The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-17

Under this bill Virginia (whose litter
crates number 1852 would receive for
the first year, 1882, 1899 !; second year,
$6s9, e71. Al; third year, 81 ,O34, 50 u; fourth
year, 1896, 572.S3 fifth year, $75S, 63S. 55 !;
sixth year, $500, 704.27 seventh year, $751;
1899 eighth and last year, 1914, S35.71 /;
aggregating, $3.50, 469.S6.
1t is difficult to form AN idea of the in
calculable benefit to flow from. this measure
should it pass the House. Nearly four
fifths of the appropriation will be dis
tributed throughout the southern States,
where, in consequence of slavery, that
proportion of illiteracy exists. With the
tremendous losses entailed by the war and
the revolution in the business methods Of
the people, it has been impossible to in
augurate anything like an adeq uate school
system. Nearly every southern State has
made heroic efforts in that direction, but
the task was greater than the resources at
hand could grapple with. The testimony
taken before the committee which had the
bill under consideration. was appalling.
In Charleston, South Carolina, for in
stance, it was shown that the taxes reached
nearly 81 per cent, and yet with this
enormous burden and sacrifice, thousands
of children of school age were deprived of
any educational advantages whatever for
want of accommodations, and are growing
up in ignorance to swell the volume of
pauperism and crime. From almost every
southern State the testimony was to the
effect that unless the strong arm Of the
National Government was interposed, the
condition of the poorer classes must year
after year grow darker. The States in
their sovereign capacity had exhausted
every available resource, and were unable
to check, much less beat back, the tide of
Union.
1t was in contemplation of this condition
of affairs that the statesmen of the North
came forward to stretch forth the helping
hand to the South and extend the aid
which all thinking men saw was so urgently
needed. They had no thought of section.
Standing as the representative of States
the least to be benefited by the measure,
they were willing to vote millions out OF
the common treasury. New Hampshire,
the home Of the patron Of the bill, was to
receive $3.50, O0Oof transportation, whilst
VirgiGia's share would be over five and a
quarter millions. One would have nat
urally supposed that sany opposition to the
measure would hay come from those
States that least neei led the help. Not so.
Of the eleven Senate DIS who voted against
the passage of the till nine were Demo-
Gratis, and the majM .ity of the nine repre-
sented southern Sta tes-States whose peo-
pie were appealing for help, and to whose
children the lions share of the donation
was to be given.
In their efforts to secure the passage OF
the bill-to do for the children of the South
what thOS, who had been chosen to repre-
sent then had refused to do-the Republic
can Sena tors were confronted not only by
every technical objection and constitu-
tional 'quibble, but by elimination, taunt,
and insult. Southern Senators arose in
their places, and tried to arouse all the old
hEltr ed of sections all the bitter memo
lies of the war; all the unhappy recol-
lec' lions Of the reconstruction period
Wllen the good and true men of the North
an d the South were banding together for
th 9 furtherance of noble cause were
eli ssping hands in support of a measure
tn at not only promised relief to burthened
pc ople, but was the first tangible step
to wards true reconciliation of the .es-
tt anged sections, these political marplots
c. lme forward to air their State rights and
a ltra-constitutional opinions, and failing
T. make an impression by these, to resort
: villifcation of Republicans, in the hope
t hat the friends of the bill would be irri-
! ated beyond endurance, and, in retaliation,
strike at the South by withdrawing their
support from measure designed for the
! especial benefit of that section. Not in
oil tIo ;of< r. l,ac