The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-29
THE BLAIR EDUCATION BILL NOT
DEAD,


One of the methods of opposition to
the Educational Bill was to declare the
measure dying or dead, and to suppress
all evidence to the contrary as far as
possible, while the great debate for it
was going on in the United States Sen
ate, and every objection was there being
met by Southern. as well as Northern
men, whom this nation honors as wise
patriots.
The charm of novelty no longer lin
ers about its discussion; but senators on
the floor, and the crowded galleries
listened with wrapt attention to the
mastery speech of Senator Evarts, of
New York, as he exposed the sophistry
of the false claim that 1t lis unconstitu-
tonal' for the Federal Government to
give of its surplus wealth for the educa-
ton of the neglected children of our
land, who otherwise will grow into
citizenship that will imperil the Govern
ment itself
What is there, he asked in the con-.
stitution that obliges us to bend our
front before this invasion of ignorance
and debasement cOnfessedly arrayed
against freedom and the perpetuity of
freedom in this country He pointedly
ueCldIeu lndJ no utlDdICdllOu COulu
be found in the Constitution which al
lowed national appropriations to rivers
and harbors and other material wants
and left us helpless when looking into
the face of great moral social and pc
litical needs and duties" like this peril
GUS question of illiteracy.
1t was noticeable fact, to those who
watched the debate, that many of the
senators who objected to this bill at the
same time directly or indirectly added
an objection to public schools as such,
advocating private, or what they called
parental education instead. To them
Senator Evarts quoted the Pilgrim faith.
ers as saying: The State cannot suffer
anybody to be ignorant while there is in
the power of the State the means of
wealth and the means of education
I'VE have arrived at a period, he added,
where the people of this country have
made up their minds that there shall be
no ignorance where it is in the power of
the State; and / may say the United
States to prevent it, The iliterate vot.
er votes on National as well as on State
questions, Senator Evarts said: For
myself, do not look with any compla-
cency upon that political scheme or that
personal or social feeling which treats
the situation at the South as the situa-
ton of the South. 1t is the situation Of
the United States, of our country.
This mastery speech closed with these
impressive words:
And now, Mr.. President, the great
population of the South does not stand
still. 1t has not stood still for two years.
1t will not stand still for the next year.
The tendency from gravtation. without
resistance from reason and aim, will go
on and on and on; and if education is
not to dissipate this dark cloud of ignor-
ance, then the cloud will grow darker
and larger. If ignorance can not be
lifted from the low level at which it
now rests, it will not stay there but will
go lower and lower, and it will become
brutal and savage and hostile to socie-
ty.'
Senator Pugh, of Alabama, in Wig
orous speech in defence of the bill, put
the DIRECTORS in the strong light of mer-
tied ridicule, as he referred 10 their fine
spun theories in defence of voting, as
they had done repeatedly, for gifts of
federal lands to be sold, and the pro-
ceeds used for public schools in the
Northern and Western States, and OPP
posing now the gift of money for the
same purpose in all needy states.
The PLAIN common sense people, he
said will inquire: How is it that our
land money has done good (when used
for educatiOn) and caused no harm in
half century. and our tax money is to
produce such wide spread ruin and de.
struction that we are solemnly warned
by Senators that it will prove Trojan
horse filled with armed Yankee school
marms let loose upon the Southern
States to destroy their liber:iesT
In answer to the claim that the South
does not need this help Senator Pugh
quoted: THE Supt. of Public Instruction
of Alabama, whose annual report, like
that of Supts. of Public Instruction in
other Southern states, urges the great
need of more money for their public
schools, in the face of the fact that the
people there, Impoverished by war, are
taxing themselves to the utmost to fur
nish the meagre fund that keeps their
public schools open scarcely three
months per year, in school houses not
worthy the name, and for only frac-
ton of the children
The last cry against it is the claim
that 1T will destroy the spirit of self
helps; but nobody objects to Federal APP
preparations for internal improvements
Congress is now making in the way of
public buildings in unheard of places,
because such gifts from the public treas
ury would destroy the spirit of self
help in the people receiving them, Fed
eral aid for the educational improve
ment of future men and woman is equal.
ly safe, and far more necessary, in view
of the fact that there are no schools for
five twelfths of the school population of
this republic.
Applause rang through the crowded
galleries as the President of the Senate
declared the bill then passed. Then the
spectators crowded into the halls. A
man among them was heard to say in
confident tones that showed his opinion
was born of the wish That's the last of
that bill. It goes now TO the House Com.
mittee on Education, Speaker Carlisle
has made that up against il; it's dead
and buried there The newspapers have
echoed the same opinion,