Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-23
A Mistaken Senator.

In the course OF his remarks a few days
ago on the Blair educational bill Senator
Ingalls,. of Kansas, took occasion to say
that zone OF the most distressing symp-
toms about the south is her want Of self
reliance, her disposition to cali on the
general government for assistance"
The Senator assumed that the South had
proposed the bill granting aid TO educa-
! ton, and that she was clamoring
! for its passage. He was very
properly corrected by the Senator from
Massachusetts,, Mr.. Hoar, who informed
HIM that the proposition to grant Federal
aid to education came from the North
that be himself in fact, drafted the trst
bill providing for such aid. He also
pointed out that the advocates Of the bill
were not all in the south-that, in fact,
il had as much strength in the North as
in the South.
But is it true that the South lacks self
reliance, and that she is all the time call
ing on the government for assistsncey
The Senator knows that IL is not, and he
lowered himself in the estimation OF all
fair-minded men when he made the as
sertion.
Can the Senator present facts showing
that the South has distinguished her,
self above the North in asking
assistance from the governments II
he can, let him DO so, and he
will relieve himself OF the suspicion that
be made q statement. not based on the
truth, for the sole purpose of saying some
thing that he thought would be distaete-
full to the Southern people. What indeed,
has the South got from the general gov
eminent since the war in the shape of as
sistsnce that would justify the
Kansas Senator's remarksI 1t is
true that a liberal appropriation
was made for the New Orleans exposition,
but the same thing vas done for the Phil
adelphia centennial exposition. New Or.
leans would have returned the money, as
Philadelphia did, If the success OF her
exposition had been as great. The New
Orleans exposition appropriation, how
ever, was not for the South. 1t was
for the benefit OF the whole coun-
try, as was the appropriation for
the Philadelphia exposition. Outside
Of the exposition appropriation what
has the South had that deserves
to attract attention. She has had
something for her rivers and harbors, but
how little compared to what the North
has had for the same purpOsel
When tue Senator asserted that the
South lacked selEreliance, and was con-
tinuslly calling on the general government
for assistance, he forgot the hundreds
upon hundreds OF millions Of dollars vo-
ted " a clamorous North for pensions,
without protest from the South. He tor
got that from 1000, 600 to S75, 1000, 900 is
being distributed through the North
every year, and that this great sum prom
ises to increase for at least a generation.
When he talks about seli-reliance let
him look at the ex-soldiers of the
south, and when he talks about
demands upon the general government
for assistance let him look at the ex-
soldiers OF the North. The ex-soldiers of
the South have not protested against rea-
sonable pensions to the ex-sOldiers of the
North. Indeed, when they returned to
their ruined homes alter the war, although
many were broken in health and all were
W W. NhCg NChb oAdNCl W
work. and have not only won considerable
prosperity, but have helped to pay the
pensions OF the ex-sOldiers OF the North.
How could the Kansas Senator have made
such a mistaken 1t is the South that
is self-relant. 1t Is in the North that
the gold of the Treasury is being distrIb-
uted.
The Southern people favor Federal aid
to education, not for themselves, but for
the millions of black citizens whom the
Kansas Senator's party clothed with citi-
zenship before they were ready for it, not
for their good, but TO perpetuate its own
power. The aid lie needed TO make
these black citizens understand what citi-
zenship means, and the North is as much
interested now as the South in having
them understand IL.