Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-28
cALUMNY IGNORED.

should have weight before the Senate,
to show how unfounded the accu-
sation was. Mr.. Hampton then quoted
from the reports and addresses of
Rev. DR.. Mayo, of Boston, and Hon. j.
FL. Smart, Superintendent of Public
Schools of Indiana, testifying to the eX-
traordinary energy and progress shown
in the matter of education in the South.
DR.. Mayo saying that never within any
ten years in the history of the world had
so heroic and persistent an effort been
made for education as within the past ten
/ years in the Southern States, and this
| effort Included in its benefits the children
of both races. Mr.. Hampton would not,
he said, be drawn into an argument about
the civil rights of the cOlOred people of the
| South, matter which had been referred to
by some Senators, but he would simply
read some of the laws on that subject
standing on the statute books of South
Carolina. He then quoted from the civil
rights acts of the State to show that en-
tire equality of civil rights was accorded
| to all citizens, and expressed a doubt
! whether any State in the Union had such
stringent laws for the protection of the
rights of Its citizens.
FEDERAL AID NOT DANGEROUS.
Mr.. Pugh said he had had no disposition
! tOtake part in the debate on the bill, but
| being member of the Committee on Edu-
] N"uAOH WHICH iSpOIteu IL, ue lelJ lndI Ne
! ought to say word in support
Of it. Every person who had
| represented the labOring classes
before the committee during the past few
months had represented the pressing nee
essity Of educational facilities for their
/ children. The Southern States had done
all that they possibly could, and that not
being enough this measure came in SIM
ply in aid of their efforts. Some gentle
! 70 hf Loft
entirely to their own efforts in the matter,
! that aid from the General Government
/ would endanger their self-supporting ia
Guilty and render them Indifferent to the
work of developing theirO own schools. The
people of the South had listened a long
time to such teaching, and had needed the
/ cry that 1t was wrong and dangerous to
accept aid from the Federal Government,
| from the common treasury, to which they
| contributed more than their lust and
| equal share, and that self-suppOrt and
/ selt-reliance would bring them out all
right in the long run. They were now
waking to realize that they had had a
long rum" but their condition was not
| improved. They saw their associates in
| the common government taking all the
aid they could get and exacting a tribute
| by law from every industry, while laugh
ing at the ''self-denial' of the people of
the South.
BENEFIT TO THE GOVERNMENT
! The Southern States did not ask this as
a bounty, Mr.. Pugh said. They had con-
tributed more than their share of the rev.
enue. The use to which the money was
/ to be put would accrue largely to the
national benefit in eradicating an alarm
ing public evil. This was government
| of the people and MIR. Pugh had no fears
! that the people would permit the serious
assumption OF power which some geltle-'
men had deprecated. Our great expert
ment of self government was an estab-
/ lished success, and the people were
| abundantIy able to take care of their lib
critics. Usurpation might show itself in
the designs of political parties, but when
| ever it WAS seen by the people it would be
! paralyZed by blow from the ballot box.
| There was no State in the Union that
would seriously consider proposition to
| place its public schools in the hands of
the general government. Mr.. Pugh
spoke upon the constitutional objections
/ to the measure and could not see that
they were well founded.
Mr.. Blair sent to the desk and had read
a petition just received by him, to be pre-
sented to the enate, signed by the Presi-
dent and faculty of Johns Hopkins Uni
versity, urging the passage of the pending
bill.
Mr.. Call had heard with much satisfac-
tion the remark of the gentleman from
Massachusetts Mr.. Hoar) the other day.
/ that if we were to take counsel with our
resentments we might draw conclusions
distrusttul of the efficacy of the bill.
NOT SUBJECT FOR RESENTMENT.
He concurred with that Senator that
this was not a subiectOn which we should
/ allow our remembrances or anY resentful
feelings to weigh. He had been glad to
! see that spirit very generally displayed
in the debate. Mr.. Call spoke at some
length, insisting that measure of this
! character was a necessity to and an ac-
compartment of the growing development
| of the time. The changes wrought by in
| VentiOn and progress were every year
constantly tending to the displacement of
! and necessary readjustment of the eco
| nOmic forces of the labOring classes, so
that not only was a common school edu-
cation becoming every year more and
more necessary, but industrial education
as well. Mr.. Call also supported the bill
on constitutional grounds.
Mr.. Harrison said that it seemed to be
conceded that if there were any obliga-
tiOn existing for the proposition of this
| bill, it was because Of the emancipation
of the slave. Yet we were distributing
| this money all over the Union-even to
States whose Senators told us that they
were well able to take care of their own
children. We should apply plaster to a
body. He would therefore move an
amendment that the aid should go only to
| States which should have not less than 10
per cent. of illiteracy, and prescribing
that the State assessment for education
should not be lessened by reason of the
aid given by the bill.
Mr.. Lamar rose to address the Senate,
but gave way for motion to 90 into eX-
| ecutive session.
Mr.. Blair said that it would be neces-
sary for the friends Of the bill to see that
vote was taken this week.
The Senate then went into executive
session, and when the doors were re-
opened adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day, Mr.. Cox, of New
York, asked leave to report from the Com
mittee on Naval Affairs the Senate joint
resolution granting permission to Ensign
L. X. Reynolds to accept the decoration of
the Royal and Imperial Order of Francis
Joseph, but Mr.. Cox, of North Carolina,
and Mr.. Brumm, of Pennsylvania, object
ed.
The morning hour having been dis
pensed with the House at 1915 O'Clock
went into committee of the whole, with
Mr.. Dorsheimer, of New York, IN the
chair on the bonded extension bill, and
Mr.. Randall, of Pennsylvania, rose to
speak in opposition to it, The pending
| measure was of graYer consequences
than any considered at this session, and
if any gentleman supposed that only the
parties directly interested were watching
the progress of the bill he would discover
| when, perhaps too late, that he was ignO-
rant of the sentiments and wishes of the
people. Legislation had been In the di-
rectlon of making the manufacture of
whisky in this country a monopoly.
Mr.. Randall said this with no disre-
| spect to the gentlemen engaged in the
production of whisky, but he considered
this monopoly a dangerous factor in pub
lie affairs. If he could relieve distillers
by the repeal of the tax in toto, or by a
partial repeal, he would do so. What he
feared from the pending measure was
that 1t tended to make permanent the in-
ternal revenue system. He abhorred the
system, and stood against its con-
tinuance any longer than could be
| helped, and any act of legisla-
tion likely to perpetuate it
he felt it his duty to resist He regarded
the bill as class legislation. Similar rea-
sons for relief might be urged by any
other business, and if relief were right
and granted in one case, why not IN all!
Believing the bill wrong in principle,
vicious in practice, and unwise in every
respect, he had steadily resisted even its
discussion. For the reason given and many
others, he was more anxious to reach
vote than to discuss the question.
THE LAST OF THE SUPPORT.
Mr.. Blackburn, of Kentucky. in max
ing the closing argument in support
of the bill deprecated any dis
cussiOn founded on prejudice