The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-03-13
Senator Barbour and the Blair Bill

On the 5th inst the Senate took up the Blair
educational bill and Mr.. Barbour addressed the
Senate in advocacy of the bill He spoke of the
great interest which the people of Virginia took
Ill that measure and said that it had been ia
vored Ill the platforms of both the political par
ties in that State. 1t was of the deepest and
profoundest interest to the people OF Virginia
who had done much for the education in the
last fifteen years the people of any other
State, They had expended about nineteen mil
lions for that purpose ana had given five mil
lions to educate the colnred ilterates which the
General Government had put them upon no.
only as citizens, but as sovereigns. lie was sur
prised at the lack of interest in the subject
Southern Senators opposing the bill. Why. he
asked, was that so? Had they any well ground
Ell apprehension that the school system of their
States was to be interfered With? They could
not have it because the consent of the States
had to be obtained before the bill would apply
to them. How were the rights of Virginia OF
Alabama or Mississippi to be violated by the
benefaction? Did the benefactons of George
Peabody interfere with the school systems in
the States where they We're in operation? He
had no constitutional doubts on the subject, as
he did not belong to the hair splitting class of
constitutional lawyers. Ii the General Govern
ment took no interest in the education of the
colored people there reason why the
people of Virginia should tax themselves to ed
ucate i'll their midst a class of people who do not
act with them politcally-who would be more
apt to vote with a man from Wisconsin
than with man from Virginia AS to the
talk about the great wealth OF the South,
that, he said, was delusion and an exaggera-
ton. The bulk of the people of Virginia were
poorer day than they had been nineteen
IL,
West Virginia (sir Faulkner) had any right to
speak as he had spoken for the Southern States.
The bulk of that State lay west of the Allegheny
Mountains. The interest of that State had not
beel with the South thirty years ago, when it
cast itsifortunes (Wisely no doubt and TO its own
INTEREST," with the Federal Government. The
statements made as TO the wealth of the South
were not true SO far certainly as the States OF
Virginia and North Carolina were concerned
The great flow of wealth rolling over pactolian
sands had not reached them. He had never
known the agricultural interest of Virginia to
be more depressed than to day. He believed
that there was q better day before chat State
but that better day had not yet arrived. The
land holder in Virginia was regarded as the
poorest man in it. He might be the owner Of q
thousand acres Of land ana yet not have money
enough to pay for his breakfast.
Coming back to the discussion of the bill it
self, he reminded the Senator from West vir-
gina that nobody would force the school fund
on that State. But if the people of Virginia
were willing to take ii he asked why i'll Gods
name should he mfr. Faulkner) oppose their do
ing so? Did the Southern Senators believe that
the people of their States would decline the
fund? Did the Senator from West Virginia be
lieve that his people would not take it? Why
did he stand up i'll the Senate and say that they
er States should not have it? He knew that it
would not do for his colleague (Mr. Daniel and
himself to go home and tell the people of Viz
gina that they must not take this money from
the Federal Government, but must continue TO
tax ourselves for tie support Of the common
schools. II they We're to make speeches on the
lines of the speech of the Senator from West
Virginia they would be held to an accountability
which he, for one, would not care to encounter.