Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-03-27
FORTY-BIGHrR CONGRESS.
sen ATE.

Friends, urging the Senate to pas. the educa-
tion bill now before it.
Mr. German in presenting the memorial,
remarked that the society of Friends had
themselves contributed $500 600 toward the
education of all classes of illiteracy in the
South.
The following bills were introduced and
referred:
By Mr.. Call, to establish bureau of fine
arts in the Smithsonian Institute.
By Mr.. Miller of New York, to regulate
liabilitiessof ship owners; also to provide for
the inspection of rags in Egypt.
Mr.. Hale offered a resolution which was
agreed to, calling on the secretary of the
treasury to communicate to the Senate the
reason for the reduction and lowering of the
light on Portland Head in the State of Maine
and In view of the loss of property by reason
of such change, whether there was any rea-
son why such light should not be restored
The Senate took up the bill providing for
the allotment of lands in severalty TO Indians
on the various reservations. and to extend the
protection of laws Of the States and Terrific
res over the Indians.
Mr.. Dolph moved an amendment to the
clause of the bill which provides for the sale
of the surplus of the lands of reservations,
anu thS pds vi tue pTUCtcus lO tll5 lIlUes
or its investment for their benefit; agreed to
after some discussion.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Morgan was
agreed to, to the effect that nothing in the
bill should be taken to affect the right of the
United States to grant the right of way for
railroads or other highways or telegraphs
through the lands in question.
Mr.. Dawes offered an amendment which
was modified by MIR. Conger and agreed TO,
protecting the rights of religious societies
holding lands for missionary purposes, by
authorizing the secretary of the interior to
confirm to such society the title to such land
not to e xceed l6O acres in any one tract, at
such price as he may deem just.
After some Debate the bill was passed.
The chair laid before the Senate the bill to
aid in the establishment and temporary sup
port of common schools.
boastiag had been INDUCED in in regard to
the superior educational facilities of the
Northern over the Southern States. Many
of the Northern States received large grants
of lands, and many of them received a class
of immigrants who were already educated
He compared Massachusetts, and North Car
olina as to common schools. He cited figures
to show that though the wealth of Massachu-
setts was ten times that of North Carolina.
the amount devoted to school purposes was
nine mes as great, and the percentage of
taxation devoted to education WAS only two
per cent greater than the amount given by
North Carolina. The whole country had for
years been taxed to support Massachusetts,
and North Carolina was compelled to cotrib-
ute to that support.
Referring to the remark made by Mr..
Hoar yesterday, Mr. Vance said it was con-
slant source of modification to him (Vance)
to hear senators taunt his State with litter
acy; but it made the modification more hum
ilating to hear that taunt from a representa-
tive of Tewksbury-a representative of the
State that had sacrificed every principle for
gain that was more responsible for slavery
than any other State; that was nursing the
mother of honors of the middle passage.
When slavery was found not to pay in Mass
achusetts, Mr.. Vance said the people of that
State sold their slaves to the South and then
thanked God add sang long meteor doxology
through their noses, that they were not re-
sponsible any longer for the sin of slavery.
Mr.. Hoar did not wish to follow the sena-
tor from North Carolina tVance) into that
province of which, with others, he seemed to
have the monopoly of raking up old comic
almanacs that would not sell at a penny
apiece when fresh, for the sake of making up
a speech. Mr.. Hoar had given much thought
to the subject of education in the south. In
the House of Representatives Mr.. Hoar had
introduced a measure which had at first been
characterized as impracticable, but finally
passed, measure donating public lands to
States for the education of illterates; also a
measure giving the results of patent fees for
the same object The sum which Massachu-
sets would receive under the present bill was
only $500, 900, while North Carolina would
receive over 81, ,O0O, 900. He did not say
this by way of boast. Mr.. Hoar read from
MIR. Vance's speech of few days ago, in
which reference was made to the investiga-
tions by Congress and the carpet bag govern
ment and in which Mr.. Vance had said that
the states Of the south would help themselves
if the north would take their hands off of them,
and he had always had his doubts about the
republican party wanting to do anything sub
stantial for the blacks, and so he was not
disappointed when he believed the bill would
not pass. Mr.. Hoar wondered whether there
was another gentleman from the south who
would willingly meet so generous a proposal
as this bill made with such slap in the face
as had been given by the gentleman from
North Carolina.
After speeches BY Mr. Jonas in favor and
Mr.. Butler in opposition Mr.. Jonas called up
the House joint resolution reappropriating
for the aid of the sufferers by the Mississippi
riversfoods, 1926, 900 not expended Tor the
relief of the sufferers by the floods of the
Ohio. 1t was read three times and passed.
The Senate then went into executive ses-
sion and when the doors reopened adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Ellis of Louisiana, from the committee
on appropriations, reported joint resolution
providing that the sl25. 900 of the unexpend-
ed appropriation for the relief of sufferers
from the Ohio floods may be expended by the
secretary of war for the relief of the desti-
tute persons in the district overfowed by the
Mississippi river and tributaries.
Mr.. Rice of Massachusetts opposed the res
olution, saying that il was, he knew, an un-
gracious task to oppose the call made on the
score of suffering humanity, but the present
was good opportunity to consider this ques-
ton of affording material relief to every suf-
ferer of such local calamity The resolution
contemplated the distribution of supplies by
the national government to feed the sufferers
frorn local disaster. The present calamity
did not much exceed the previous disasters
on the same river, and it was not a calamity,
the relief of which came within the sphere
of the rights guaranteed, or duties imposed
on the federal government. The government
was not an insurer against fire, and if not
against fire how against water? Relief should