The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-07
MIR. SKINNER'S SPEECH.

Harry Skinner is making himself
solid" with the colored man and
| brother. Recently he called the civil
war the Rebellion" and now he makes
| a speech in the House in favor of an APP
| preparation for 1.-The National Associa-
| ton for the Relief of District Colored
| Women and Children" 1t is a singu-
| lar speech, and one that advocates
appropriations to church and private
| charities Hear the silver-tongued
| orator:
IF | understand correctly there is
a reserve motive to appropriate for
| these charities the sum called for by
this bill--the gentleman from Ne
| braska makes war upon the sum total
of the appropriation-but my idea is
that if this committee, in it's wisdom,
after the full hearing and considera-
ton that it has given to the subject,
chooses to say that this church or that
church can do the best service in one
field, that another church can do the
best service in another field, that one
society can do the best service in am
other field, and another society in an
other field, then we here ought not to
make open war upon the churches and
say that they are incompetent to adj
minister the charities that we desire to
have administered in this District.
Again, ] desire members to under
stand that the church in the District
of Columbia bears the same relation to
the country and the general public that
the District itself bears. You come
here, representing your constituencies;
YOU spend your money, you leave be-
hind YOU orphans; you leave behind you
inmates of asylums. In other words,
by your presence in this National capi-
tai YOU increase the charge of the local
churches, which ask to have aid eX-
tended to them in the field of charity,
and the church here stands upon the
same high plane that private individ-
ual i'm the District of Columbia does,
and asks the General Government to
assist in bearing the burden which you
help to bring upon them. Mr.. Chair
man, it seems to me only right and
proper that a due share of these bur
dens should be borne by the Govern
ment and the channels through which
most good can be accomplished ought
to be those through which your charity
should operate. / think, therefore,
that the gentleman from Nebraska has
made mistake in attempting to wipe
out any of these appropriations"
This speech is respectfully referred
to Hon. Richmond Pearson, who made
his chief campaign speech an attack
on Mr. Crawford, who had voted for
the Indian appropriation bill that con-
tanned an appropriation to some Cath
Ollie schools that were educating the
Indians. Mr.. Pearson outdid the A. p.
AS in denouncing Catholicism, and
tried to work up great Protestant pref
udice against Mr.. Crawford, by his at
tack on the Catholics. The truth is
that for thirty years such appropria-
tions had been made, both to Protest
ant and to Catholic schools that taught
Indians. Under the administration Of
Secretary HoIe Smith, the appropria
ton for these church schools was
smaller SHAN ever before, it being his
policy focut off, by degrees, all assist
ance to private and church schools.
At yet Fusionists got votes from
anti-Catholics because of Mr.. Craw-
fords vote for the Indian appropriation
bill. And now we have Mr.. Skinner adj
vocating the theory that the people Of
the whole country ought to be taxed TO
support church and private charities,
and Mr.. Pearson does not rebube him
for it,