Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-02

were on tno celenuer uvc uuhuAo~
which, could they hare been reached
would have been passed 1t once.
Will any one acquainted with the
rules Of the House Of Representatives
claim that the Democratic party shall
be held responsible for the failure
under these circumstances to pass the
blair" bill?
FAILURE OF REPUBLICAN, CON-
CROSSES TO PASS THE EDUCA-
TIoNAL BILL.
The Republican House Of the Forty
seventh Congress two years ago had
the same experience with the same bill.
The Committee on Education and La
Dor. of which was q member, COM
posed of seven Republicans and four
Democrats, unanimously reported,
through its chairman, Mr.. Sherwin, of
Illinois, House bill No. 6l5S, bill
sppropriating sl0, 900, 900 annually for
five years on the basis Of illiteracy.
There was an overwhelming majority
of the House in favor Of the bill, as
evidenced by the fact that the resolu-
ton fixing day for its consideration,
presented January Is, 1888, was
adopted by two-thirds vote, there
being only twenty "noes." And yet
when the appointed day came the friends
of the bill, though in this large major
itv, under the same rules which OBJ
structed us last year, were unable to
bring the bill to vote. The
Forty-seventh Congress adjourned
without taking final action on this great
measure either in the House or Senate.
have yet to hear Of any Democrat
who undertook to manufacture party
capital out of thacresult. As men,
Der Of the committee in the Forty
seventh Cnngress, l accord to its Re-
publican majority the utmost sincerity
and zeal in behalf Of the educational
bill, but l accord equal zeal to the
Democratic majority Of the Forty
eighth Congress. Both were victims to
set Of rules which hope the present
Congress will promptly overthrow.
Is THE BLAIR BILL A REPUBLICAN
MEASURE?
Nor, il we look to the Senate Of the
last Congress will there be found any
fact upon which either party can claim
a partisan advantage. Mr.. Blair, whose
name the bill bears, would, am sure,
promptly disclaim it as Republican
measure. Some of the strongest ene-
mics Of the bill in the Senate were men
whom the Republican party has always
delighted to honor rs its leaders. Sem
ator Sherman Republican, Of Ohio, on
March 10, 1884, when the Blair bill was
under discussion, said
Although this thing the educa-
tional bill) has been talked of in sem
timental kind Of way in this country
for some years, yet do not think
the public opinion of the United States
is now prepared for any such measure
as this; and if it should pass the
especially if it should pass
Congress-it would at once excite great
agitation, great complaint, great dis
content, and do not believe the sys-
TEN would stand long before general
public voice would demand its repeal
on the ground of injustice and in
equality"
Mr.. Plumb Republican) of Kansas,
in the same debate page 2290 Of the
Congressional Record, said:
81 shall regard the passage Of bill
of this kind as the death-knell of the
present school system Of the United
States. The appetite once created, the
demand for more will be presented here
each year until finally the Government
will appropriate all expenses and take
full and sole control"
Senator Hawley Republican,, Of Con-
necticut, was equally emphatic:
1.-The money that comes from long
distance, that is not felt by the tax
payers, is money easily expended; and
that may be said of the whole Federal
revenue. Therefore we should be the
more jealous as to what we do with it.
1t is as costly as if we took it by di-
rect taxation right out Of their pockets.
| believe it has been said here, but if
it has not it can be now, that if this
money were to be levied by direct tax
alton this bill would not get ten votes
in the Senate.
but | did not intend to make a
speech, or even to say so much as this.
| wish to close with just five lines
from the address Of the school super
intendent in my State in opposing this
general measure
IAN experience teaches us that such dis
tribhtiOns OF public money are wasteful;
| that they give opportunities for lobbery
and corruption; that they XIII the very In
and that they end in debauching the peo-
| pie with their own money
God save that this is not true pro-
phecy in this case"
might cite from Senator Ingalls, and
other prominent Republicans passages
equally strong.
| THE BLAIR BILL DID NOT AND
COULD NOT PASS THE SENATE BY
REPUBLICAN VOTES.
Nor will the vote on the final passage
of the Blair bill in the Senate bear out
the idea that it was Republican mea-
sure. The vote was taken on April I,
1884, and is to be found on page 2976
of the Congressional Record. Of the
seyenty-six senator's, only forty-four ac-
tually voted. OF the thirty-two' re-
naming, pairs were announced for
twenty, leaving twelve senator's who
neither voted nor were paired. Ofthese
twelve all but two were Republicans.
1t is believed that Of these ten absent
and impaired Republican senator's at
least four-ffths were against the bill.
Among these "absent and impaired
senator's | find Senator Sherman
and Senator Malone. The "yea"
vote actually cast was thirty-three,
of which twenty were Republicans and
thirteen Democrats. Of the pairs
for the bill the Republicans had four
and the Democrats six. adding which
to the actual vote will give the " yea"
vote for passage Of the bill Republi-
cans, "a; Democrats, l9--which is the
relative numerical proportion of the
two parties in the Senate. OF the vote
actually cast a majority was twenty
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