Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-02-27
NATIONS CAPITAL.
Democratic Nodes Of Elections
in Arkansas Discussed.
Senator Blair Gets I Chance to SPEAK
On Ills Own Bill.
Idaho Fsvorably Reported for Admis-
ston ~ . State

WAsaisGrox, Feb. 26.-ln the Senafl
Chandler presented . petition from Unior
county Ark. representing that at the Stat
election there in September 1888. . systs-
matte reign Of terror prevailed ARMED
and reckless mobs parAded the county nigh
and day. terrorizing the whites and shoot
| ing xnd whipping the colored voters. The
| schools and churches we're demofAlixed
and the ballot boxes carried o6. The peti
ton asked for the protection guaranteed b,
the constitution.
ment he vas making, ~ such . "brie1
atement,r was IS rule contemplated in
the presentation Of petitions, and added
that ii was in direct violation Of the rule.
Chandler replied that he understood the
rule and how the rule was construed. He
vss not reading the petition, but was read
ing from it as condensed . statement - be
could make, in justice to the petitioners.
Harris desired q ruling Of the chair under
rule seven. which provides every petition
or memorial shall have endorsed on it brief
statement Of its contents and shall be pre-
sented and referred without debate.
Hoar remarked that Chandler had said
bic statement vas a. brief as he could make
it, and added the rule left the matter en-,
tirely to the discretion of the senators.
Berry asked Chandler whether he had
himself prepared the statement be was
making or IL somebody else had done 90.
Chandler replied he had written it him.
self.
Berry, thought so. 1t is not = petition
but collection Of rot and hlth the senator
had collects himself.
Chandler-It is = statement l make on
my own responsibility, of the substance of
this petition. 1t was prepared by myself.
do not wish to violate the rules Of the
Senate. am only sorry that the Senator
from Tennessee should not have taken the
occasion to comment on the practice of
making full statements of petitions on
some other petition than the one in which
is concerned the rights Of citizens.
Harris called on the chair for ruling.
Vice President statement made ty
the Senator from New Hampshire. brief a.
he has prepared it, is condensed state
ment of the petition. The Chair 10 Of the
opinion that the Senator has a right to
complete the reading of the paper.
Berry--If it comes from the Senator
from New Hampshire himself l do not
think it can iniure either the State or peo.
pie of Arkansas, therefore l have no OBJ
lection.
Chandler-I am very much obliged to
the Senator from Askansas for the pleasure
of being informed that the petition on this
subject can be presented in the Senate OF
the United States with the consent of the
Senator froui Arkansas,
The statement being completed, the res.
olution, with several others from Arkansas
on the same subject, was referred to the
committee on privileges and election.
Regular Busir ess.
Business on the calendar taken up, and
twenty-six pension and private bills were
passed. AT two the Blair educational bill
was taken up as unfinished business.
Reagan al lressed the Senate in opposition
to the BILL He made q statement to show
that as far as Texas was concerned. that
State had done and was doing its full duty
IN the matter Of free common schools
He described the bill as offering bribe OF
$40 900 900 to the States if they would
consent to accept it as the price for de-
struction of the right of local self govern
mem. and imposing on them the humilia-
ting condition of approving, by the affirm
alive act of legislation, the policy Of the
bill In the interest of the cause of educa-
ton, to prevent the federal government
from being converted into despotism, and
to avoid the additional fruitful cause of
sectional strife and agitation he hoped for
the defeat of the bill by the Senate.
Wilson Of Maryland, argued against the
constitutionality Of the bill. The Senator
from New Hampshire had told the Senate
If the constitution were constitutional,
Congress must be clothed with the power of
educating people. Intelligence being the
bedrock, ss he argued, of q republican
form of government, Congress had to pos
sess the power to institute the system OF
schools. wholly without regard to State
limits or State powers. He (Wilson) knew v
of no enunciation of any public man more
at war with the popular traditions of the
country or with the frame work of govern.
ment. While he Wilson, had no disposi-
ton to dispute general proposition, a GER
tain amount of popular intelligence 10 nec-
essary for healthy action and perpetuatior
of republican institutions, the more edu.
cation people had the better provided
moral training was not ne ylected) still he
utterly denied the construction Senator
Blair drew from it.
He submitted that it was neither fair uoI
legitimate reasoning to contend that Con.
gress h; ! q right to step across the line OF
State ? xCFs aud duties, and to apply the
money raised from taxes to support these
institutions. Educati onal ways we're con.
sidered State agency, which the trainers
of the constitution had evidently thought
| the people of every State competent te
| deal with. He reminded the Senate of the
fall of the Greek republic and Roman em.
pire, which took place when they were a
their highest stage of public intelligence
but when public morality was at a very low
ebb, and asked whether it could be sale
that Congress had power to establish cen
| sorship in every township. There was Al
much uangef, he argued, from
Corruption ard Lawlessuess. =.
as from illiterscy. He asked whether, il
the federal government could seize hold Of
| the common school system, it WAS not q
great a necessitv for it to lay hands on ths
local police Of the State, in order to pro
mote good morale.
| Blair replied to some Of the points il
Wilson's speech. and also in the speech o.
Faulkner. lie referred to the newspaper
report of an attempt made in Virginia t.
restrict the school tax raised from whitel
to the education of white children. leavins
that raised from colored tax payers to b,
used for the colored schools, and showed
that under one section of the bill, that n,
State that made any such distinction, coul,
derive any advantage from the bill.
| Referring to the assertions a. to til,
growing unpopularity of the bill, he CAV,
it IS his opinion that the bill vas mucl
stronger throughou. the country today thai
originally. He said it was never so stronl
among the masses of people. es2eciall
among the masses of white people of tn
South, As today. So it was, in the Senate
Some republicans had voted against
because they did not like to trust the dem
ocrasic administration with the distributio
of the money, but now that the republica
administration was perfectly honest, Wit
1 Al