Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-03
.YLIY. CONGRESS-.
WASHINGTON, March ,, 1886.

Mr.. Van Wyck, from the Committee
on Pensions, reported, with amendment,
House bill to increase the pensions of
widows and dependent relatives Of
deceased soldiers and sailors. The
amendment provides for an increase OF
the pensions Of minor children from 50
a month--the amount fixed by the
| IIousc-to 81 a month.
Mr.. Van Wyck said he would ask an
early consideration Of the bill, and
would ask the Senate to increase the
minor children's pension to S. a month,
instead Of 81 recommended by the COM
mittee. lie would also ask that insane
or helpless children should receive a
pension given to minor children beyond
eighteen years Of age so long as dis
ability or insanity should continue.
Among the petitions presented was
one by Mr.. Hoar from the workingmen
employed in the Government work
shops since the eight.hour law Of 1865
was passed praying compensation for
overtime or reference of their claims to
some tribunal that may adjudicate the
question whether they ought to have
such compensation.
At | o'clock the Senate took up the
education bill, and Mr.. Call addressed
the Senate in opposition to Mr.. Alli-
sons amendment. He characterized 1t
as a reflection on the States and an
abandonment Of one of the principles
Of our Government.
Mr.. Call read from the educational
statistics of the several States. and
compared the figures of school-attend-
ance in each with similar figures re-
lating to Florida to show that Florida
had proportionately as large a school
attendance as the other States for GER
tain number of months each year. Mr..
Call said the school taxes Of Florida
were now applied to the schools with
out distinction of color. If this money
were distributed on color the principle
of no distinction would be violated.
Mr.. Salisbury opposed the bill,
whether with or without the Allison
amendment. There was not only no
constitutional authority for it, he said,
but not even the slightest necessity for
it. The southern States were amply
able to educate all their illterates.
The South had extraordinary resources.
1t had a monopoly Of the cotton crop.
an enormous tobacco crop, a monopoly
of the sugar crop and the rice crop.
Their great mineral and manufacturing
resources were rapidly developing.
Why, the difference in the cost Of labor
alone between the South and North
was enough to pay for the education Of
all the illiterates Of the South. The
general.welfare clause of the Constitu-
tion never contemplated such schemes
as this. 1t was public alms-a giving
without any authority whatever.
Mr.. Riddleberger opposed the Ali.
son amendment. 1t would give three
dollars to colored children for every
one dollar going to white children. 1t
would destroy the bill and would de-
stroy the public schools Of Virginia.
lie appealed to the Republican party to
consider what harm it was doing to the
colored people, whom they were seek
ing to help. 1t would absolutely de-
stroy all chance OF their education, as
the white people would destroy the
school system, through which the
money was to be paid out.
Mr.. Hampton said he was sincere
friend of the colored man. and would
be very sorry to see the Allison amend
ment adopted, as itwould do the colored |
people more harm than almost anything
that could be done. The white people
Of South Carolina, he said, paid 81 per |
cent. Of the school fund of the State,
leaving only per cent. to be paid by |
the colored people; yet the Constitu-
ton and laws Of the State provided that
the school fund should be distributed |
according to the number of children |
attending the public schools.
Mr.. Ingalls, favored the Allison
amendment. If the bill was to pass,
he thought the amendment threw a
necessary safeguard around the fund,
and said the money was to be distri-
buted by the Secretary Of the Interior
and the law officer OF the Interior De-
partment. Zach. Montgomery, the AS
sistant Attorney General, was a man
VIGOROUSLY opposed to the public,schOol
sy stem.
Mr.. Ingalls, read extracts from a
pamphlet containing extracts from Mont
gomery's speeches on the subject. He
said that Montgomery had disputed the
correctness of some OF the quotations
credited to him, but he read one which
be said Montgomery had not disputed.
The book was entitled "Drops From
the Poisoned Fountain Facts That Are
Stranger Than Fiction. BY Zach.
Montgomery, Of the California Bar"
Mr.. Ingalls, read from the speech de-
Iiyered by Mr.. Montgomery before the
Roman. Catholic Sunday-School Teach
ers' Association Of California in 1873
extracts which Mr.. Montgomery had
not included in the extracts which he
bad claimed misrepresented him.
Speaking of the telegraph, the railroad,
md the newspaper the pamphlet re-
port says They are the means Of
Spreading the false rumors and
moral sentiments that corrupt the
minds Of the good Catholics in
his land" " Instead OF thus reading
be corruptipg newspapers We should
each them 1.-THE children, the truths of