St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-25
vas no proper basis but that of illiteracy

The population, as whole, was nc
proper basis. Did the senators wish
to distribute the money among
college professors or members of congress-
1t should be distributed where it was needed,
but Vance did not expect the bill to pass. He
had long believed, and he now saw the con-
firmation of his belief, that the senators on
the other side of the chamber, were louder in
their protestations than in the acts in behalf
of the colored people. While the party they
represented would send emissaries among
the colored people, band them together for
political purposes. and take them to the polls,
he always thought when it came to really do
ing something for these people, there would
! be failure. Hence, Vance was not disap-
| pointed. He had no doubt the senator from
| Ohio, Sherman, attached more value to the
negro as an ignorant person, as a fruitful
source of inv, stigation, than he would attach
to a negro as an intelligent person and
! intelligent voter. No doubt he answered the
! purposes of that senator better in ignorance
! than with intelligence.
Senator ingalls, congratulated Vance on
| the very adroit appeal he had addressed to
| the northern sentiment OF this subject. He
had said, while the people of North Carolina
were not asking money, they were willing to
accept it as gratuity for benefit of the colOred
people. The census tables showed the white
illiteracy of north Carolina was 80 per cent,
| hence, the gratuity would be very largely to
the whites as well as the blacks. The blacks
of that state, in Ingalls, opinion, made a
much more commendable showing in regard
| to education than the whites. Replying to
the criticisms of Vance on the position of the
Kansas senators, ingalls, said, he saw great
difference between the present measure, by
which money was to be handed bodily over
to state, and measure, such as that which
had been much criticized in which the
money was b be expended by the
United States government. The people
of North Carolina, ingalls, continued, were
not ignorant because they were poor, but
they were poor because they were ignorant
The founders of that state adopted an igno-
rant class to labor and though the people had
great possibilities of wealth and power, and
belonged to class Ewhose opinions had for
nearly century, directed the policy of the
nation, yet the state found itself now with
its slaves free, and 80 per cent. of its white
people unable to read or write. Yet those
who were willing to deal with this question
properly, were told, if the people of the north
took their hands off North Carolina, that state
could take care of itself The hands and
feet of the national government have long
been off that state.
Senator Vance, asked, whether ingalls,,
as candid man, did not think, that circum-
stances were such as to make the whole
country in measure responsible for the edu-
cation of the colored people.
Senator ingalls, replied, he did, but no
more responsible than the people who had
had their services for two centuries. and
made it a crime for them to read the Bible
Senator Vance retorted, if the gentleman
went farther back, he would find other peo-
pie also responsible for slavery. People who
sold slaves to the South guaranteed the title,
and then thanked God they were not as other
men.
Senator ingalls, said, the principal neces-
sity for the bill, to his mind, was to be found
in white illiteracy rather than colored litter
acy of the south; that the occasion for the
expenditure of money grew out of the posi-
ton of the Caucasian, not the colored race.
Senator Vance denied that money was
needed by the white people for Themselves
they would be able to take care of their own
education if they did not have so large a
colored population.
Senator ingalls, said, that in 1850, in the
halcyon days of the old regime, there were
over $1,000 whites in North Carolina who
NOuAN iOl iCou VI NlllCj anu lIdG WAS
larger proportion of illiteracy than even the
present
Senator Vance said, North Carolina, a poor
state, had paid into the treasury twelve times
as much as Kansas rich one, North Caro-
lima having paid in in 1880 s., 372, 226, while
Kansas paid only S239, 762
Senator Plumb inquired how much of the
North Carolina amount had been on distilled
spiritsl
Senator Vance replied about one-half on
whisky, which had been drunk in prohibition
Kansas.
Senator Vest would vote against this bill.
He could not see how any man could favor
this measure, unless on the theory of local
self government, or, to use the phrase already
used by another senator, "were to be spong-
ed out" and form the government alto
gether.
In the course of the days debate, mes
sage was sent from the house, announcing
the agreement of that body to the report of
its conference committee on the senate joint
resolution, appropriating $4,000 for the
contingent fund of the senate, and further
announcing the nOn-concurence of the house
in the senate amendments to the urgency
deficiency bill. The senate agreed to report
its committee conference on Joint resolution,
and adhered to its amendments to the de-
fciency bill, and on that committee on
conference was appointed. Executive ses-
sion. Adjourned.