The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-05-12
The SouIh's Opportunity.

newspapers in the South, and few
members of Cong ess fir m the Sou b,
that do not Vant the Southern States
to accept from t e government al q fJr
educational purposes
The debate in the Senate where both
sides were fully heard on the con titu-
tional question and then the vo on
the bill, in which n neteen Democratic
Southern Senators sustained the bill
and six opposed it, make it lchO'g I'M
necessary for us to discuss The cOnsti-
tut onal question. Therefore we pro-
coed to business.
Shall the South, under the circum-
stances, accept the money? The
n rthern States get every year in the
way of pensions about seventy mill
ions of money, The South gets 9TH
ing pr ctically nothing-and cant
afford to ask ANYTHING for widows and
disabled soldiers.
The Federal Government freed the
slaves, and under our institu ions and
system OF government the Southern
people are compelled, if they have
public set ools at all, to tax themselves
10 educate these wards of the nation.
The burden is a heavy one. The
North got immensely rich by the war
the stay-at home part of the North
while the South had 100000 of
slaves taken and freed, and their
horses and mules and cattle all taken,
and their fences burned up and their
farms laid waste.
LooSi' at this condition of things,
the North comes forward and, through
a Republican Senator, offers bill to
set apart S77,000,C00 for educational
purposes, and so frames the bill that
of the S77,000,000 the South will get
Sol, 958,C0) OF tie money. They say to
us, your people mot have pensions,
but you hall be taxed to pay our sol.
diers' pensions - this is unavoidable;
and we c5nnot pay you for he AGO.
0C0 of slaves taken by the government,
nor can we pay You for the property
We destroyed, nor c3n we return you
the tax we unconst tutionally collect
ed on your cotton But we freed the
negroes, and they sre tax on you.
You have to build school-hOuses and
educate them We have a surplus
in the easury, and we will set apart
S77,000,C 100 for education, and 81 draw
the bill that you shall have four-ffths
of it.
To be specific and exact, the bill is
so drawn that in any given year before
the fund is exhausted fout-tifths goes
to the South. Take the larges appro
priation for any one year-rl5, 100000
and Tennessee gets 81, POI ,276, Ala
bama gets Sl,2.7,S67, North Ca Dina
gets 81, l26,692, Virginia gets 1,C9S,-
667, Georgia gets 81, 60,596, Kentucky
gets 1855, 435, Arkansas gets 1896, 1855,
Florida gets $2lY 1857, Louisiana gets
$905,6l2, Mississippi gets S96 1854,
Maryland gets $780, 1854, Mi souri, gets
$422,S 1856, South Carolina gets $3.50, l4l,
Texas gets S7S0,i55 West Virginia
gets $l5S,516, and Delaw re gets $751;
544, making in sll 81 1850 out of
$I5,000,000, or sol ,956,0J0 out of the
$77000,C00.
To furth' illustrate by compar SON.
Mass ,rhusetts has a population of
1,7S9 ,0S5 and Gets under the bill $3.50
2S4: Tennessee has a population of
l.543, 359 and gets under the bill 81, POI
295.
New York has a population Of s.
0S2,S7 and gets S507,539 North
Carolina has a populati n of $685.
and gets 81 ,l20,692. Ohio has pop
ulation of 3,lO7O62 and gets 1854, 252,
while Virginia has a population OF l.
512, IS and gets of this money ST.
C9S,667, and this is about the relative
proportion through all the States.
The bill is a marvel of generosity
on the part of the No thern mem
bers supporting it. It would set
ually seem that, conscience stricken
like the unknown who return money
to the Treasury, they are repenting
for the 100 years of taking and Civ
ing the South nothing, and they are
making restitution by most magnif-
cent donation for school purpos s.
The answer to this offer by few of
the ancient Democracy is that it is not
according to Democratic principles to
take this money. Now, if this IS 80
we propose by by resolution that we
shall change the principles OF the
party. But, in fact, we have already
shown tn Mr.. Jefferson is the father
of this policy.
The Democratic party in Tennessee
can't live and oppose this measure.
The leaders of the party had as well
understand this.