position to grant aid to the South fol
this purpose. Yet the inertness of Con
gress is such that there is imminen
danger that no one of the bills Offered
will become a law, but will die from in
attention and indifference.