Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-04
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Senator Spooner Speaks Against
Blair's Bill.
Ohio Ballot Boxes as Used BY The Demo-
Gratis in the Last Election.
Favorable Report on the Public Build.
ing for Lewiston, Me-.

+ judges of the United States district court
At Is, 600 was passed IS to Is.
| At 2 20 the Senate resumed the consider
aiion Of the Blair educati nal bill
| Spooner said be had voted once in favor
of tie bill. No~. after full reflection or
the subject be is impelled to vote agains,
il. He agreed with the senator from New
Hampshire as TO the necessity Of education
among the masses. 10 referring to the
claim that the republican party 10 pledged
TO support the bill, he read an extract from
the republican national plat form Aud denied
it contained q communal Of the party to the
bill. He had no difficulty in admitting fed
erai aid to States too poor to provide :or
common school education, but did not ad-
init the federal hand could take jurisdc
ton of the school systems of the State aod
take into its exclusive charge the educa-
tional system of the State. He did not be-
lieve any member of the senate on either
side sgreed with it. 1t could hardly with
justice be said to be . party measure, and
be submitted that no proposition of the
kind ought to become party measure.
He had no difficulty with the constitu-
tional objections urged against the bill.
He admitted that the matter of education
Of the children of State, was within the
province and Jurisdiction Of a State. He
agreed that it WAS for State, and not for
federal government to declare what the
school system of q State should be. No
one would contend that it was within the
constitutional competency of Congress to
declare what should be the school age of
State, or pass law for compulsory educa-
cation in = State. 1t did not follow from
that that Congress might not grant lands or
money derived from the sale of lands, to
aid the States in educating their children.
Such grants of lands and money have been
made, and he repeatedly asserted that in
his belief, since the bill was introduced in
1880, there had come over the country.
north and south, a great change of feeling
as to its expediency. One strong evidence
was the attitude of the newspaper press of
the country during the discussion.
The Press on Blai.'s Bill.
1t was idle for the Senator from New
Hampshire TO contend that the great news
paper press of the country had entered into
a conspiracy in favor of its importance
Its interest was the other way. The news
paper press could have no interest against
the general interest of the people. Ii could
no; have an interest against universal
knowledge. If it had any special inter ST
on the subject. it was in favor of the prop
ositioD that every man, woman and child in
the United States should be taught to read
newspapers The press felt the public
pulse and kne y what interested the public
eye. He did not think the press gusged
correctly the information contained in the
Senator's (Bisir's) speech. He believed
no newspaper could do better service than
to lay before its readers the entire speech
of the Senator. In learning, research, an
alysis and statistical information it was
worthy of the Senator, and that was saying
all that could be said.
The fact that the press had not done it,
was to his mind an indisputable evidence
that the people Of this country were not to
day Gas they had been years ago) intensely
interested in favoring the bill In the west
there had been great change in public
sentiment. Among the republican news
papers that opposed the measure. he men
toned the Chicago Tribune, leading
Omaha paper. Milwaukee Sentinel, St Paul
Pioneer Press. Several Southern States
were opposed to it, through their Senators
1
in favor of it. The Charleston News and
Courier had given reasons for its change of
faith. If the South needed aid from the
Federal Treasury In 1870, or 1888. they did
not need it now. The Senator from New
Hampshire said It did. The Senators and
Legislatures of ST veral of these States said
it did not and great mass of the Southern
newspapers said it did not. Referring to
Blairs suggestion, as pensions were paid
almost exclusively 10 the North, his bill
would tend to make up for that to the
Southern States.
Spooner said he could not favor the bill
on that ground.
Blair disclsimed urging the bill on the
ground that it would equalize the pension
burden, which by the WY, he said Davis
statement Friday estimated at twice as
much as he, (Blair,) then supposed it
might be, he believed even that estimate
was twice too low
Spooner argued that the non enrolment
of children Of school age in the public
school was no criterion Of what was being
done in the line of education. He cited
the fact that in New York was an enroll
ment of 81 per cent of the school age pop
ulstion. That fact was explained BY Has-
ley who sal the enrolment did not include
a large number of children attending pri-
vate schools and denominstional schools.
Blair contended that no enrolment show
ed the children were not being educated,
and added that the children OF the country
ras growing up in ignorance north and
south.