St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-10
BLAIR EDUCATIONAL BILL.
"A Scathing DenunciatiOn of the
Bill by Senator Vest.

Dill Dy SENATOR est.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-In the senate
to-day, when the Blair educational bill
was called up, Mr.. Vest opposed it. If
he was called upon, he said, to frame
title for it, he would call it San act to
erect a monument to the memory of
Alexander Hamilton and to encourage
mendicancy in the Southern states"
He was not surpris ed that the Republi-
can senators warmly supported it.
When suffrage was given to the ignor-
ant negroes of the South it was with the
firm belief Oh the part of the Rebuilt
cans that it would give them political
supremacy in the Southern states. A
great deal was heard now of magnanim-
ity and generosity on the part0f Repub-
licanS who supported the pending bill,
but yet, when, as the result of giving
suffrage to the ignorant negroes swarm
of white carpet baggers, like vultures,
swept down on that unfortunate region.
and when sovereign states lay PROSTATE
and writhing at the feet of those adj
venturerS, there was no Sympaty with
them on the part of the Republican
leaders in the presence of that CHASTITY
spectacle. He expressed his surprise
and regret that Democratic Senators
who had given their lives to an
eloquent defense of strict construction
of the constitution and OF the Jeffer-
sonian doctrine, that all powers of ap-
preparation were given to congress un-
der the express (Or necessarily implied)
guarantee of the constitutiOn-were
now found to have surrendered all the
land marks of their party in presence of
the great temptation in the proposed
law. If the dead were permitted to take
it,fn ir,f ha ff,ir =
what, he asked, must be the surprise of
the majestic spirit of John G. Calhoun
when he saw his former followers, the
strict conStructionists and states rights
Democrats of the South, yelling in both
houses of congress for the old flag and
an appropriations? In his Judgment the
enactment of the pending bill would be
greater calamity to the Southern peO-
pie than war, pestilence and famine. If
it were not for the money temptation in
the bill it would stand no more chance
of the votes of Democratic senators
than donation for the devil would
stand in a Christian congIe-
CATION. The bill breathed the spirit
of centralization and paternal govern
ment in every section and line; it should
bring Joy and unlimited satisfaction to
the bosom of every true federalist. He
believed in universal education and
would be glad if every child in the
United States were taught to read and
| write. But that was not all of educa-
ton. The highest education was that
which taught self-respect and self-re-
lance and individual independence.
Without it, individuals and communi-
ties must deteriOrate. This measure
was intended to destroy the common
school system of the states and put upon
it the stamp of federal authority. 70
accept money under the terms of the
bill would be to surrender all that made
state authority respectable. If this bill
becomes law. it will be by Southern
votes in this senate and in the other
house of congress. But there is one
place of refuge still left in the consti-
tuition, the brave and honest man who
is now president of this republic. Un-
less he is false to the principles of his
whole life and of the great party which
elected him he will interpose his ex-
ecutive veto in the path of this most
abOminable and undemocratic measure.