Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1890-04-03
The Blair Bill.
That school system IL the best " hich re-
lies upon local support.

lies upon local support
SPEECH OF HON. EUGENE HALE, on MAINE
IN THE srNATE or rHr U>IrEp srAIE>
MARCH :. ls9O.
The Senate having under consideration tb
bill =. l>5j 10 aid in the establishment au
temporary support Of common schools
MIR HALE said
Mr. fEE>rpENI The history Of thi, hIl
has been most remarkable Substantial,
the measure presented TO this Congress b,
the Senator from New Hampshire was In
troduCed by him in the Senate in the dir,
session OF the Forty->eventh Congress
considerably mere than eight years ago
Ii has been perslsleuily urged upon IA,
consideration OF the Senate nv it, friend.
ever since, and has been a. earnestly OBJ
posed by senators who are against it. /,
has had warm friends and earnest oppo.
>iuon, but from the beginning the rising
ude has been against it, not only here bu,
throughout the country
Ar BLAIR Mr.. President. | do no, adj.
nit anything Ike that. Quite the con-
lEary; quite the contrary
Mr. HALE. II tne Senator " IN take the
expression OF sentiment BY educators. by
public-splrited. patriotic men Who have.
dealt with this subject and expressed them.
selves upon II, and II hc " III take the ex.
preston OF the nited State Senate. which
has three times Put Itself upon record on
the bill after exhaustive debate. he must
then admit what ! have asserted, that the
rising tide is against the bill.
voted, Mr.. President. against this bill
With but ten other Senators when II was
nrst considered by the Senate. Ia the last
maj0rit, the Senator then gained Tor his
bill wa, cast by Senators who openly
avowed at that time, after the vote had
been given, that the bill had received the
last support II would ever have from them.
MIR BLAIR. II i true that the majori-
ty for the bill in the Senate has decreased
IL is also true tina. the Republican MEM
bership of the Senate has very largely
changed. 1t is also true that the Increase
Of the vote against this bill has been main
ly upon the other side Of the Chamber,
But the apparent discrepancy between the
eleven and the twenty was no such
real discrepancy a. one might think, be
cause there was much larger number Of
pairs at the time OF the original vote than
" hen il was last taken; while, on the 9th
ct UtIu, aluble FtpFiN ~ iai NAAN
do not mean the uttersnces which have ap.
peared 10 a manipulated press by an agency
to which | have often alluded in this de
bate-but among the people at large,
where there has not been misrepresenta
ton this bill has been constantly gaining
in strength, and there never has been &
time when it was so deeply rooted in the
hearts OF the common people of this coun
try as to-day. Great labor organizations
temperance organizations, educational or
CARNATIONS, more and more expansiyely
and unanimously, have been incrcasin.
their expressions of appreciation OF thi'
bill and the desire for its passage. -
among the masses of the people this bill
is vastly stronger to-day than ever before
could enlarge upon this point. but il /
not necessary to interrupt the Senator.
Mr. HALE. No doubt the Senator from
1 New Hampshire believes that. The long
/ patient, and able advocacy Of this bill tha
has characterized him here has led him T.
/ believe and TO see upon one side of thi
/ question. He can not deny that the sup
/ port hich he had for the bill at first, II
/ the light of observation and reflection, ha
! fallen away. He can not deny that i
! State after State where the sentiment orig
inally was in favor of this bill, that sent
meut has been revolutioniZed. In my ow
State, | know that when | east my fir,
vote against this bill. from the press Q
the State, from educators, from clergy
men, and from gentlemen of intelligenc
and education interested in such sui
jects, the expression was IN favor OF tn
bill, and great regret was felt by friend
of mine at the course which had takei
But today the press of the State Of Maii
is opposed to this bill the educators
the State are opposed to it; and the cour'
that has been pursued by my colleague al
myself in voting against this bill receiv,
their support and commendation.
Now, Mr. President, il is not TO be wO
dered at that this change in public sen,
ment has taken place.
The bill is humane in intent and dea
with subject of primary and vital impo
lance TO the welfare of any nation, u
education of its people. The natural te
dency would be to explore and find reasol
, for supporting it. This support has fla
en- of because human observation and re
son have all been against the bill L
reasons for its passage have grown lie
and the objections against it have co
stantly increased. The singular fatal
has attended the history of the bill that,
its prospects for passage have becor
darker and as it has come higher and mig
er to final defeat, its fundamental inte
has been steadily answered and carried o
by the agitation against it which its pi
visions have aroused.
The condition of the Southern States
their general material prosperity and
the support given TO their systems OF co
mon schools is widely different from
conditions that existed when the Senai
q from New Hampshire brought his bill he
n and much of the advancement which
shown in the education given to-day
common schools in the South is due to
growing belief that such education I'M
be provided through State and not natie
al support.
Tempted at first as the South was by
=. liberal promises Of the Senator's bill il
suplneness and lack of local and home
: fort, it soon perceived that the passage
the bill was at least doubtful, and then
dressed itself, in the several States, to
. task of establishing and extending its o
common school system.
Whatever may he the fate of the bill
in Senator from New Hampshire may take
.. which he has aroused has resulted !
b, progress in the commons school systems
he the Southern States that must be graft
a. ing to every patriotic heart. The mo
1s ment in this direction has kept pace "
n the steady and rapid advance of the Sou
a ern States in material prosperity. !
!. statistics in this regard have already b
10 given, and do not wish to repeat the
but no man win deny the great advar
|. meut of the South In the last ten year.
| wealth and DrOSDeFity