The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-12
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

sage.
The bill Is. 50l to provide for the security
and payment Of abofing men by corpora.
tions, etc., vas then'passed byyeas 10, nayso.
RAILWAY FARES.
Mr.. COPELAND's bill II. r 49, to reg
ulate railway fares for passengers nj three
cents per mile was read the third time and
passed by yeas "a, nays ,.
The SPEAKER: vote for the bill but
doubt Its con stitutionality. IL requires rail-
ways 10 carry certain passengers free. /
doubt IL that can be enforced. However, l
thall vote aye"
Mr.. PATTEN: This bill provides that II
the railways overcharge, the passenger shall
have 90 much damage; while, as q fact the
money obtained for damages, must be put
according 20 the damage. The bill ought to
make q violation OF the law a misdemeanor
instead Of a civil suit; for the reason that
the bill says that ANY employe" who vlo-
lates II. a great many employees are hnan-
c'ally worthless. Why not make 1T crimi-
nal ofsnse.
Mr.. PRUITT, from the Committee on
Agriculture, reported back without recon-
mendations Mr.. Ove-man's IL II. r. 427l
concerning taxation. Ii was read the sec.
ond time and ordered engrossed.
GERMAN AND COLOR IE THE SCHOOLS.
Mr.. PASSAGES bill III r. 1881 concern
ing the teaching of certain branches in the
common schools, prohibiting the teaching OF
German, and prescribing who shall attend,
was read q third time.
Mr.. HARRELL: This bill says that the
schools shall be open 10 ali OF every color,
and yet il strikes agains the colored race. l
oppose ii on both grounds.
Mr.. BEST: There are places in this State
where the colored and white children attend
tie came school and sit in the same seats. l
II ~.tL A~sw 49, nNAA
by il. am IN favor of both colors attend.
ing the same school. Anything else IS dis
tinction without difference. Keeping the
schools separate is to have poorer schools
for colored children. We passed the Civil
Rights bill the other day. Let US see if that
is meaningless. The time is coming when
We will be broad minded enough and liberal
enough to wipe out these color lines III you
make the colored man a competent voter
you must commence with the children of
the colored people. IL Is TACT that dis
tinction is made in the schools against the
colored children. The colored men should
have their rights under the law.
Mr.. FRENCH: No country on earth mas
20 advanced q race as this country has in the
colored race. You are always talking about
the difference concerning the dealings with
the whites and the colored. IL there be any
il is as much discrimination against the
the white as against the colored. The colored
rsce has every advantage. In our county
they have Just IS good a. opportunity as the
white. They have the superintendent
have never heard con plant from them
in my town OF Mt. Vernon. In New Har-
moDy they attend the school together-thess
two races. But let that feature in the bill
20. Here is in this bill q stab at the Ger
mans. In great many districts Is strong
German population where the German Ian
gusge is taught. This bill prohibits the
teaching of German, save in the graded
schools. Not one in hundred in these
schools ever Tesch graded school.
Mr.. SMITH of Tippecanoe: The irst
clause of the Sth article OF the constitution
has the same meaning Of this bill. I an
Just a broad enough American to want
taught in our schools the English language
--nelther the French, the German, or
any other. I no reason WHY we
should teach the German language and neg
lect the Dane and the Norwegian. have il
from q County Superintendent that in five
townships in this State the English language
was not taught at all. Every township may
have graded schools. When q man pleads
here for the teaching Of his mother tongue.
some contemplate reason or fling is brought
hear against IT. L will not be placed at
disadvantage here. / am thoroughly Amer
lean, but mean by American every one who
is here for home. An adopted citizen is as
much American as any one.
Mr.. BROWNING: do not see in locking
over this that any change is made but in one
particular. The law already says that the
colored people shall have ell the freedom of
the schools they want. Here is the law.
Reads. X merely affects German teaching.
II the time comes to discriminate against
either the colored race or Germans, l shall
discriminate against the Germans, but there
is no need Of any discrimination against
either, and as l am opposed to il, shall OPP
pose this bill, which proposes TO discrlmin.
ate sgainst the Germans.
Mr.. PATTEN: You say that this law dis
eliminates against German children enter
ing public schools. Isn't il a fact that il
does not affect their going to the schools,
but merely prohibits the teaching of the Ger.
man language?
Mr.. BROWNING: say that it discrim.
mates against the Germans by prohibiting
the teaching OF branches they desire TO learn.
The bill is an indirect attact at the Germans.
Mr.. GOODING: l move to rec0mmit the
bill to the Committee on Education with in
structions to strike out the word graded"
wherever il occurs and insert in lieu the
word common" This amendment would
put the bill where we could all vote for it.
Mr.. REEVES said that such amendment
would put the bill in the same shape as the
present law. He moved that the motion to
recommit lie on the table.
The motion to lay the motion to recommit
on the table was tabled by yeas y, nays 80.
Mr.. HOBAN, explaining his vote, said that
ne ne was IN iosor OF ihs teaching OF the Eng
llsh language only IN the public schools. He
did not oppose the attendance of colored
children IN the schoole. l vote AYE"
Mr.. PASSAGE: All gentlemen who speak
so much about discrimination against the
Germans use il as shield to vote against TIE
colored men. ! vote AYE
Mr. PATTEN: In 1877 was trustee of
the schools at my home. We had Demo.
cratic school board, and we put the colored
children in the public schools. So ali of M
do not use this German discrimination to
hide behind as q shield. The law as il now
stands does not discriminate against colored
children, because they are now in the public
schools. This DILL, as fact, makes no dis.
elimination. I believe in the right of all
children of every nationality 70 go to schools.
This amendment ought to be tabled. and
vote staveD