Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1886-05-29
TEE BLAZE ed UoATIoNAL BILL.
By II. w. RoLIs, Romncy, w. Va.


Blair School Bill in the present
House Of Representatives fully es-
tablishes it as the deliberate and res
olute policy Of the Democratic party
that no such measure shall be passed
through Congress, if it can be pre-
vented in any manner. And it clear
" deyelopes tile immediate meaning
of the declarations made BY the
party in its platform Of 1884, that
the Federal government should not
for any purposemake appropriations
to the States nor the people thereof
In 1889 the Democrats of the House
Of Representatives smothered the
bill which had passed the Republi-
can Senate, to distribute the net
proceeds Of the sales of public lands
to the States for the benefits Of their
public free schools. Through both
sessions of the last Congress the
Senate Blair Bill was utterly refused,
even the poor courtesy of 3 hearing
by the Democrats Of the House.
Now that the Blair Bill has again
passed the Republican Senate we
find it suppressed as obstinately as
ever by the Democratic machinery
of the House of Representatives
where the most vigorous and extra
ordinary efforts to get the bill or
anything like it reported from either
of the two committees to which the
subject has been referred, have prov
ed utterly unavailing, even the Viii
lis Bill being superseded by the
Grain Bill. The Blair Bill though a
proposition to distribute to all the
States and territories alike from the
Mutual and Federal Fund upon the
common uniform basis ofilliteracy,i is
yet tender and larger relief and
more direct benefit to the Southern
States, because the basis ofilliteracy
is there wider among both whites
and blacks by reason of the former
existence of slavery. We can better
do without armies and navies than
we can do without the education Of
the masses.
The immediate need and the SUI
preme Importance Of popular cduca-
ton, elementary and technical, is
generally conceded. The citizens
under our system is the sovereign,
and intelligence on the questions Of
his civil and political duties is as
necessary to their satisfactory dis
charge as wisdom, in the rulers OF q
country, is requisite to good govern
ment Intelligent labor embracing
q practical knowledge Of the
best methods Of production and
familiarity with the best appliances
to be used in the practical pursuits
of life is essential to the creation OF
the material comforts and conven-
fences of a community. The govern
ment that imposes the obligation Of
obedience upon the citizen and the
burden OF taxation upon the produc-
er should supply facilities that will
enable the one to understand his
political duties and the other to pro-
duce the values from which the rev.
enues Of the country are derived.
The demand for education for the
masses is urgent in all Of the politi-
cal communities that constitute our
republic. The needs and the facili-
ties for meeting them, however, vary
in different localities. Exceptional
causes have conspired to swell the
volume OF popular ignorance among
both the whites and colored citizens
of the South, and the same causes
have reduced the ability Of these
communities to meet the demands
for popular education, while the pop
ulation in the South is about one
third Of tile population of the whole
country. Theexpenditures for school
purposes in that section are only
about one-sixth of the amount ex
pended by the entire country. The
statistics furnished by the Bureau Of
/ INInnnt;n, chnur thnt In 1924 fh1