St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-24
The Minnesota Congressman Gives His
Reasons for Opposing the Blair Bdu-
cation Bill.
lie Asserts That It's Provisions Would Not
Reach q Large Glass of
Illiterates.
The Winona Poles and Bohem1ans
Quiet--A Settlement Looked for
To-day.
Judge Pollard Banqueted at BoZe-
man--Painters on a Strtke--Pe-
culiar \ ccident.
nIair,s Education Bill.

Special TO the Globe.
WASHINGTON, April 2S.-The educa-
tional bill got black eye to-day. Inc
labor committee. to which 1t was referred.
in the belief that an early report upon u
would be had. dawded away the whole Of
It's session without action. 1t was put by
the friends of the bill with this committee
in the hope it would act promptly some way
in order to get the bill before the
house. for they believed and yet be-
lieye that if they could get the bill
before the house it would pass. An effort
was made u have il get favorable report
on the Blair bill and referred TO committee,
but that was unsuccessful. Daniels bill,
which is based upon the one introduced by
Mr.. Caldwell of Tennessee some months
since, apprOpriatng the proceeds of the sale
OF public lands 10 school purposes, was
taken up, but up to this time there was no
action. Meantime the committee on edu-
cation. to which the bill was originally
sent, was putting another spadeful of
earth on the grave of the bill,
and stamped it down besides. 1t
did this through the motion made by Mr..
Strait of Minnesota to adjourn to meet on
the third Friday of May. This, of course,
would throw action upon the bill over until
that time. and bill of this character, which
does not get out of committee until the
middle OF May or 1St Of June, would have
little hope of passage. Straits motion was
carried by a very considerable majority,
and thus the prospects OF the bill were ma
terially leSSened.
~ don't think there is much hope for that
measure said Mr.. Strait this afternoon,
speaking of the work OF the committee to-
day.
THE intention of the committee, Mr..
Strait, seems 10 be 10 prevent action on the
bill by the house?"
Yes" he said, ''the committee is of the
opinion that the bin is not proper one, and
not for the good of the country or of the peo-
pie"
How so? Don't you favor universal edu-
cationy'
Most assuredly, but not IN that way. To
begin with, don't believe much in
GOVERNMENT AID
TO public schools. Schools as provided by
the states are good, very good, and the
cause of education is prospecting every
where, North and South. The rising genera
ton is being educated, and the people who
pay for it don't feel that it is burden.
don't say, under all circumstances, L would
oppose government aid to schools, but under
the proposition of this bill l certainly do"
Why"
Well, the bill proposes to distribute the
fund upon the basis of general iliteracy. /
don't think that system is q proper one. II
ought 10 De ulNlueu, IL given Ut ali, upOu InS
basis of iliiteracy below given age. Take
illitelate adults of the South for instance.
They very largely overbalance those of the
North, and yet if this money is given they
will not be benefited by it so far as
schools and education are concerned.
If you give $l00,000,G00 to the schools
in the South not one of the illiterate
over 30 years of age would attend the schools
provided by it. l think if money is to be given
fOt this purpose and is TO be distributed ac-
cordIng TO the ratio of illiteracy, it ought to
be with reference to the ratio of illiteracy
among the class that would attend the schools
which it is to provide
Then your objections to the bill are not
based upon the constitutional question, which
VeXes the soul Of the average statesmanT"
Il am not ready to discuss the cOnstitu-
tional question for the present. There is no
need for it, for the bill Is not likely to get
into the house very soon. think it proba-
bic, however. that the proposition for devot-
ing the proceeds of the public lands to school
purposes might be preferable if any system
of this kind is to be adopted at all. But from
different developments in both educational
and labor committees, see little prospect of
any measure of this kind materialiZing in
time for action by this congress-"