The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-10-08

~ 49, ~ 80 VII LAO &<7t<<<A<4
Blair Educational Bill. the Democrats Of
Virginia are trying BY every means in
their power to eyade the issue, or seek to-
cover their hostility to the measure by a
resort to any tactics desperation can sug-
gest. As q last hope Mr.. Barbour has
called to hisai Congressman Willis,of Ky.,3
who had charge of the bill in the House,
and who in a letter which occupies
nearly three columns in the Dispatch, at
tempts to explain why it was killed in q
House with clear Democratic majority
of ~, and a plurality over the Republicans
of 50. In his effort to extricate his party.
Mr.. Willis simply drives it deeper intothe
mire. He admits that the bill passed the
Senate hy vote of So, and that of the sS,
20 we're Republicans and Is Democrats,
but he fails to state that of the eleven
votes against it, mine were Democrats and
only two Republicans. Ten pairs were
announced. OF the members paired, six
Democrats and four Republicans would
have voted for the bill and SIX Demo-
Gratis and four Republicans against it.
Had the members not been paired, the
vote on the passage of the bin would have
been 43 for it, of whom "a were Republic
cans and 10 Democrats. This says MIR. Will
lis, lis the relative numerical proportion OF
the two parties in the Senate When 1t is
remembered that 40 Republicans and SO
Democrats composed the Senate, MIR. Will
lis ratio becomes rather faulty. But let
us look at the negative vote: Had the
members not teen paired, the vote against
the bill would have been 81, of whom six
were Republicans and IS Democrats, or
| two and half Democrats to one Republic
can. How does Mr.. Willis numerical
proportion apply in this case ? Ken
lucky ought to Lave double share in the
appropriation if her most enlightened
Congressman becomes thus inextricably
floundered in the very elementary rules Of
arithmetic.
| Having thus succeeded in proving en-.
tirely too much by the record, Mr.. Willis
leaves the domain of facts and ventures
into the more inviting field of speculation
OF the twelve senators who were absent
and impaired, two were Democrats and
ten Republicans. 1T is believed says
Mr.. Willis, that of those ten absent and
impaired Republicans at least four-fifths
were against the BILL" This is an en-
tirely gratuitous assumption. 1t is vel
known that Senator Malone, one of the alb
sentees, was a warm friend of the measure
! ard would have been in his seat had there
been any danger of failure to pass it
Again, Mr.. Aldrich, Republican of Rhode
Island. was paired with Senator German
Democrat, but no announcement of how
either would vote was made, and the sam,
was the case with Mr.. Van Wyck, Repub
| lican, who was paired with Mr.. Bowen
Republican. Mr.. Germans colleague
Mr.. Groome, voted against the passage o
the bill, and it is fair to presume tina
Maryland would have been unit had boil
of her Senators been present. Certainl.
Mr.. Van Wyck or Mr.. Bowen would hay'
voted aye. Senator Sherman was the onl.
pronounced opponent Of the bill who wa
absent, and the fact that he was impaired
did not evidence violent hostility. VI
have as strong grounds for believing tina
four-fifths of the absent Republican sena
tors would have voted for the measure, az
Mr.. Willis has for believing that the,
would have opposed it.
/ Mr.. Willis attempt to explain the fail
ure of the bill to pass the House and be
come law, is childish. The people know
that Democratic majority Of y domi
mated that House, and they know that j
the controlling power had acilled the pas
age of the bill, the aoay would have beer
found. Mr.. Willis admits that numerous
measures. in which the interests OF thu
people were far less Involved, were con
sidered out of their order and did become
laws, and it is puerile to claim that thu
Blair Bill, which was worth half of TIL
others combined, could not have beer
passed if tie party in power had really
championed it in earnest. Had there beer
a Republican majority in the House il
would have been the law year ago, and
the people would now be enjoying the adj
vantages that would accrue to them undel
| it.
The facts as they appear upon the re-
cord are sufficient to condemn the Demo
cratic party for all time to come. The
twisting and squirming of those who read
their doom on the political horizon, viii
not avail with people whom they have
robbed of vast donation and whose chill
dren they have condemned to ignorance
whilst the means of education were to bs
had for the asking. All the sophistry
evasion and Misrepresentation to which
the Democratic party Can resort. will moi
sponge out the cold facts as they are known
| to the people. It is known to them that a
Republican Senator introduced to, and had
passed by Republican Senate bill do
1 mating $77, OoO, 600 to popular education
| 1t is known that four-fifths of this amount
would have been given to the South. II
| is known that Virginia's share would have
been $3.50, 900. 1t is known that this
bill came to House that was Democratic
by n majority. That it fingered there
| through half Of the first session of the 4Sth
Congress, and when Mr.. White, a Repub'
lican. tried to take it up out of its order,
Mr.. Tucker, Democrat objected and
killed it. 1t is known that the second ses.
sion of the 46th Congress has come and
gone since then, and that every effort
made by Republicans to have the bill con-
sidered was rendered futile by the Demo
cratic majority, and it is known now that
the bill is dead, with little hope of resur-
rection as long as the Democrats continue
in power But this is not all. The people
know that the bitterest enemies the Blair
bill had have been rewarded for their OPP
| position to the measure by the highest
prizes the Democratic party could bestow.
Bayard, whose hostility to the bill in the
Senate was notorious and never ceasing,
has been elevated to position second only
to that of the chief magistrate. Tucker,
who fought it in the House and on the
hastings, had bis position endorsed by one
of the largest Democratic constituencies
in the State, and was returned to Congress
to continue his warfare against it. The
people know these things and know them