The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1891-06-04

pension to a person under the fifty mil
lion Dependent bill, who swears that ne
was in the Union army, and was DIS
abled by fall from his horse a month
ago, does il follow that the Government
shall prescribe what he shall eat, and
the sort of bed he shall sleep on? When
the Blair bill was pending in the senate
its author and advocates did not claim
that the mere act of appropriating the
money carried with il the right OF gov
ernmental control in the school systems
of the States, but they inserted provis-
ions directly authorizing the adoption
by the Federal government OF rules and
regulations for the management OF the
schools Sections 2 and 81.
But the Senator himself furnishes a
complete answer to himself. In aspeech
in support of the Blair bill, LIST session
10Th Congress, February "a, 1886, after
citing numerous appropriations by the
Government, he said:
"These precedents establish the prop
osition on which this bill is based, that
Congress may appropriate money Tor
the general welfare D,tto1d herety dssuD'-
ing any po,oer or Jurisdiction over ne s''o1ect
10 gItich the appropriation IS made
The statement is constantly made that
the proposed system is "paternalism,
and would be "class legislation" L deny
that a petition has been made by the
Farmers Alliance for legislation dlscrlm-
mating in favor of their own interest.
The measures they propose are designed
| to remove the cause of a prevalent DIS
tress, and would promote the good OF
all.
But here again, the Senator and his
partisans are precluded by his own acts
from raising against it the cry OF "Pater-
nalism" and "class legislation" If any
measure could be thus characterized, it
is the
BLAIR BILL
| in the form in which it passed the SEN
ate and received the vote of the Senator
1t provides for an appropriation OF $780,,
OO0. 900. more or less, for the support OF
the school systems of the several States,
and provided that the States should re-
ceive the gift only on condition that the
| Federal Government should fix the
school age of children, without reference
| to State laws; that the Secretary OF the
Interior, by the approval OF the Presl'
/ dent, should prescribe rules and regula.
tions to carry the law into effect; and
that the Federal authorities should have
| jurisdiction as to the branches OF study
which should be pursued. 1t was the
deliberate and oft repeated opinion OF
Senators Coke, Reagan, Butler, Vest and
other prominent Democratic Senators
that the effect of the bill would be tC
place the entire school system OF the
States under Federal control. Mind,
am not citing the Senator's support o
this bill so much to criticise it, as to an
swer his objection to the Alliance finan
cial plan that it is "paternal," and tina
it provides for "class legislation" Dl
vested of these obnoxious conditions
it had been simply an appropriation To-
school purposes, without Federal Jurls
diction. it would have received my sup
port if it came before the House o
Representative during my service II
that body.
There are other examples of "pater
nalism" and "class Legislation" which
have been set by the Senator and Others
who are charging that the Alliance plar
of finance is subject to such objections
especially the
| DEPENDENT PENSION BILL,
which the brave and honest Presiden
| Cleveland vetoed, and which the pension
| sharks revived as soon as Harrison wa
installed. That bill is
RANK PATERNALIsM,
a monster of injustice and wrong to The
whole people of the country, and es
pecially to the plundered and tax-riddeI
and illuminated people of the South
Its title explains it: "An act granting
pensions to soldiers and sailors who are
incapacitated for the performance o
labor, and providing pensions for wild
ows, minor children and dependen
parents" According to the construction
placed upon the bill by the Senator
Davis, of Minnesota, who reported it
it provides that the pension is given tt
an Union soldier, not for disabilities in
CURED in the war but for disabilities re
sulting from sickness, or any cause what
ever "of a month ago." 1t added
| FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS.
to one billion three hundred millions tC
which had already been appropri
ated for pensions. Well did patrl-
otto Grover Cleveland say in his
recent Buffalo speech, denouncing the
''harpy of public extravaganza" "a few
short years ago pension roll amount
ing to $53,OOO,OOO was willingly main.
tanned by our citizens. Now, pub
lie extravigance DEGREES that three
times that amount shall be drawn from
the people" upon shallow and shame
less pretext. The Mississippi Senator
| (Gen. George) who denounces the Al
lance plan of relief. from burdens
inflicted by the government itself,
as paternalism," and for the benefit OF
class, voted for the measure, as he has
also repeatedly voted TO increase the list
of retired" officials of the government,
creating large pay for no service, until 1t
has amounted to $32 100000 in the last
twenty-five years.
| In the same class of measures should
be included the
| DIRECT TAX REFUND
of from SIS, 900, 900 to $l7 100000, which
President Cleveland vetoed, and which
passed over his head. The President
had shown that it was "unconstitu-
tional," "a bold, sheer gratuity" to the
Northern States at the expense OF the
Southern communities it would
set precedent for voting other gifts in
the same way amounting to hundreds OF
millions of dollars. The Senator voted
for it first; and again supported 1t when
it was resurected and passed under the
Harrison administration. His reason is
that he fOund a hill or resolution, or