Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-14
FRIDAY ..sEPTEMBER14. 1888.
uarrson-The Blair BIZ.


WI hear that Mr.. BRowNE, OF the First
district, Mr.. Yosr, Of the Tenth, and
other congressional candidates on the
Republican side, are attempting to make
capital 10 be used against their Demo
cratic opponents out OF the fact that the
House Of Representatives has not passed
the BLAIR bill. though it has twice been
passed by the Senate. Mr.. HARRISON
voting Aye, and sent over to the lower
House.
The record OF the vote on the BLAIR
bill in the Senate when it WAS first
passed in April. 1881, shows that If there
are any leaders in the Democratic party,
they are strenuous advocates of that
bill and II the leaders are friends OF
tic BLAZE bill. it needs no ghost TO come
from the grave 70 tell us that the
Democratic voters are in favor OF it. We
gay this without intending to reflect upon
Mr.. HMBIsoS, Mr.. Brown, Mr.. Yosr.
or any other Republican or Democratic
leader
In 1884 able speeches were made in
the United States Senate in favor of the
BLAIR bill by Senator BRowN. OF
Georgia VANcr, Of North Carolina
GroRGE and LAMAR. OF Mississippi
HAMPTON, OF South Carolina, and others
Of the leaders Of the Democratic party.
They advocated the bill in good faith.
How was it with Mr.. HAHmsoN, who
voted for the bill when ne could not help
himself? Why, whilst the bill was
pending, he tried to single 1t over with
amendments. We turn to our files, and
in the Dispatch Of March 2G, 1894, We
read as follows:
Mr.. Blair's educational bill was
taken mp as unfinished business, the
pending question being on Mr.. Harri-
sons amendment to require the States to
contribute each annually an amount
equal 10 the amount severallv received
by them from tine national fund.
Mr.. HARRISON succeeded on the Sth
of April in loading down the bill with
this amendment Was that the act of a
friend
Again In the Dispatch Of April s,
1884, we read
"Thc first ofhe amendments hereto
fare o9ercd ~ Nr. Harrison was then
taken up."
The first of them. Mr.. HAEnIsoY was
not content TO offer one amendment
He cloggel the way Of the bill with other
amendments.
In the same issue Of the Dispatch we
read that the following Democrats voted
for the BLAIR bill-namely, Messrs.
BRowS. CALL, CoLQUITT, GARLAND,
GEORGE HAMPTON, JACKSON, JONAS,
JONES, KENNA, PUGH, RANSOM, and WI
IIAMs. II these are not representative
Democrats, where can such be found?
Soon after we had finished yesterday
q conversation on the BLAIR bill with
one or two Of our Democrats who expect
10 meet Republican speakers on the
stump, the Petersburg hdcr-Appeal
came TO hand containing good article
on the subject. We copy from it as fol-
lows:
1.-THE Blair bill was first introduced
into Congress early in December, 1881,
in Republican Senate, The House OF
Representatives was also Republican at
that time. Yet from the 9th day of De
cember, 1881. TO the 9Th day of March,
lS93-both branches of that Forty
seventh Congress being Republican
nothing was done with the bill except to
Law il on the shelf in tho Senate alter 1t
had been fayorahly reported from the
committee. Neither the Republican
Senate nor the Republican House of that
Congress enacted the Blair bill or any
thing like it, although President, Senate,
and House were all in political harmony;
and 1t WAS only in 1854, after the House
had become largely Democratic, that the
Republican Senate took up the bill of
1881 and passed it. "
In addition 10 the Democratic senators
who voted for the bill in April, 1884, the
Index-Appeat names other prominent
subsequent supporters wit, Senators
BRRRY, BLACKBURN, DANIEL, EUsTIs,
GIBSON, HEARST, PAYNE, PAsco, V0oR-
HE'S, WAITHALL, and JONES of Ar
kansas.
We shall try TO learn what was the ma
ture Of tine other amendments offered to
the BLAIR bill by Mr. HARRISON.