Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-04-05
FORTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS.
First session.
sen ATE.

Among the petitions presented and appro-
priately referred were the following:
Bv Mr. Bayard, from the merchants of
New York, asking for the suspension of silver
coinage; also for protection against any Law
which would make the trade dollar receivable
at any higher rate than its value as bullion.
By Mr.. Logan, from the Chicago board of
trade, protesting against the further coinage
of the silver dollar; also from the Chicago
trade and labor assembly, protesting against
the repeal Of the present patent laws.
After the introduction and appropriate ref
erence of several minor bills. the Senate pro-
ceeded to the consideration of the education
bill, and Mr.. Bayard took the floor. 1t was,
he said, proposition to tax the people of the
people of the United States to support the
education of the respective States. The pas
sage of it would be an ultra constitutional
though necessary authority, as logical con-
sequence of the enfranchisement of the ne
gro. and State schools would have to conform
to the views of the general government.
Never before, he said, had the conflict be-
tween duty and inclination been so great with
him as now.
The earnestncss and straightforw ardness of
MIR. Blair in regard to the bill had gained his
(Bayards) regard and he believed him to
be animated wholly by a sense of high patri-
otic duty. The addresses that had been made
in the Senate by different senators had so i'm
pressed him that he felt obliged to carefully
review his opinion.
He had observed the flower of their man.
hood slain. their men and warriors crippled,
the desolatlon OF their homes, the upheaval
of their social systems. but there was one
cause more devastating than all and that was
that after the plowshare of destruction had
done its work and when every self governing
fbaf Ia in
to operation the party in control of the gen.
eral government had adopted the unhappy
policy of interdicting every vestage of self
government in the South until il annihi-
lated. Traditions of the North were common
glory of the country, The name of Wash
ington will ever be the watchword OF liberty
and the password to every American heart
He believed the position of the men and
women of the South since the war would be
regarded by history as that which established
their highest claim to the respect of all good
people. When the great military leader of
the South had surrendered all save his honor
the counsel he gave worthy of him.
'.Gentlemen," said he, ''we must now cult
vate our virtues" These words had sunk in
the hearts and minds of his ceuntrymen.
He (Bayard) had come into public life since
tho war and his main object in doing so had
been to do what might be in his power to
bind up the wounds of the civil war in his
country and to assist in the restoration of all
states to the proper place Of equality in the
Union. To that end he had opposed every
measure which he deemed unequal or unjust.
This bill, in his opinion. invaded the harmony
of our political system. If the bill before the
Senate was to pass then logically and neces-
sarily Congress can occupy the entire field
covered by the State functions and the local
self government would die in apathy. While
the senators sat in their seats there had come
news of great riot in a western city and by
the light of the burning records could read
the dangers of departing from law. Should
not the senators set the example of strict ad-
herence to law?
Mr.. Gibson supported the bill. He said
The senator from Delaware (Bayard) had
referred to the recent occurrences at Cincin-
natl as tenching lesson the senator's and re-
quiring them to be more faithful in the OBJ
servance of the guarantees of the constitu
ton. Mr., Gibson read by the light of the
same burning court house lesson, namely
the Importance, nay, necessity, of educating
all people in order they may understand how
to govern themselves, nay, understand, not
only the duties but the responsibilities of self
government. While such incidents showed
the dangers of ignorance in one part of the
In order of things he said he did not appear
here TO solicit a bounty for his own State
but to employ the resources in every legiti
mate and proper manner to remove illiteracy
and ignorance that threatened all guarantee
of self government Throughout the whole
Udion, but especially in the South.
Mr.. Gibson opposed the bill as the subject
was new one and the scheme q grand and
a far reaching one. He thought it would be
better to defer final action till the people had
been consulted.
No amendment that could be made could
make it more acceptable to Mr.. Morgan. On
the contrary the more the amendments had
been offered the more they looked to giving
the government the control of the admins
tration of the fund, yet he would not be sur
prised if the friends of the measure on his
side Of the chamber, in their eagerness to get
hold Of the money, would Weld to the de-
mand for the control of the fund By the ma
tional government. 1t was unne cessary to
say that he favored education, but he denied
that the South was in lamentable condition
as represented by the senators.
At 5 20 Mr.. Morgan gave way for the mo.
ton to adjourn.
Before adjournment Mr.. Butler submitted
In order to have printed the following
amendment which he intends to propose to
the bill as soon as it is in order to do so
The money to be provided for in the bill
shall be raised by direct tax, to be levied
annually on each of the States of the United
States, which shall be apportioned among
the several States according to their respec-
tive members
Adjourned.