The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-01-08
Is it a Republican Measure ?

Is it Republican Measure
The Richmond Dispatch in commenting
on paragraph from the VIRGINIAN Of
last week, concludes rs follows
SIN word. the intimation that the mea-
sure the Blair Educational Bill is a Re-
publican measure opposed by the Demo-
cratic party is not creditable to the paper
| that makes it.
Any other 'intimation'' or conclusion
would not he creditable to the common
sense of any one familiar with the history
of the bill from its introduction to the
present time. 1t is distinctively a Re
| publican measure, advocated by Republi-
cans and endorsed by the party in the dec
laration OF its creed. 1t was opposed by
the most prominent Democrats of the
nation, and that opposition was endorsed
by the Democratic party in National Con-
vention assembled. The bill was intro
duced in a Republican senate by Repub-
lican. Its bitterest, most relentless oppo-
nent was Thos. F. Bayard, the Dispatches
| beau ideal of Democrat. 1t passed the
Senate by a vote of thirty-three to eleven.
Of the thirty-three who voted for it,
twenty were Republicans and thirteen
Democrats of the eleven who voted
against it nine of them were Democrats
and only two Republicans Three months
before the close of the session it went to q
house that was Democratic by majorityof
seventy-six. 1t slumbered there until the
day before adjournment. On that day. Mr..
White, of Kentucky, a Republican, moved
to suspend the rules and introduce the hill.
To sustain the motion required unanimous
consent. Objection was made by Mr..
Tucker, a Democrat, and the bill failed of
introduction, tand from that day to this has
never been heard of in the Democratic
house.
The bill was under consideration by the
committees on resolutions in the respec-
tive National Conventions. The Republic
can platform endorsed it in these words ::
I'VE favor 4 wise and judicious
system of general education by adequate
appropriation from the national revenues,
| wherever the same is needed" The Dem
ocratic platform contained this declaration;
1--WE are opposed to all propositions which.
upon any pretext, would convert the Gen
eral Government into a machine for col
Letting taxes to be distributed among the
states or the citizens thereof" The Blair
bill was the only proposition before the
country which proposed to make such dis
tribution. and it was at the Blair bill and
the Blair bill alone, that this resolution
was directed.
All OF this is familiar history, and the
the Dispatch knows it. 1t knew it
when it supported the party whose
platform denounced The bill. 1t knew
it when it advocated the election of
the man whose objection secured the de-
feat of the measure in the House, and
whose hostility to it during the canvass Of
last fall was notorious. During the whole
of that campaign we failed to hear one sim
gle Democratic speaker who openly advo-
Gated the passage of the bill. They could
not have done so without renouncing their
party creed. If it ever comes before the
President-elect for his approval, he will
either veto it, or trample under foot the
platform which he approved IN his letter of
acceptance.
The Dispatch now assumes that all Of
the Virginia representatives in the House
except Mr.. Tucker, will support the bill
How many of them even explained it on
the stump last fall, and declared III favor
of its passage? Will our contemporary
please give the list. On the other hand
there was not one single Republican can
didate who did not unhesitatingly ant
nounce his full sympathy with the meas
IRE and purpose to support it if elected.
We trust the Dispatch is right III its
enumeration of the members who will aid
in securing the adoption of this most int
portant of all the measures before Congress. |
We want it to become Il law as speedily rs
possible. The South needs it, and needs
it badly, and no friend of hers either Dem
ocrat OF Republican should interpose one
single objection. But when our cotem-
porary declares it is not ''creditabe'' in
this paper to eliminate that the Blair
bill is a Republican measure and opposed
by the Democratic party, it simply adver-
tlsed it's own want of information or dis
regard of fact.