Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-26
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
SENATOR BROWN SPEAKS ON
THE EDUCATIONAL BILL.

The South too Impoverished by the War
to do all the Good That She Was WILL
ing in Heart to do-Federal Education
al Aid a Duty, Not a Charity-Ex- Gov
ernOr Long Takes Rap at the Whisky
BilI-Mr. Ellis Louisiana Flood Ap-
preparation Tactics Again Fail.
WASHINGTON. March 25.-In the SEN
ate to-day, among the memorials pre-
sented were several protesting against the
passage of bills before the Senate relating
to patents or any bills that may be injuri-
Gus to the INTEREST," of patentees.
Mr.. Frye, from the Committee on Rules,
reported that the committee construed the
rule relating to the admission to the floor
of the Senate OF heads of departments to
apply only to Cabinet officers. Mr.. Frye
also reported from the same committee
adversely a resolution heretofore intro
duced by Mr.. Call to give the President of
the Senate authority to invite to the floor
of the Senate distinguished citizens of
other States or countries.
The bill to increase the salaries OF
United States District Judges was again
taken up, discussed and passed by AZ
| yeas to l3 nays. AS passed it makes the
salaries of all United States District
Judges $4,000 per annum, and prohibits
them from appointing to position in their
courts relatives within the degree of first
cousin.
The next order of business was the cal
endar of unObjected cases to the five min
utes rule.
Mr.. CalPs joint resolution providing for
the payment Of labOrers in the govern
| ment employ the same wages for holidays
as for other days was taken up, read three
times and passed without debate.
MIR. BLAIR's BILL.
Mr.. Blair's educational bill was taken
up as unfinished business, the pending
| question being on Mr.. Harrison's amend
ment to require the States to contribute
each annually an amount equal to the
amount severally received by them from
the national fund. The discussion was
continued by Messrs. Harrison, Blair,
Jones Of Florida, George, Allison, MaXey,
Coke, HOar, sherman and Mr.. Brown, who
said that when the late war commenced
neither side supposed that the slaves
would be freed. Providence had deeper
design than the Congress Of the United
States, and begun in time to see that
the freedom of the slaves was necessary to
| the salvation of the Union. At the close
of the war the Southern people were re-
quired to incorporate in their constitu-
tiOns provisions which clothed the slaves
with all the rights of citizens. The slaves
were freed as a necessity of the Union.
What then became the duty of the Union?
Certainly ii was the duty of the Union to
take such action as would qualify the
newly made citizens for the duties of
citizenship. 1t had been a fearful expert
ment Ito entranchise the freedmen in
their then condition; but, having freed
them, it was clearly the duty of the whole
Union to aid the States in preparing them
for citizenship. However willing the
L.
the fact was that they had been left so
impoverished by the war that they could
not do it, even though individual slaves
were now present as freemen; and so the
country is no poorer in that sense, yet all
know that the property owners of the
South had lost their property. There had
been an actual loss of $780,,
Of the State of Georgia alone,
according to the returns of the year be-
fore and the year after the war. The
! Southern States had supported from their
property all the armies of the COnfede-
racy, and the money which the Southern
people had at the close of the war was as
ashes in their hands,
a DIFFERENT STORY IN THE NORTH.
How different was it in the North. At
the close of the war every Investment
made in the North for the support Of the
utterly worthless. Besides that the South
had to contribute to the payment of the
| Northern war debt, and many millions of
dollars of captured and abandoned pro-
| pertv had been taken and sold by
the United States, and although the
Supreme Court Of the United States
SAID as to several millions OF il captured
after the war that the United States Gov
ernment had no shadow of a title to It,
the statute of limitation ran against
| private owners. Mr.. Brown only men,
toned these things to show that the people
of the South were impoverished by the
war, so that it was impossible, no matter
how anxious they might be, to educate
their cOlOred people. Except Texas. no
Southern State was in a position to do all
that was required, but Mr.. Brown did not
regard it as work Of charity. The slaves
had been freed by the Union. If it
was right to make those people
citizens. and Mr.. Brown did
not question it now, then it was not only
1 the right, but the imperative duty of the
Union to fit them or help them to fit them
selves for the duties of citizenship, for
upon the well performed duties Of citizen
ship depended the perpetuity of the Union.
1t was not necessary that this aid should
be permanent. Mr.. Brown would not de-
sire it to be. The Senator from New
Hampshire Mr.. Blair) had shown to the
!
I ed as heavily, in proportion to their prop
erty, as any of the people Of the Northern
States. The people of the South had
done the best they could. Not one
of the Southern States that had
been fully recognized as in rebellion had
passed any law discriminating against the
application of the school fund to schools
for cOlOred children. The same arrange
ment existed for both cOlOrs. He thought
a ha f.fp
stances fairly ask the Senators who were
on the other side OF the question in the
war to come forward and help out those
who, while doing their best, could not do
as well as they could wish or that the
country could wish.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION.
AS to the constitutional question in
vOlyed, while Mr.. Brown declared himself
to be a strict cOnstructiOnist, he could not
but see in the general welfare clause of
the constitution, clause clearly covering
it, SO fundamental a consideration as the
education Of the people. If there was any,
thing necessary for the general welfare in
a republic it was the education of the
people who formed the republic and made
its laws. IT, again, Mr.. Brown said, Con-
gress had the power to protect men in
their exercise Of the ballot, does it not
follow that Congress had the power to
not the right to prepare him to read and
write this ballot?
Pending debate the Senate went into
! executive session, and when the doors
We're reopened adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day, Mr.. Browne, of
| Indiana, from the Committee on Judi
ciary, reported back the bill making it a
felony for person falsely and fraudu-
| lently to assume to be an officer or en-
| ploye acting under the authority of the
! United states or any department thereof.
! The bill was passed.
/ MR.. ELLIS WITHDRAWS HIS RESOLUTION.
! The Committee on Appropriations to-
! day had under consideration Mr.. Ellis
/ joint resolution making an appropriation
| to prevent the overflow of the lower Mis-
! sissippi. Telegrams from the editor of
! the New Orleans PicdgHHe, the Mayor of
| New Orleans, and dispatch to the Louis
! lana Senator'S, signed by Gen. Meyer, ID.
/ +. Kenner and I. ID. Miller, urging the
I necessity of action by Congress to prevent
| the committee. The dispatch to the New
/ York Tribune, quoting the Times Demo-
/ crdt of yesterday as saying editOriallY
! that New Orleans was in no danger of an
overflow was read, whereupon Mr.. Ellis
I withdrew his resolution.
EX-GOVERNOR AONG's PHILLIPPIC.
Mr.. Long, of Mas assachHsetts, said that
! in rising to speak on the bill he did so more
! for the purpose of feeling his way than
with an idea of giving much information
| to the House. In his judgment upon this
/ this bill be was governed neither by SEN
| timant on the aoe dand nor on the other