The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-19
HAWLEY ON BLAIR'S BILL
HE TELLS OF THE BY-GONE DAYS
WHEN HE WAS AT SCHOOL.

The Building Which Sheltered Him
from the sun Erected at a Cost of
SIS 5-Twenty-two Northern States
Declared Opposed to the Educa-
tional Bill-State Control Favored.
WASHINGTON, March 1S.-Immediately
after the morning business IN the Senate
to-day consideration of the urgent deficiency
bill was resumedi The remainder of the
amendments PLACED upon the bill by the
appropriation committee were agreed to,
and several others were added appropriat,-
ing small sums. The bill was then passed.
The Blair educational bill was taken up at
2 o'clock as the unfinished business, and
Mr.. Hawley addressed the Senate in oppo-
sition to it.
HOW THE STATES STAND.
Mr.. Hawley summed up the situation by
saying that twenty-five northern states did
not want the bill. They had no need of it.
They would be ashamed to say that they
wanted the money. In fact they woul be
giving more than they got-perhaps every
one of them. Seven southern states had
two senator's each opposed to the
bill distinctly and expecting to vote
against it. That made twenty-nine states
that did not need the bill, and it left twelve
or thirteen more to be accounted for. OF
the sixteen southern states seven had both
senators opposed to the bill and the other
nine were about equally divided. A
majority of the senators from the states
that were formerly slave states and for
which tue bill was intended we're to-day
opposed to the bill. The great body of the
northern people were willing to do anything
in the matter that would be reasonable, but
they would be ashamed to be called stingy
IN trying to force spoon victuals" upon the
south.
COST OF SCHOOL HOUSES.
AS to the appropriation Of 100000 for
the construction of school houses, Mr.. Haw-
ley spoke Of the old practice of house rails
ing bees in the rural parts of New England,
and said that the school house where he
went to school and where an intelligent
Scothman taught all children, including
young men who read fuently pages
of Virgil, had not cost for
its erection more than S5; and
it was an excellent school. 1t was mighty
easy, he said, to keep schools down south.
Socrates had not any school at all, and vet
he was the greatest teacher of Athens. The
pleasantest way to keep school in the south
was to keep it out of doors. All that was
wanted was shelter from rain. The bill was
verdict that the theory of state aud
federal governments, as understood for 100
years, was a failure. That was what the
bill meant. 1t meant that the people under
the old organization had been found inca
pabe of performing the ordinary duties of
civilization. There was no other reading
for it. Local government, 1t said, had
failed.
STATE LEGISLATION BEST.
But yet, he asked, what central, Legislative
body could do better in managing affairs
than the forty-two local congresses could do
right among their neighbors. Had congress
surplus of wisdom? There was surplus
of revenue in the treasury which congress
did not know what to do with. So far as
he had been able to read, a continuing
surplus revenue was a misfortune to
any state, 1t seemed that congress lacked
the courage, or wisdom, Co cease raising
that surplus revenue; and while it remained
it was perpetual temptation. Congress did
not govern 50 well that it should under take
to do everything. It did not know how to
get along with steam railroads IN the
District Of Columbia, which occupied streets
without permission and without compensa-
tion. There were not school houses enough
in the city OF Washington. where congress
had exclusive jurisdiction, so that large
number of children had to ride and tie"-
half to attend school in the forenoon and
half in the afternoon. So that congress
showed that it could not run the common
schools Of toe District of Columbia.
OTHER WEAK POINTS.
He found, too, that congress was not 6
success in the management of the indians
He also found fault with it in the matter Of
coast defense, the navy, to the needs OF
which it was justswaking up, aud the over
croNding of the. supreme court. In short
he found everywhere proof that congress wa
not absolutely wise. The bill was bat
enough and went far enough in the direc
ton of trespassing on state rights and OF
state duties, but, as somebody had wei
said. it was not the dista ice it Travelled, but
the direction in which it went that was OBJ
jectionable 1t abandoned the original
theory of the government and launched tn
government on an unbounded sea of wilt
schemes.
Mr.. Moody offered some amendments t.
the bill which, he said, would render i
fairer to the state of South Dakota, anC
made brief speech in support of the bill.
Mr.. Chandler also argued in favor of th
bill.
At the close of Mr.. Chandler's speech, Mr.
Call obtained the floor, and the bill wen
over until tomorrow.
THE OKLAHOMA BILL.
The House amendments TO the Oklahom
bill were presented to the Senate, and wer
non-coucurred in. A conference was asked
and Messrs. Platt Gull m. and Jones o
Arkansas were appointed conferees on the
part or the Se ate
A number of Senate bills, making al
aggregate approprintion of 81, ,2S5, 600 fol
buildings in New England and the north
west we're passed.
While these bills were being rushed
through with less than a dozen senators
and with even a smaller number in tn
galleries, one OF those spectators, partly ris
ing, undertook TO express his opinion
that the dependent pension bill ought t
receive the attention of the Senate. H
was pulled back into his seat by his com
panion, and, as he remained quiet, no motto
was taken Of his attempt to instruct tn
Senate as to the course of business.
The House bill granting the Denison au
Washia Valley Railway Company rlgh
of wav through Indian Territory, and Sc
eral bills of local interest were passed, an
the Senate after O'Clock adjourned.