Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-10-27
THE BLAIR BILL-AGAIN.

--4 S-
THE BLAIR BILII-AGAIN.
A Dem mocratic stump-speaker in Lex
ington writes to us asking US whether we
cannot give column editorial on the record
| of the Democratic party on the Blair bill.
Only month or two ago, we had an editor
ial ON the history of the Blair bill, giving
all the facts that we thought it necessary
for Democratic stumper to have. Never
theless, our rule is slime upon line and pre-
| cept upon precept" and 30 we proceed to
repeat what we said in the article alluded
| to.
| In the first place, what could be more ef-
| fective before a crowd of voters than to read
| to them what John Sherman said in the
| United States Senate in opposition to the
| Blair biIl?-John Sherman, the man whom
Malone invited to Virginia last year to
make speeches to our people, and who
came and spoke in Richmond, Petersburg,
and other places?-John Sherman, who is
more likely than any man except Blaine to
be the Republican nominee for President in
18SS?-John Sherman, whom Malone at
least prefers to Blaine? In speaking on
the Blair bill, this John Sherman, on March
10, 1884, said:
''Although this thing (the education
kind of way in this country for some years,
yet do not think the public opinion Of the
| United States is now prepared for any such
measure as this; and if it should pass the
Senate-especially if it should pass Con-
gress-it would at once excite great agita-
tion, great complaint, great discomfort, and
| l do not believe the system would stand
J long before a general public voico would
demand its repeal on the ground of injus-
tice and inequality
The ''injustice and inequality consisted
in the fact that the bill appropriated the
money on the basis of illteracy, giving to
the South much the largest proportional
share of it.
Senator Hawley, whom the Republicans
invited to Southwest Virginia in 1884 to
make speeches for Blaine, but who failed to
come-possibly because he did not wish to
face his record on this very bill,-said
"The money that comes from long dis
tance-that is, not felt by the tax-payers-
is money easily expended; and that may
be said of the whole Federal revenue.
Therefore we should be the more jealous
as to what we do with it. 1t is as costly
as if we took it by direct taxation right out
of their pockets. l believe it has been said
here-but if it has not, it can be now-that
if this money were to be levied by direct
taxation this bill would not get ten votes in
the Senate
Mr. Hawley is the most prominent east
ern aspirant to the nomination of the Re-
publican party for the vice-presidency.
Mr.. Plumb, of Kansas, represents the
Republicans Of the far West. he said:
81 shall regard the passage of a bill of
this kind as the death-knell of the present
school system of the United States. The
appetite once created, the demand for more
will be presented here each year, until fin
ally the Government will appropriate all ex-
penses and take full and sole control"
Then you may read what Congressman
Willis has told us as TO the reasons why the
Blair bill was not passed by the House of
Representatives of the Forty eighth Con-
gress. He says:
''The bankruptcy BILL the Mexican PEN
sion bill, with the Senate's amendments
for the benefit of the soldiers of the late
war; the bills for the forfeiture of the land
grants, the national-Ibrary bill, the ship
ping bill, the public building bills, and
others equally important were allstruggling
for consideration. All of these bills had
their friends-friends without reference to
party lines-and these gentlemen were also
friends of the Blair bill. The Blair bill
however, was not stronger than all of these
bills together. The consequence was that
from day to day (under our absurd rules)
these bills fought each other, and all were
killed off-that is, all of them, the Blair bill
included, failed to get the consideration
they asked. Many of these bills, like the
educational bill, had an overwhelming
majority, but, by our iron-clad rules, were
not permitted to come to a vote. The ap-
preparation bills, which are always entitled
to consideration, consumed the balance of
the time.
On the same high authority, we may add
that the Republicans controlled the House
of Representatives of the Forty-seventh
Congress but totally failed under the rules
ever to get the bill up for consideration.
As we have heretofore said, the Demo
Gratis in the Forty-eighth Congress, on the
first day they could be introduced under the
rules, presented in the House of Represen-
tatives more than half dozen bills grant
ing Federal aid to education. The Demo
cratic Speaker appointed committee of
seven Democrats and four Republicans
friendly TO the object of these bills. A sub
committee was organized, which, within
twenty days after its formation, presented
bill appropriating 500, 10000 in aid OF
; education. This bill was very much the
same as the Blair bill, and was by the com.
But acts speak louder than words. Let
us analyze the vote in the United States
!, Senate April 7, 1884, on the passage of the
Blair bill. Of the seventy-six senators only
| forty -four actually voted OF the thirty
two remaining pairs were announced fol
twenty, leaving twelve senators who neither
I voted nor were paired. Of these twelve al
4 but two were Republicans. Mr.. Willis be
: lieves that at least four-ffths of the absent
L impaired Republican senators were opposed
, to the bill. The affirmative vote actually
: cast was thirty-three, of which twenty were
y Republicans and thirteen Democrats. o
the pairs for the bill the Republicans hat
. four and the Democrats six, adding which
: : to the actual vote will give the "yea" vot'
. for passage of the bill: Republicans, "a
. Democrats, 10; (which is the relative nu
!. merical proportion of the two parties in th
Il Senate. Of the vote actually cast a major
!, ity was twenty-three; of the votes Favorable
II to the bill, including those actually cas-
(. and those "paired' thirty-three would be
u majority. In neither case would the Re
!. pulican vote have been sufficient to hav
u passed the bill The bill passed the Senat
by the combined vote of both parties.
u The Democratic party must be judged b.
: it's leaders-the exponents of it's principle
a. a. and policy. Judged by this rule, the Demo
u Gratis of the South may proudly point to th
u facts that in the Senate General Wad
Hampton, General Ransom, Goverpo
Brown, Governor Colquitt, Call, Garland
ID George, jackson, Jonas, Jones, Kenna, an
r. Pugh voted for the Blair bill, and tina
ID Williams of Kentucky, Voorhees,, Vance
h Lamar, and other Democratic senators
ID though absent, were known to be friend
IN of the bill.
p And bringing the question home, Cro1
ID ton, Parks, Wise, Page, Cabell, Grif6r
le o. Ferrall, Lee, and Henry, are all for th
b. Blair bill. What better record could th