The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-19
FORTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS-.
SENATE.

age by collision, ETC.
A bill was introduced and referred to au-
thorize the Secretary of the Navy to offer a
| reward of $25 600 for rescuing or ascertaininR
the fate OF the Greely Arctic expedition.
Mr.. Aldrich reported favorably from the
| committee on finance and Mr.. FRYE moved to
put at once upon its passage, the bill to author
| ia the West Watervie National Bank of
| oakland, Me-, to change its name to that of
| Messolonskee National bank The bill was
read three times aud passed.
| The bill to aid in the establishment and
temporary support of common schools was
taken up. 1t approptiates for the first year
/ Sl5.OO0,0O0, second year $4,000 000 third year
| $l3 600 and so on for ten years, decreasing
one million yearly to be expended for common
| school education. The expenditure in each
State to be on basis Of illiteracy. 1t is TO be
| paid By the United States in the first Instance
| to the treasurers OF respective States or such
| other agents as the States may designate, the
Secretary of the Interior to have charge of tho
| portion going to the territories. (rhe bill as
serts its object is to be not to establish an in-
| dependent system OF schools but simply to aid
IN the maintenance of State schools, and pro-
| vides that no part of the money appropriated
| by the bill shall be paid ont in any State which
shall not during the first five years Of the
| operation OF the act annually expend for CON-
mon schools at least one-third the sum allotted
70 ~ oS the Dill and during the second five
| years sum equal to the whole amount it shall
| hs entitled to receive under the act One
| tenth of the moneys paid to the States may be
| expended in training teachers.
| Mr.. Blair sent to the desk ard had read a
| number of memorials, already presented TO
| Congress and referred to the commi tee on
| education, urgiDg passage by Congress of a
| Com . che slye ure in aid of education.
Referring 10 the general industrial and social
| condition of the colored population OF the
| South Mr. Blair averred that it was rapidly
becoming worse, the people being discontented
and demoralZed and the young men becom-
| ing more and more disposed to violence and
drifting into condition which bodies harm to
| the Republic unless education be brought
| promptly to bear. When England freed the
slaves in Jamaica she paid $780, 100000 to
| former slaves owners but made no provision
| for the education or elevation of the slaves
| themselves, and the result was seen in the
| fact that 60 per cent OF the b rths in the Is
land OF Jamaica were illegitimate. Mr.. Blair
read number OF statements and submitted
number of tables of statistics to show the rela-
tionS of illiterscy to crime. From these it ap-
peared that one-sxth of all the crimes com.
mitted were by persons wholly ill.terate. one
| third by persons wholly or substantially
among the illiterate is ten times greater than
among the educated. Illustrating the diff
ference in expense between the support of
schools aud OF jails, peneten'iar etc, Mr..
Blair remarked that New York city had to
spend 5000 600 per annum for punishment
OF crime while expending only So 500 900 for
schools, According to the census of 1880, out
of $4,000 600 population in the United States
there were 9.82 per cent who could not read
and IL Al per cent who could not write The
proportion of white people who could not
write was 696 per cent, aud OF colored AZ 70
per cent. The number of persons of school
age was Is, ,527 1892, while the number of en-
rolled was only 9,781, ,521, and of that number
the actual average in attendance was only
5,805, ,342 That is to say. the average at
tendance was about two-thirds of the enroll
ment or about one-third of the number that
should attend. In 81 cities of the Union 80 to
50 per cent Of the children were not enrolled
at all, that is, would never know how to read
or write.
On conclusion of Mr.. Blair,s speech the
Senate went Into executive session and after
wards adjourned
In the House the regular order being deman-
ded the Speaker proceeded to the call of COM
mittees aud numerous reports were submitted
aud dispCss Of Among them was one appro-
priating 800 coo for vessel of revenue m a.
rine ana Steam launch@tor use in Alaskan wat
ers. 1t was referred.
At the expiration of the morning hour Mr..
Townshend moved that the House go into
committee on the postoffice appropriation bill
and declined to yield TO Mr.. Curtin who wished
an opportu0ity to submit report of the for
eign affairs committee upon the matter OF the
Lasker resolutions. After fight the appro-
prialion committee came out successful and
tBe House went iuto committee of the
whole.
