Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-29
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
THE SENATE FAVORs OFFERING
THE GREELY REWARD.


Senator Brown Looking After GeOrgia's
IRterests-Mr. Lamar Delivers a Long
Address in Favor of the Blair Bill
No Important Action in the House.
! WASHINGTON, March 28.-On motion
Of Mr.. Hale the Senate to-day agreed that
when it adjourns to-day it be to Monday
next. Mr.. Palmer, from the Committee on
Woman's Suffrage, reported favorabIy the
! joint resolution proposing an amendment
to the constitution to extend the right Of
/ suffrage to women. Mr.. Cockrell said
that this was the action of a major
lty OF the committee. The minority of
/ the committee would hereafter present
/ their views. The resolution was placed
on the calendar.
Mr.. Plumb's resolution offered yester-
/ day, calling on the Secretary of the
Treasury for information relating to the
unpaid portion of the war tax of 1861, was
( agreed to.
/ The Senate read three times and passed
/ the bill authorizing the Secretary of the
/ Navy TO issue proclamation offering a
reward OF $4,000 to be equitably paid or
! distributed to any private ship or person
/ rescuiEg Lieut.. Greely's party.
Mr.. Brown introduced bin to require
/ the payment in cash of $4,000 AZ apprO-
| priated for said State by an act to refund
! to the State of Georgia certain money ex-
/ pended by said State for the common de-
Tense in l117, approved March 3, 1888. In
! introducing the bill Mr.. Brown said that
/ the bill was passed last year, and re-
/ ceiyed the Presidents signature,
/ but the Comptroller of the Treasury
had decided that the money could not be
/ paid, as direct war tax stood charged
to the State. This bill was to direct that
| the VIII OF Congress should be executed
Notwithstanding the decision of the
officers of the Treasury. The bill was
referred to the Committee on Claims.
Mr.. Morgan said that several Southern
4 States were interested in the question
/ involved owing to the rulings of depart
ment officers. He hoped that the COM
mittee, when acting on it, would report a
/ general bill TO cover the whole subject.
lie did not think that appropriations for
/ the benefit of State should be met bv
/ decisions Of officers of the Treasury
charging up that tax against the States.
/ Whatever was done in the State of Georgia
should apply to all Southern States. Con-
| gress had not required them to pay that
I tax.
MR.. LAMAR IN FAVOR OF THE BLAIR
BILL.
The educational aid bill came up. and
Mr.. Lamar addressed the Senate in sup
! port Of it. He had given serious conside-
ration, he said, to the constitutional qlies-
tl0n involved, and had no doubt of its con-
/ stitutiOnality. Any other Interpretation
of it would, in his opinion, be reversing
/ the settled policy of the government
/ The refinements of distinction that
/ had been drawn between land grants
/ and money grants he did not
/ sympathize with. 1t was not aid
| to the States that was unconstitutional.
/ UncOnstitutiOnality began when there
was an Intervention of the General Gov
/ ernment in the rights and functions of
| the States. The objections of the Senator
/ from Missouri Mr.. Vest to the statement
| In the bill that reading, writing and arith-
metic should be taught did not seem to
Mr.. Lamar to be well founded. These
/ words were words of description and SIM
/ ply showed the purpose of the bill. Mr..
/ Lamar saw in these words no in
dicatiOr of Federal Intervention in
/ the functions of the States. Indeed, he
rather thought that if there had been anv
/ tendency to such Intervention the pas
| sage of this bill would have a tendency to
arrest it. Mr.. Lamar had watched with
intense interest and sOlicitude the progress
| OF this educational scheme since its first
! appearance in another form in the other
House of Congress. In his opinion it.
was the first step taken by
Congress in regard to the race question
more decisive effect upon that question
than the 18th, 18th or 10th amendments,
unless this measure was to be considered,
as Mr.. Lamar thought it should. it should
be considered the logical sequence Ofthose
| amendments. 1t was measure fraught
with almost unspeakable consequences to
the people of the South. Apart from the
question of the money involved it would
| give to common school education in that
section an imDptIIg fhnf If had OaVar ba
fore known.
A STIMULATION TO sOUTHERNERS.
Mr.. Lamar said that it would stimulate
the people to grapple with the difficulty
in the presence of which they had stood
appalled,. The war had Overthrown all pre-
existing conditions and schools and col
leges suffered with the rest. The histOri-
an GulZOt, in one of his essays, had said
that the overthrow of the political insti-
tutiOns of the country was like the swal-
lowing up of city, and that it would be
as difficult to rebuild one as to resurrect
the other. Yet the people of the South
made that effort and lad taxed themselves
to rate equal to the rate oftaXation of any
other country. This magnanimous meas.
IRE would infuse new hope into the peO-
pie Of the South. 1t wOuld be manifes-
tation of respect and affection for them,
and would dispel whatever impression
to show that this government stood in an
attitude of austere severity toward them.
The idea that the amount was too large to
be pTOfitably applied, Mr.. Lamar said,
was a mistaken one. The South had
school houses enough, teachers enough,
and ample material for making teachers.
Because the South did not afford the same
variety of occupation as did the North
all that was wanted was money with
which to employ them.
DIsTRUsT DEPRECATED.
Mr.. Lamar would very much regret if
one of the suggested amendments should
be adopted, viz: that which provided that
the money should be administered by
agents of the Federal Government. 1t
would give to the measure harshness
unworthy of its great purpose, and would
change its whole aspect and character,
for it would in certain sense be re-
enactment Of the color line. The surest
way to beget distrust was to entertain
distrust. The surest way to make the
people Of the South stand aloof
was to make them feel dis
trusted. Distrust would be entirely
unfOunded The welfare of those people
was bound up with the welfare and edu-
cation of the cOlOred people. Mr.. Lamar
quoted the opinions of distinguished
Northern educators going to show that
the South had shown extraordinary
energy in the establishment and support
of common schools, and had been i'm
pdrtial in its administration of them in
Tespect to races. Among the opinions
cited was one expressed by DIR. MAYO. of
Boston. who had said that the educational
revival at the South to-day was as great
revival as that which took place in New
England in the days of Horace Mann.
TWO FRIENDS OF EDUCATION.
Nj. Lamar felt sure that if the honor
able Senators had known of the facts re-
cited, and the opinions expressed by such
gentlemen, they would not have given eX-
preston to some OF the views which had
been heard in the course of this debate.
Here Mr.. Hoar interposed to say that he
was happy to be able to bear testimony to
the fact that the name of DR.. Mayo de-
served to be ranked with that of Horace
Mann himself for what he had done for
the common school education.
Mr.. Lamar expressed his th anks to the
Senator from Massachusetts, for the tri-
butte. The adoption of such an amend
menG as he had referred to would
introduce an element of discord
into the operation OF the act, for there
would be conflicting authorities. The
agencies selected by the bill as it stood
were agencies having the confidence of
the people, whereas any other agency
would place the administration of the act
in the bands of strangers responsible to
no restraints Of local public sentiment,
and men who would be apt to be moved
BY political considerations rather than by
the interests of education. This measure,
as he had said, would be a decided step
towards settlement of the difficulties
growing out of the question Of races.
Z N. L.,