Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-02-25
ITS OFF POINTS.
SENATOR FAULKNER VIGOROUSLY ASSlIS
TEE BLAIR EDUCATIONAL BILL.
Was Il Constitutional? Was It Equity? Vas
it Wisdom Figures Showing Com
parahys llliiNacY il Different
Sections Of tho C3ulry.
Special Telegram to the Register.

Special Telegram to the Register.
WASHINGTON, February "a Senator
Faulkner, OF West Virginia, delivered a
speech to-day agsiust the Blair EiucA-
tional bill. 1t WAS an able and eloquent
speech, the substance Of which is as fol
lows:
After referring TO the mature and dtllb-
crate consideration the bill bad received In
the Senate, and the ability and effective
lnalysis displayed in the discussion OF its
the Seustor proceeded TO show
The inconsistency OF the attitude OF some
Of it's advocates, when conirasted with
some OF their ut.erances on previous meas
ures involving parallel constitutional
questions.
In speskiog Of the effect which the bill
would * .rciss, should II bs established a.
4 precedent, he said that lit was ffeiRhted
with the Rrayest evils to our whole co1n'
Try; that it's passage would commit Con-
Sress TO the bToadcst construction OF its
constitutional powers, and would estab'
ish a precedent Of the Interpretation OF
The general welfare clause, both novel and
dangerous, and entered his solemn pro
lee. 10 the approval by the Senate OF its
,ons!itutionslily, its equity or its Wis
lon.
WAS IT CONSTITUTIONAL
The Senator based this portion OF bis ar
Sunent upon the ground that the funds
mental principle upon which this bill
rested, wss the assumed right Of tdrdtioH
BY the Federal Government, in order thst
lie provisiors might be carried ont, and
not the right OF appropriation. Tor the con-
Of lis purposes.
This view OF the question, is enc which
rs never bsfore been taken in the Senate
in the discussion OF the bill, snd was sbly
sustained by the Senator, both rs to the
which lead to this phase OF the
question, and to the constitutional ques'
lions involved, when considered from that
standpoint
After stating that the general welfare
clause Of the constitution was the au-
thority upon which the action Of Congress
was based shOnld the bill be passed, he
pro .eded to trace the history o! that
clause from the time OF its insertion in the
Articles OF Confederation 10 its permanent
sdopti0n as part Of the Constitution Of the
u aited States, and showed that even dur
ing that stormy and critical period when
tina very life itself OF the Confederation
hung in the BALANCE, and when from the
conditions a strong
central government" WAS 30 essential To
the perpetuity OF the Confederation, the
clause referred TO wss never relied upln
so enlarge or extend the enumera'ed
powers given to the general government.
and to
ILLUSTRATE THE LIGHT
in which that clause wGs viewed at that
time, he qloted extensively hOm Mr..
Madison TO show the length to which Con-
gresa Taieht 20 ehould the clause be inter
preted ia broader and more unlimited
meaning than was intended WHEN II was
inserted in the Articles Of Confederation.
He then discussed several provisions OF
the bill which DO not bear directly upon
the questions suggested in his opening re-
marks, referring to the inequitable contli-
buttons made by the States OF the North
and West; the danger, that by giving Con
gress ;he right to affect any one of the
parts OF tie common school system, II
would confer the power 10 control aad reg
ulaie the whole; the dis:iEction made be-
tween citizens Of State. based upon their
pecuniary condition, when they sought in
Il. N.r....I rsIs.nfn hu
BRANDING UPON TIE FOREHEAD
Of every applicant before be was allowed
10 enter their poriala, the word "pauper;"
the subseryient position IN which the State
ofiicisls are placed In reference 20 the To-
terror Department; the national character
displayed 10 the use Of the hulldiug APP
the fact, that every prOvis'oa
TO which be bsd referred r'quired that the
la "a of the Safe # West Yirgis BE- altered,
added to or modified aud ihst abould ibis
act be accepted by State snd its duties
imposed, either by sucb acceptance under
its provisions, or By change in the laws
Of the State To this extent, "by coercion
or induoement," the Federal Govern Bmsat
has established its authority in the "regu-
lations and restrictions" upon the common
school system of the State.
In speaking upon the suhjsct Of equity
on this division OF his sui ieci, the Senator
said: "This bill in its operation affects
every State, aud should be il possible, AZ
nearly 90 oitsble TO the several States ~
the circumstances which sre claimed 10
Justify its passage will admit"
He then demonstrated in what manner
the provisions Of the bill were "unjnst TO
one section and II urious TO the Other"
aud icquired, why it was, that it wss
divided between the States in that pro-
portion which The whole numher of
persons in each, who, being of toe age OF
ten years and over cannot write, besIs to
the whole number OF such persons 10 the
United States. - cay ing that by this method
of apportionment had the bill passed in
ls30. il would haze reached hot 9 OBJ s33
illiterates under sge, out of q. 6.2l4, $50 lint
crates Of oil ages. When such WIS the
case. why did its fromsrs include 10 its
basis Of apportiob ment Isl, 3i7 illiterates
whom It's benefcsnce could not reschl
Wac it that by including both old and
young illiteratea," 1t tifered an induce
meut TO the representatives, OF the North
and West to vote for III pssssge, when by
SUCH AN APPORTIoSMEST
they would receive over sl7. 500 600, while
if distributed upon a basis a the Hitter
ates up6er tweuty-One years OF age. the
same section would receive bat SIC, ,5O0,-
900.
In Connection With the in'quitable dis
bursement and apportionment 10 the
Sla,es themselves, the S nstOr referred to
the proportion Of disbursement between
The two races 10 the States, AID showed,
that although in the sixteen Southern
States the per cent. Of illiterscy OF the
,olored children wss 40 per cent. greater
han that OF the whites, yet ont Of the en-
ire sum received by thtse States by the
method of a,poriionmen. prov ded in the
bill, the white schools received S37, 1874,
go IL. ard the colored schools received
81. .O3f 27l. So. an excess 10 the white
schools Of Sl6. 359 9SS 90. while III ths
bill had distributed this fund 10 those
States on e relative basis Of ths illiteracy
between the white and colofed children OF
school ape, the colored schools would have
received S36 500, SIS lG, and the ~oi's
schools would have received Sl3 ~ ~
}6 an excess to the c0lOfed schools o'
81. 4l2. 50, and also, that an hna
no annortiopment slows, tnst 10 the SIX
tean Southern States, there II eseD' 80