The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-03-04
Arguments Against the Blair Bill.

WASHINGTON, March 3.-Voorhees offered
a preamble and concurrent resolution re-
citing that in the recent lease of the fur
seal islands of Alaska to the North Ameri-
can Commercial company certain provi-
sions of law had not been complied with
and directing the secretary of the treasury
to furnish the Senate complete copies of
all bids for the lease with accompanying
papers, and all testimony, memoranda, ar
guments, letters and correspondence with
the holders, and that the secretary refrain
frcu executing or delivering lease to the
American Commercial company until the
subject bo inquired into by the Senate He
asked to haze the resolution referred to
the finance committee as that committee
meets tomorrow. So ordered.
The bill fixing the salaries of judges OF
United States district courts at Sc, 900 per
annum was taken up and after discussion
passed-33 to 13.
| The Senate then resumed consideration
of the Blair educational bill, and was ad
dressed by Spooner. He had voted once
in favor of the bill, but not without some
mispiving as to its policy. When it came
again before the Senate he had felt con
strained to vote agaipst it, and now as ii
was once more pending for action he was
compelled to vote against it and desired to
state his reasons for doing so. Ae agreed
with the Senator from New Hampshire as
to the necessity of education among the
masses, and could not withhold the
tribute of his respect and admi
ration for the support, industry
courage, ability and constancy with
which that Senator had pressed the subject
on the consideration of the Senate and
country. Referring to the claim that the
Republican party was pledged to supper,
the bill, he read an extract from the Re
publican national platform and denied that
it contained a committal of the party to the
bill. 1t could hardly with justice be said
to be party measure, and he submitted
that no proposition of the kind ought to be
or become party measure He agreed i,
was for the states not for the federal gov
eminent to declare what the school system
of the states should be. He asserted his
belief that since the bill was introduced in
1880 there had come over the country
a great change of feeling as
to its expediency. Ole strong evi
dence of that was the attitude of the
newspaper press of the country. During
the discussion in the northwest several
leading Republican papers bitterly opposed
the measure Several of the southern
states were opposed to it through theil
Senators, and the leading newspapers O.
the south were no longer in favor of it.
Spooner went on to speak in terms Of
praise of the provisions for common schoo
education in the southern states, and said
the people Of these states had not only
been doing well in the education of white
children but had been doing well in the
education of colored children. He had seen
he said, no stronger condemnation of the
measure than the argument of the Presi
dent in his annual message and which the
Senator from New Hampshire considered
dent had said: ''Such aid should be, as il
always has been, suggested by some excep
tional condition" Were there, Spoonel
asked, exceptional conditions which iusti.
fed the appropriation of money for schoo
purposes to Kansas, to Wisconsin, to New
York, to California, to Illinois, or to Iowal
If Congress were to offer to appropriate
Sc, 1000, 900 for school purposes in New York
it would be laughed at. He believed tina
with people as with individuals, self-helr