In speaking to formal amendment, Mr..
Aiken of South Carolina, reviewed AMI severe
ly criticized various features of the bill. He
was opposed to iJs proyiso limiting compensa-
tton for mail service to land grant roads aud
said that 10 spite of himself the thought would
rise up that there was vicious legislation be-
hind the clause. After the committee had
discussed the matter for some hours Mr.. Ak
en- said that theg reat objector fr no Indiana
rose and presented an amendment to his own
bill. He took in the very roads he had ex-
claced in framing the bill. and though he
(4ikeu) did not charge anybody with having
a j0b ia the bill that action had excited sus
picinn in his mind. The next IN the bill which
attracted his attention was az appropriation
of $4 800 600 for star route services aud an adj
ditional imaginary appropriation of 81 100000.
Where was that million? The Postmaster
General had said something about an unex-
pended balance OF 81, 100000. Why had not
the committee reappropriated the whole of
that SuD? What was TO become of the $780,
O00? ln his mind there was covert legislation
right there. He criticized the committee for
making no provision for special mail facilities
and ridiculed the excuse presented that it had
not been estimated for. II the committee re-
fused to give because the Postmaster General
did not ask why in the name OF common senss
did it object to giving what he did ask fo?
The species of niggardly legislation which was
manifest on every page OF the bill showed con-
clusively TO any right minded thinking man
that the purpose OF the bill was to get up
cheap notority for grand economy. (Appause
on the Republican side.)
Mr.. Holman o, Indiana, denied Indignantly
that there was anything covert in the bill and
he hoped tho gentleman would specifically
point out wherein the committee on appropria-
tioDs or any member had sought to deceive the
House or the country.
The committee then rose and reported the
bill to the House. The previous question be.
being Orderd Mr.. Bsbee ex pressed his object
ion to the bill which he characterized as a
cheap bill formed by cheap party through
cheap committee iupon a cheap estimate of the
people of the country
Mr.. Townshsnd took the floor to close the
debate In defence of the bill He said that
since the bill had come into the House every
clown on the other side had been brought to
the front to rdicule it; every advocate of ex-
travsgance, every defender of Jobs and rail-
road corporations had been brought forward,
taxing their ingenuity TO the utmost in order
to raise false clamor against the bill. He
vas not surprised At the action of the gentle
man from Maine (Mr. Reed He bad been a
member OF the House with that gentleman for
four years and he entered the assertion Lere
aud now that if the gentleman's course aud
conduct In regard to the pending bill were
comp pared with his whole course in the past
there 1t would be found TO be perfectly con-
sistent. Ii peculator had ever been charged
on this floor with msladministration, If ever
an 6xtraVaganb appropriation was suggested,
that gentleman was found to be its de e!ender
and if ever the interest of railroad company
was at stake that gentleman was its calender.
Mr.. Hiscock demanded that the words be
taken down as supplementary.
"Oh, mol" said Mr.. Reed, II don't want to
give them any such significance, but when he
ialks- about extravagance in appropriations
aud Peculators, il he looks at the record be
will lind that in the star route case I voted
with the committee on appropriations aud that
he was not there. (Applause on the Republic
can side)
II have never" continued Mr. Townshend,
"heard peculator assailed on this floor but
that the gentleman from Maine has sprung TO
his feet and defend him."
Name one," cried Mr.. Reed.
II have not time here" retorted Mr.. Town
shend."
81 want the gentleman to name one," reit-
Grated Mr.. Reed.
when the gentleman, continued Town
shend "taf es his seat andl behaves himself,
Will proceed with my remarks. The gentle
man mas taken occasion to assall almost every
memoer in the House, ana / now propose to
answer him and let aim understand that he is
well known, and that I have less regard for
nls estimate OF myself than l have for the
opinion OF any other member. On last Satur-
day he took the floor and imputed to me im-
proper motives in my defence OF the bill. I
did not have the opportunity to reply then;
out want to say, here and now, that he is
playing roe which he has Dlayed aver ainca