National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-26
4 TILT IN LIE SENATE.


Personalities.
At the conclusion of the morning hour
yesterday the education bill was laid before
the Senate, and Mr.. George took the floor
to continue his remarks In favor of the bill.
He called MIR. Morgan's attention to a reso-
luton introduced by him (Mr. Morgan at
former sessions of the Senate, giving a
months extra pay to congressional clerks.
He found nowarrant in the constitution for
such a payment, II Mr.. Morgan's theory of
the constitutionality OF the education bill
was the true one.
Mr.. Morgan said senators often intro
duced resolutions atthe request of friends
in order to have the resolutions referred TO
the proper committees.
Mr.. George had never before heard that
a senator had right to violate the consti-
tuition out OF courtesy to a friend. The
senator from Alabama (AIr. Morgan) was
making opposition to the taking OF money
from the treasury for the general welfare,
but Mr.. George had noticed that senator
had been more inclined to seek methods of
getting money from the treasury when II
was simply for private welfare.
Mr.. Morgan said that Mr.. Georges re-
mark was exceedingly unjust to him (Mr.
Morgan). Congress had an undoubted
right to pay its employees proper compensa-
ton, IL II did not think the compensation
already received sufficient. II was never
asserted TO be unconstitutional to do that,
Mr.. Morgan would not follow the retail
effort Of Mr.. George. to lay before the
world his (Mr. Morgan's) record, but the
senator from Mississippi was welcome to
any instance of that sort Of trash that he
could find In his Mr.. Morgan's) record.
Mr.. George was much obliged for the
complimentary manner In which Mr.. Nor
gan had referred to him. II so happened,
he said, that when senator followed the
course of the senator from Alabama (Mr,
Morgan) he was compelled by the necessity
OF the occasion to deal with "trash,m for
there was very little else in the record Of
the senator except what could be denomi-
mated by the word "trash."
Mr.. George, for himself and the senators
| who favored the bill, distinctly idisavowed
that Congress could constitutlonally do any
| thing for education in the states than to
makean appropriation In aid of the states
on that subject. That'was the meaning of
| the bill.
Mr., George went at some length into the
record ofsome Of the senators opposing the
bill, to show Inconsistency on their part.
Mr.. Morgan said the senator from Misss-
sippi, in order to try to hoodwlnk the
people, had undertaken to introduce in
sincerity into the methods of his argument.
He admonished Mr.. George that he (Mr.
George was an ex-iudge, and stood before
| the people as such, Mr.. Morgan denied
| some of the differences drawn by Mr.. George
from his MFR. Morgan's) speeches on former
measures before Congress, and said Mr..
Georges reading misrepresented him.
| Mr.. George. shall read the senator's
own language, and then shall not misrep-
| resent you.
Mr.. Morgan. 1t does misrepresent me.
| Mr.. George. II ] read your own language
| IL will not misrepresent you.
| Mr.. Morgan. 1t does misrepresent me,
and the senator knows 1t.
Mr.. George. 1t is untrue, the statement
made by the senator is simply untrue, and
| he knows II.
Mr.. George saw no force In the distinction
drawn by Mr.. Morgan, Mr.. MaXey, and the
| other opponents of the BILL between money
in the treasury drawn from taxation, aud
money drawn from other sources; and in
sisted that the leaders of thought through
out our history had seen no such distinction
as illustrated by the instances cited by him.
Mr.. Dolph, in suggesting some amend
ments to the hill, said the people of the
northIdid not need the aid 1t would extend,
and, as tue need for that aid existed In the
south, he would have preferred bill that
would give the proposed aid to the south
ern states alone. The north had already Il
magnificent system Of common schools,
which had already achieved grand results.
lie recognized, however, thata great danger
in New York, Oregon, or Mississippi was a
danger to the nation, whether II was from
illiteracy or from suppression OF votes.
When such danger existed II was the
duty of the legislative departments to
remove it by Sppr %PI1ins isg'sIS%-
init that the people of the north
were under any obligation to the peo-
pie of the south to educate the colored peo-
pie. The northern people had never COM
mitted any crime against the colored peo-
pie nor done any injury TO them. He lMr.
Dolph) gloried In the achievements of the
great Union Republican party in striking
the letters from four million slaves, and he
had no excuse or apology to offer, on resti-
tuition to make in the matter lie was glad
TO observe the increa sing prosperity and
| growth of the SOUTH and prophesied glo-
rious future for it when all its people
should become intelligent and have secured
the free exercise Of their civil rights.
| Discussion was further carried on by
Messrs. Plat, George, and Blair
Mr. Logan thought the bill should be
based not on the illiteracy of all persons of
10 years of age and upward, but on the
illiteracy of the white and colored children.
In that way the colored children would get
a larger proportion of the money than they
would get under the bill rs II now stood,
Though the bill dealt with national fund,
It seemed to him that care had been taken
that the nation should have nothing to do
with the fund.
| Mr.. Edmunds said that many senators
believed that discrimination could be prac-
ticed under the bill In connection with the
separate white aud colored schools, Why
not, he asked, state plainly in the bill that
wherever a state has q system OF white aud
cOlored schools, the money should be eX-
pended according to the respective needs
Of the number Of school children needing
education In the respective school districts,
So that If in Vermont there should be, fol
example, ninety-nine white schools and one
colored school, and ninety-nine white chill
dred and one colored child, of school age,
then that in Vermont the fund should be
distributed according to the needs Of the
two races and the respective schools, and
so that II the case were reversed In Misss'
sippi, or elsewhere, and there were three
colored children and three colored schools
10 every one white child and white school,
then let three colored schools get three
quarters Of the whole number of dollars
going 10 the state from this bounty of the
United States. Mr., Edmunds did not use
the word bounty he said, IN the sense OF
mere gift, for he thought 1t duty, but
called II "bOunty'' for brevity's sake,
Mr., lloar said our theory OF government
was that the moral was as important as tue
physical. Ifweh the right TO draw the
I