The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-01
DANGER IN ILLITERACY.
EvARTs FAvORS BLAIR'S ROYAL
ROAD TO LEARNING.

ROAD TO LEARNING.
No Time Too Early to Grapple with
the Perils Seen by the Learned New
Yorker-The Whole Country vitality
Interested in the Solution of the
Problem.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3l.-The Senate to-
dav took up the Blair educational bill and
was addressed by Mr.. Evarts in its favor.
The observations which he proposed to
make we're, he said, included within a very
brief statement of his views and a brief
reference to such principal objections as he
thought most worthy of the attention Of
the Senate. He could not conceal
from himself that the bill
had. at previous sessions, received
annie illustration and elucidation, full
argument on constitutional questions. and
fuil discussion of topics of prudence and
discretion. He could not, therefore, think
if worth while to renew those agitations or
those discussions. He was unable to distin-
cush the BILL either ir its constitutionality
or in the wisdom of its methods, from the
memorial of the trustees of the Peabody
Fund presented to the two Houses of Con-
qress. and which had the support of so COM
netent an adviser and so competent a COM
mentator as Alexander H. Stuart, of Vir-
glna.
RIPENESS OF THE HOUR.
Those who looked at the situation of
illiteracv in the States most to be affected
by the bill had to feel that there was no
time so good as the earliest time to deal
with the misChiefs and dangers which it
threatened. They were confronted with
the PROPOSITION that either those Communi-
ties in which these immense obligations and
burdens were thrown were adequate to deal
with them now, henceforth, fully and suf-
fcently, without aid from the general
government or else that the general govern
ment had power to deal with the subject
For himself he did not look with compla-
cency either on that political scheme or on
that personal or social feeling which treated
the situation at thd South as the political
situation Of the South. 1t was the situation
Of the United States. The people of this
country had made up their minds that
there should be no ignorance where it was
in the power of a State and within the
proper limits of the United States to pre-
vent it,
TURNING CRITIC.
He criticised severely the letter quoted
Yesterday by Mr.. Morgan from Mr.. Marble,
Superintendent of common schools in Wor-
cester, Mass characterizng it as "a poi
soned arrow in favor of ignorance. y If
education be said in conclusion, was not to
dlSipate the dark cloud of ignorance that
existed in the South, that cloud would grow
darker and lower. If ignorance could not
he lifted from the low level where it now
rested, it would not stay there, but would
20 lower and lower, and would become
brutal savage and hostile.
Mr. Pugh took the floor and said he would
Withhold his remarks on the bill till to-
morrow.
Mr. Blair made some additional state
ments about the bill, referring particularly
to matters in Tennessee, and quoting from
a letter written TO him by Col Colyer, of
Nashville.
Mr. Bate replied briefly to these observa-
tons. Mr.. Colyer, he said, was a very
estimable and able gentleman, but he was
somewhat of a crank on the Blair bill" In
the last canvass i'll Tennessee there was
scarcely Republican elected to the Legis-
lature who advocated that measure, and it
was in a worse condition now in that State
than it had previously been.
AT AIS o'clock the Senate proceeded to
executive business, and at 445 o'clock
adjourned
KENTUCKY AGAINST THE BILL.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 31.-In the Ken
lucky General Assembly to-day the Senate
resolution protesting against the passage by
4 Congress of the Blair bill, characterizing it
as an iniquitous measure, came up, and
/ after number Of efforts to make it a
special order for different days, it was, on a