Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-09-25
DEMOCRATIC HOSTILITY TO POPULAR
EDUCATION.

COmmlItee Oh EuuOdtioh "iiu la
Dor, of which Gen'l Malone is the
second member, q bill entitled "An
Act to aid the establishment and
temporary support of common
schools
This bill, with some amendments,
was passed by Republican Senate,
in the month of April of that year,
and appropriated s76,GSl, ,9Ol.OO to
be distributed to the various States
and Territories, in accordance with
their educational necessities.
OF this amount the Southern
States would have received S5S,
1877, 1925, being nearly four iifths
Of the entire amount appropriated.
The share of the State of Vir-
ginia would have been $3.50, ,iG0.OS.
This measure was opposed by
nearly all the leading Democratic
Senators, and the House OF Repre-
sentatives, with q Democratic ma.
| jority of II, refused even to con-
slider it, but smothered the bill un-
der q mass of others on the Speak.
ers table, from which it was never
lifted, although Congress was in
session for three months after the
bill had been sent from the Senate.
1t will be remembered that dur
ing the canvass last year, every
democratic speaker and Demo-
cratic newspaper of the State, and
that party's candidates for Con-
gress, promised the people that at
the then coming sessiOn-the ses.
sion of that winter....this benificent
measure should be taken up and
passed.
1t was in the power, absolutely,
of that party to have passed this
liberal donation for the education
of the children of the south and
Virginia last session, as it was at
the session before, but what man
among them raised his voice in
that behahs What Democratic
member of Congress from Virginia
made an effort to fulfil the pledge
which he and his associate leaders
in Virginia had made to the people
last fall 7 The election was over,
they had gained their seats in Con-
gress, and the promises made to
the voter are quickly fargOtten.
Their whole time, during this last
session of Congress, was taken uT
in formulating schemes for the dis
tribution of patronage among theil
personal favOrites; and ever since
the advent of the Cleveland AL
milistration, the spoilationists-
the eight Democratic Congress
men-have sat in Washington up
on the distribution Of Federal
Offices, not among the represen-
tative men of the Democratic par.
ty, in respect to character, fitness
and party service, but among their
personal friends. The promise
made in all the canvass of last
year, when these Democratic mem
bers of Congress were seeking the
votes of an over.cOnfding con.
: stituency, like their promises made
at Lynchburg in respect to the
debt settlement and other great
measures, dear to the people, were
quickly forgotten. Not voice
was raised, hot a motion was made
. by any man among them in the
late Congress in hehalf of the
Blair bill, and it is dead.
This bill would have given to the
! free schools of Shenandoah county,
during the 8 years it was to run,
the enormous sum of SG2, ,44S.OO,
! equal to an average Of $7,S06.OO
per year for 8 years.
| It would have increased the
7, present school term from 8 10
40 months, or enabled 1880 more
children to have obtained the
: benefits Of the present school term
of 5 months, or it would have
, opened 80 additional free schools in
the county of Shenandoah.
Our next Legislature elects a
,, successor to Malone in the Senate
of the United States. DO you
want there in the Senate OF the
: United States a friend TO the Blair
educational bill, or will you send
the man there who carries a school
house torch in one hand and the
Funding bill of 1871 in the other
IL YOU vote for the Bourbon can
didates for the Legislature, you
vote to send Maj. John W. Daniel
TO the Senate of the United States,
or for some other Bourbon hostile
TO the Blair educational bill. II
YOU vote for the Republican can
didates for the Legislature, you
vote to send there q true and tried
friend to that bill and to our free
schools.
To every friend of education in
! the State this plain statement OF
facts is submitted for calm, un-
prejudiced consideration.
True in every representation, we
do not think it necessary to recitc
the blessings it would have carried
TO the children of the country.
Enough for rejecting minds to
, recur to the impoverished condi-
ton of our Southern country, and
the inability Of many OF our people
10 offer educational advantages Ia