San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-01-11
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY, II, 1888.
THE SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT.

THE SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT.
The opposition to the Blair bill Gull
inmates In the presentation by Phelan. of
Tennessee, of an amendment TO the
constitution, authorizing congress to
grant aid to the school systems OF the
several states. This joint resolution has
dubbed the sixteenth amendment and is
as follows:
Article 10, section l. Congress shall have
power to grant aid 10 the public school sys
TENS of the several states of the union.
Sec. 2. Aid so granted snail not exceed
SlOOOO,00O annually to be distributed pro rata
among the states on the basis of illiteracy.
Sec. 3. Appropriations so made shall be
paid to the person or persons designated by
an act Of the legislature Of each state, which
shall specify that the aid so received shall be
expended for public school purposes alone.
Sec. 1. Congress- shall not supervise the ex
pendture of the appropriations herein pro
vided for; but 1t may require reports from the
state officer or officers dIsbursing the same,
and If 1t shall appear from the said report that
the aid so granted or any part of it has not
been expended for public school purposes
then lit may withhold from subsequent appro.
priatiOns an amount equal to that not so ex-
pended
The nub OF this whole amendment lies
in the first sentence OF section 4. Con
gress shall not supervise the expenditure
OF the appropriations herein provided
for"
The whole intent of the Blair bill, 10
providing for the expenditure OF the cor
gressiOnal appropriations under the
direct supervision of the national gov
eminent, was that the colored citizens
OF the states so assisted might not be
dealt unfairly with and denied their lust
proportion Of such appropriation. The
distribution being on the basis Of Hit
erscy, the appropriations are for more or
less, In nearly all cases, so far as the
southern states are concerned, Just in
proportion as more or less colOred peo-
pie are Included in the populations Of
these states. A whole race is
not educated in day. Twenty
five years ago the cOlOred peo-
pie OF this country were oondem-
ned to life of ignorance by law. Since
that verdict was reversed In the arbltra-
ment OF war, great progress has been
made towards education on the part OF
the OOlOred people. Under the most
favorable conditions no small amount OF
illlteraoy would naturally and neoessari-
ly survive the first twenty-five years Of
emancipation, particularly as the neces-
sity OF self support was laid upon the
newly emancipted race from the begin
ming, and the recOnstructiOns Of the
business and social and educational
Institutions dsorganized by the war
were not favorable to the work
OF educating race looked up
on BY their white neighbors as
political Interlopers. Not only so, the
prejudice against educating the race
was very deep seated In many minds.
The colored brother was regarded as an
inferior and only eligible to the most In
ferior advantages Of education. He was
disseminated against In the apport!on-
ment OF state school funds and munich
pal funds, and In innumerable instances
left out In the cold.
1t was to prevent any such misappro-
priation Of the funds granted for educa-
tional purposes at the south under tn e
provisions Of the Blair bill that it pro.
vided for the expenditure OF such appro-
priations under the immediate direction
and supervision Of the national congress.
This Blair bill, defeated at the last
session Of congress has come up before
this one, much more faVorably placed for
passage than it was one year ago, A
growing sentiment In it's favor is obsery-
ed In many quarters and there are rea-
sonAole hopes Of Its passage. Phelsn's
amendment is q couDtermine intended
to prevent the passage Of the Blair bill
and SO defeat the purpose of the nation
al government in caring for the eduoa-
ton Of the colored people Of this country
without any unjust DETERMINATIONS
against them.
The joint resolution Of Representa-
tive Phelan is Objectionable, 10 that #