Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-09
THE STATES AND DISTRICT
Representative Grady Discusses Mr..
Dodge's Figures About Schools
He Takes Issue with Statements About
Obligations to the District.

The statement recently published IN The
Star by Mr.. w. c. Dodge, in reply TO O
speech by Representative NELL Of Arkan-
sas in which Mr. Dodge showed what the
federal government had done for public
schools In the states and what he consid-
cred its Obligations to the schools of the
District has evoked a response from Rep
resentative B. F. Grady OF North Carolina
Representative Gray writes 10 The Star a.
follows
received last Saturday a copy Of The
Evening Star. dated May I6, containing q
n arked article by MI. W. c. Dodge, reply
Ing to a speech delivered some weeks ago In
the House Of Representatives by Hon. Mr.
NELL OF Arkansas on the District of Column
oia appropriation bill, In which MI. Nell
denied the right of Congress to tax the
people of the several states to support free
public schools IN this District; and as this
reply seems to remove some of the supports
OF Mr.. Neills position. and the sending Of
this marked copy TO me is an Indication
Of Mr.. Dodges belief that he has thor
oughly disposed OF this denial, ask the In
dulgence of The Evening Star. while In
Vite his attention to certain facts which he
has either failed to discover or missed the
force Of
terest In a large and magnificent capital city.
II Is quite certain that the people OF the states
are not pecuniarily interested in anything
IN this District beyond the territory or
ouher property belonging TO the United
states, ana Il Is Of no concern TO them
whether the population of this city were 500
or o,Ooo. AS the population has increased
the value OF land has increased, and tire
taxpayers OF the states must now paw sew
eraI hundred thousand dollars for saw a
little spot OF land a site for a printing
ONCE. Does Mr.. Dodge think this situation
| benefit to the states?
= The states conferred upon the Congress
SIe power 10 exercise exclusive legislation,
n an cases whatsoever, over" the District
OF Columbia, and everybody who moved
| into Washington knew this; and hence there
Is no excuse for complaint because the
people mere nave no voice In the govern
| ment Of the District
3. In 17S9-the year when North Carolina
decided 10 follow the eleven states which
| had left The old union and entered into m.
CIV ohe-sne ceded as "a common fund for
the use and benefit Of the United STATES
North Carolina inclusive" all her risat 10
lands IN Tennessee-a gift for which she
has received scant credit, and a condition.
when mas not been scrupulously regarded
Early in this century North Carolina paid
hef snare OF fifteen millions Of dollars the
price OF Louisiana Arkansas, ETC. and
later on. Of the fnrty-seven millions the
cost OF the purchases from Spain Mexico
Texas and Russia, and the most valuable
of-these lands have been disposed of with
little profit TO her, will appear further
on.
4. In 1896 Congress deposited with the
| states twenty-eight millions Of dollars Of
| which North Carolina received about one
million u have not the exact amounO and
with the interest on this sum she estab-
lished system Of common schools This
vas not as mpch as she had paid for Louis
lana, and, including interest not one-third
| OF that sum. But even this was lost in the
NJ ffa M
kept up by taxation alone. Does Mr. Dodge
think those people ought 10 be taxed to
support their own schools and the schools
in this District?
s. About lso6 North Carolina received q
share of the land scrip appropriated in
1e62 for agricultural and mechanical coll
leges-not for public schools-but the money
she got was appropriated to their own use
by the gentlemen to whom the state Was
turned over by act OF Congress IN 1861
VIII anybody assert that this land appro-
priation placed North Carolina under obli-
cations TO educate children in other states
or territories or districts?
D. The act OF 1890 donating fifteen thous-
and dollars to each state was not for free
puohe schools, and may be stricken out from
MI Dodges array OF facts, because that
same Congress Denoted more than twice
that sum to Howard University in WASH
ington city.
Z. North Carolina did not receive one foot
of the ''one hundred and sixty-thrce MIL
lions OF acres Of public lands" given 10
states for common schools" and ''univer-
sites" or OF the lone hundred and sixty
millions OF acres granted for railroads,
canals and other internal improvements"
ror did she share I'm the seven and one
third millions Of dollars given TO states out
OF the proceeds Of sales OF public lands
down to June so 1882" nor has she or
any other state shared in the annual ap-
preparation OF about five hundred thousand
dollars, In addition TO what the people Of
the District pay. for free public schools in
District n ia m %
about the thousands given to Charitable
and reformatory institutions.
But he contends that the people OF the
states ought to pay a portion OF the school
expenses here because the states own prop
erty here. VIII this reasoning apply also to
New York. Boston. Chicago and other local.
tiles where public property can be foundf
If not why not? And he has no doubt about
the obligations OF the southern states. be-
cause the government brought here thous-
ands OF 'n.anumitted slaves" whom the
laws of some of these states made IL a
felony to teach to read" North Carolina.
Mr.. Dodge, never brought any slaves from
Africa, nor sent any ''manumitted slaves
to this city. Moreover, the reference to the
laws forbidding the education OF slaves In
unkind, unjust and ineXcusable. The con-
sttution OF North Carolina, adopted in l77a
held all "freemen'' (the word white" is not
In III to be equal; and there We're no re-
strictions on free persons of color or on the
education OF slaves till the abolition socie-
ties OF New England working through the
y.
cited Instructions here and there NOTABLY
Nat Turner's), and frightened the people in
TO rigorous precautions-all OF which hap
pened about the time when "one-Eyei''
Thompson, the abolition missionary from
Exeter Hall. was pelted with decayed eggs
In Boston Nor was this rigor confined 70
the south. III Mr.. Dodge will be kind enough
to search, he will discover white" in The
constitutions OF Connecticut, New York
New Jersey. Pennsylvania and many other
states, ard that Indiana forbade the tmrni-
grafton OF negroes and mulattoes. After all
however. these restrictions on education IN
North Carolina went into "innocuous desue-
tude' as soon as the scare was over: and
the outcome OF the civilizing Influences was
such that in 1861. the Congress declared
that the "manumitted slaves" were worthy
to enjoy all the civil and social rights of
the white man. VIII Mr.. Dodge refuse the
southern states credit for so good a work.
Rev. John w. Paxton Recovering.
Rev. John W. Paxton. formerly pastor OF
the West Presbyterian Church, New York,
is rapidly recovering from his recent Illness
under the care Of the physicians at the st.
Francis Hospital OF Pittsburg. About six