Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-01-16
STAUEToN, Jan'y 18th, 1885

SIAONION, jail IoUl, 1000
II. G. T5ras1ey, Esq:
DEAR S1R.-T have had the honor to receive
your note of this date in which you ask me to
give my views of the Blair bill now pending
before Congress, and hasten to reply to it.
The need of the Southern people in regard
to education, more especially of the colored
race, has been subject of anxious thought
with me ever since the close of the war;
brought this matter to the attention of the
Peabody Board in October, 1879, by motion
to appoint committee to consider it and re-
port upon the best means of advancing the
object in view. I was elected as chairman of
that committee, Chief Justice Waite and Hon.
VIM. M. Evarts being associated with me. As
the time of both these gentlemen was very
much engrossed by their public duties, they
requested that I would give the subject care
full consideration and prepare full report on
it, to be submitted to them for revision and
sanction.
Having leisure during the early part of the
winter of 1880, I made full investigation
of the whole subject, in all it's aspects and
pICEfiICu d IOpOIG COfCIIuS IOIIJ OCGdNO ptSco.
For greater convenience of revision and
amendment by the committee, and ultimately
by the Board, had it printed at the Office of
the Spectator in Staunton. On the 18th of
Feb, 1880, special meeting of the Peabody
Board was held in Washington to receive this
report 1t was carefully revised by the COM
mittee and some few immaterial amendments
made. In my conference with my associates
OF the committee called their special atten-
ton to the argument which had prepared on
the constitutional question, and invoked their
deliberate judgment as two of the most emf
nent constitutional jurists of our country on
its soundness. To my great qualification they
gave it their full sanction, and concurred in
the opinion which had expressed that, as the
policy of aiding popular education by grants
of public lands, had been adopted by the
Continental Congress as early as 1885, two years
before the constitution had been framed, and
four years before it had been ratified, it must
be considered res ddjW1icatd. They thought,
as did, that the constitution had been framed
and adopted with reference to that as one of
the fundamental rules of policy of the govern
ment.
After the report had been carefully scanned
and revised by the committee, was instruc-
ted to present it to the Board, where it was
again maturely reviewed and discussed and
finally adopted by unanimous vote, and Hon.
R. G. Winthrop, the President, was requested
to prepare brief memorial to Congress- ac-
companied by a copy of the report as express
siye of the views of the Board and urging Con-
gress to take such action as would be necessa.
ry to effect the object contemplated by it.
The Blair bill may be fairly regarded as the
response of Congress to that petition 1t diff
fers from it somewhat, in details, but its aims
are substantially the same.
At subsequent meeting of the Peabody
Board the President was instructed to renew
the petition to Congress- and with that view
was requested to have new edition of the Pc
tition and report printed for distribution.
I have, since the subject has been before
Congress, given much thought to it and my
opinions remain unchanged. I still believe the
measure is free from all constitutional diff
Guilty, and that the passage of the bill is de-
manded by the highest considerations of pa
triotism and sound policy. I have been graft
fed to see the earnestness and ability with