Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-08
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
THE BLAIR BILL PASSES BY A
VOTE OF SO TO II.

No Remarkable Incidents to EnIiven the
/ Close of the Debate-The Bankruptcy
Bill Next Before the Senate-Mr. Con-
verse Fails to Get Up His Wool Bill in
the House.
| WASHINGTON, April THE Senate
to-day, on motion of Mr.. Blair, resumed
! consideration of the education bill. Mr..
Brown spoke in support of the bill, in
answer to the opposing argument made
| by Mr.. Morgan Saturday. The debate
was continued at length by Messrs.
/ Voorhees,, Butler, Morgan, Jones of
| Florida. and Vest. Mr. Hoar's first
| amendment was then taken up and read,
| providing that the amount to be distrib-
uted for the first year be 81, ,000, 900, second
! year $10000,000, the third year $15, 1000, 900,
and shall then diminish at the rate of $2,-
/ 100000 yearly until the expiration of the
! eighth year, when the appropriation shall
cease. The amendment was agreed to by
! 3S yeas to y nays.
Another amendment of Mr.. Hoar's
was agreed to providing that equal oppor-
tunity of education be given to all chill
dren of the State.
An amendment was offered by Mr.
Sherman providing that the money shall
be used only for common schools, not
sectarian in character. This was agreed
to by 30 yeas to Is nays.
The first of the amendments heretofore
offered by Mr.. Harrison was then taken
up. 1t provides that no State shall re-
ceive any Of the benefits Of the act until
the Governor of the State shall file with
the Secretary of the Interior an annual
statement showing the attendance at the
schools and the expenditures for them.
Upon this another pr0tracted debate
Sprang uD, and, taking political turn, it
continued far into the night.
Mr.. Ransom thought that there was
some peril in placing on the National
Cabinet officer the responsibility of say
ing that the Governor of State had not
complied with the law. Mr.. Ransom
thought that the certificate of the Gov
ernOr should be taken as true.
Mr.. Morgan said that there was a pro-
vision in the constitution of Alabama that
prohibited that State from using the prin-
cipal Of any money. 1t could only use the
interest. In reply to a suggestion from
Mr.. Logan regarding the new issues
Mr. Morgan said that he didn't care
for new issues. The old issues were good
enough for him. He Mr.. Morgan was
not a Presidential candidate.
Mr.. Butler thought that the census of
1880 had been fixed upon as the basis for
the distribution of money.
Mr.. Allison inquired whether it was to
be expected that $77 600, 900 was to be paid
out by the government without any ac-
cOuntability.
Mr.. Butler suggested that it was not at
all impossible that the Secretary of the
Interior might use this money as a cor
ruptiOn fund. 1t had been done before,
and would be done again if this bill
passed. He did not care whether that
officer was a Democrat or Republican,
if $l,00O,O00 were put into the hands of "a
Cabinet officer to be sent into a State it
was not mpOssible-indeed, it was not
improbable. in the light of past events
that that officer would say to the Gov
ernOr of the State: ''Carry your State for
my political party and you shall have
this money, and if you don't l shall pick
such flaw in your certificate that you
cant get this money"
Mr.. Plumb thought the danger greater
that the Governor might use the money
for political purposes on his own account,
or for the benefit of his own political
party.
Mr.. Morgan said that all
knew that money affected the political
atmosphere of this country more pro-
fOundly than any other element that we
had to contend with. Every Senator
knew that the great enemy of political
liberty among us was money in the hands
of machine politicians. Mr.. Harrison
Sdlu tUdl the oeUGlOIS OH the heDuDlcaQ
side of the Chamber had not forgotten the
fact that this money going into the States
might become potent factor in politics
there. Several attempts to amend the
amendment of Mr.. Harrison were voted
down, and the amendment was agreed to.
A motion of Mr.. Logan was agreed
to, striking out the section
which permitted States having
less than . per cent of illiteracy to use
hn NJ in,
dustrial education. Mr.. Logan said that
the object of the bill was to educate
children and not teachers.
Mr.. Buffers amendment, submitted
few DAYS ago, providing for the raising of
a fund by a direct tax to be levied upon
the several States according to their re-
spective numbers, was next taken up.
and defeated by yeas to 3S nays.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Morgan
was disagreed to providing that the money
appropriated by the act shall not be with
held from any State on account Of the
fact that the constitution Of such State
fOrbids the expenditure of the principal
sum of any money that may be apprO-
priated by Congress for the purposes of
public education. Mr.. Morgan said that
he moved this in order that no officer of
the United States might be able to make
the point against the State of Alabama.
Mr.. Pugh differed with his colleague as
to the Interpretation of the provision Of
the Alabama constitution. He had no
doubt that the provision applied to uncOn-
ditiOnal grants but did not believe that il
could affect a grant of this character.
The bill being completed as in committee
Of the whole was reported to the Senate,
read the third time and passed by the fol-
lowing vote:
Yeas.-NIessrs. Blair, Brown. Call, Cameron
Of Wisconsin, Colquitt, Conger, Cullom,
Dawes, DOlph, Edmunds. Frye, Garland,
| George, Hampton, Harrison. HOar. Jack
son. Jonas, Jones of Florida, keuna. Logan,
Mcmillan, MandersOn, Miller of New York.
Morrill,. Pike, Platt Pugh, Ransom, Riddle
bereer, Sawyer. Williams, Wilson. Total 30.
NdyS.-Messrs. Bayard, Butler Coke,
Groome, Harris, Hawley. MaXey. Miller of
California, Morgan, Pendleton, and Sauls-
bury. Total IL.
The bill as passed appFOpriates $77 ,000,-
600 to be distributed among the States in
proportion to their illiteracy on the basis Of
the census of 1880; the payments OfmOnCy
to extend over series of eight years.
| The amount to be distributed the first
| year is $7,000,000, the second $4,000. 900
| the third $l5, 100000, the sums then di-
minishing at the rate of S2,00O,O0O annu-
| ally until the eighth year, when all ap-
preparation shall cease.
| The Senate at 1:45 O'Clock adjourned,
! the chair first laying before the Senate as
| the next business in order the bankruptcy
bill.
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day after a long debate
| and strong opposition the House sus-
| pended the rules and passed the resoIu-
ton making the bills for the erection of
| public buildings the continuing special
! order for April 8.
! Mr.. StOckslager explained that the
| Committee on Public Buildings had re-
! ported thirty bills which were on the pub
! lie calendar and that there were twenty
! four Senate bills on the Speakers table.
! The average appropriation of the House
! bills was $112,000.
Mr.. Converse, Of Ohio. secured the floor
and moved to suspend the rules and pass
! the bill restoring the duty of 1867 on wool.
! A second being considered as ordered the
thirty minutes debate allowed by the
rules was begun.
Mr.. Mckinley, of Ohio, favored the
measure. He said that no sooner had
| the tariff act of last winter gone into Op-
| Grafton than the Republicans everywhere,
and many Democrats in Ohio, came to
| recognize the injustice OF reducing the
duty. He appealed to the gentlemen on
| the other side to support the measure,
| and he did so more boldly be-
cause their brethren in Ohio last
| fall had promised the people that they
would restore the wool duty at the be-
/ ginning of the present session. Demo-
| cratic orators on every stump had made
that promise, and he would print eXtrects
/ from, fboir cpnoabaG with his rop,orl-s