The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-02-17
XLlXth CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

w WASHINGTON, f6D. TO-
Among the memorials presented was one
hv Mr. Plumb being concurrent resolutions
Of the Legislature of Kansas praying that
Congress may provide for rights OF way 10r
railroads through the Indian Territory. Also
petition of bankers, merchants, lawyers, ETC.,
of Savannah, Ca, presented by Mr.: Brown,
praying for repeal of the silver coinage act.
Mr. Morrill,. from the committee on finance,
reported favorably the House bill providing
that the treasurer of the United States may,
with the consent of the treasury authorltles,
designate the assistant treasurer to act In his
place and discharge the duties of the treas
urer, and that in the necessary absence oil
either the treasurer or assistant treasurer,
the treasurer may with like consent deslg-
nate a clerk of the treasury department. to
be acting assistant treasurer. The bill also
provides that the official bond of the prlncl-
pal of the Office should be held to cover and
apply to the persons appointed to act Tor the
time being. Mr.. Morrill, said that the pas
sage of the bill was urgently needed at this
time as the assistant treasurer was sick and
the treasurer had been working so hard
that his hands had become disabled, and 1t
was with difficulty that he could sign papers
The bill was finally recommltted and the
education bill taken up. MI. jackson ad.
dressed the Senate in its favor He esteemed
it great personal privilege. as well as a
high and patriotic duty, to give the Dill MS
support for he was impressed with conylc-
ton that if we would provide against dan
ger we must take wiser precautions tnan any
nation had ever yet taken by difusing far
and wide among our people that intelligence
which alone will constitute the safeguard
and protection of our political institutions.
As to the constitutionality of thesmeasure
now before the Senate. MI. blair beIeved
that question to have been settled by such
overwhelming authority that any. man pre-
senting that point and discussing it was
simply Willing away his time. The only
merit in making the point was that 1t kept a
=. -. al. fhn
The average length of the school period in
the Southern States, Mr.. Blair said, was only
about three months, but the maintenance OF
schools for this period cost the southern peo-
pie $16,00O,0 900 annually. The $7,00O,00O pro
posed to be given the first year under the
present bill would only prolong these schools
to five months at the utmost, so that proVls-
ion, instead of being liberal was rather par
simonIous. Mr.. Blair read number OF let
ters from southern people, favoring the blil,
and added that it was useless Tor ANYBODY 70
say that the people of the south did not want
this bill passed He had received letter
from teachers in Texas favoring the bill.
Mr. Coke said the teachers did not represent
the people of Texas. The State was also
solidly Democratic and the last Democratic
convention denounced this bill.
Mr.. Blair thought the action OF the
teachers in their convention more expressive
of the feeling of the people on the school
question than the action of the Democratic
convention. 1nG leS1oldtuloo " ASoiots'iia ai m
Mississippi, Alabama, and other Southern
Legislatures, had pronounced unanimously
for this bill, and the people behind them de-
manded it, We must have. our voters edn-
Gated in order that the people of the republic
might become Athoroughly homogeneous.
Every duty and every obligation, constltu-
tional and moral, called upon US to help our
friends South temporarily in their work OIL
education.
Mr. Hawey said the state board Of eeduca-
ti0n of Connecticut believed the bill to be un-
wise. He criticised Mr.. Blair's course In
having reprinted in the Record the speeches
formerly delivered by him on this subject
and said there should be some hmlta-
tion of the 'leaye to print privilege.
Here the debate closed for the day.
On motion of Mr.. Frye the Senate appoint
ed Monday next, at 2 o'clock for considera-
ton of the resolution reported by him from
the committee on foreign relations. express
ing the sense of the Senate to be that no tur-
ther fishery commissions" should be ap-
pointed or provided for. In making the mo-
tion, Mr.. Frye said that the fishing ventures
commence early in March, and the passage
of the resolution referred to would very
much encourage those. engaged in these ven
lures.
The credentials Of the reelection of Sena-
tor A. P. German were presented by MI;
Wilson of Maryland, and were read anu
filed.
A message from the President was laid be-
fore the Senate transmitting statement
showing payments of the awards OF the
commissioners appointed under the conyen-
ton between the United States and France
under the treaties of 1908 and 1881 and tne
treaty with Spain of 1919.
The Senate then, at $50 p. m, adjourned
HOUSE,