The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1899-04-16

AoA tAAN EAAAo u AAAo1A''A rs
sought by their unanswerable
logic and personal influence, to
keep public attention directed to
the business and necessity OF
their claims, until finally their
hopes were realized in the pass
age of the act approved March
18th, 1884, creating and estab-
fishing this Industrial Institute
and College for the education of
white girls in the arts and sci
ences. Yesl to you, Mrs. Pey-
ton, and to you, Mrs. Hastings,
a noble couple of Mississippi
women, fit to adorn any age OF
station in life, and whose abid-
ing faith in and love for the
young womanhood of Missis-
sippi, has brought you from your
distant homes to honor and grace
this inaugural occasion with your
joyous and sympathizing pres
ence, we extend welcome, thrice
welcome, to a full participation in
all the glory of this brilliant
opening"
AS a member of the state sem
ate and an active participant in
the animated discussion and
heated contest between the
friends and opponents of the bill
in that body, and where the real
and decisive debates occurred
and tho fifal battle was had,
could tell this audience much of
interest which, by reason of the
secrecy Of executive sessions,
has never reached the public
ear, but which / wrote out at the
time and have preserved for ref
erence as occasion offers. The
real facts should put to shame
the preposterous claims of GER
tain members of the house OF
representatives taking part in
the passage of the senate bill
through that body, and which
unfounded claim has been for
years paraded in pamphlet form,
assiduously distributed through
out the state, and otherwise
claimed with pertinaceous as
sumption by certain ex-members
of the then house of representa-
tives, and now as ever "intoxi-
Gated with the vAsTosITY of their
own Importance.
But a few of the salient points,
and which are pertinent to this
memorial occasion, l can, and
will now for the first time in pub
tic, rehearse, and which am
sure will be of surprising inter-
est to most, if not all who hear
them. LISTEN! The journal Of
the state senate for the session
of 1884 will show that on Febru-
airy 28th, the senate bill, No. 81,
introduced by Senator Whitney
at the request of Senator Martin
then absent-and which was sub
stituted for the house bill, No.
APO, passed the senate by only
one vote, the vote being II to Is.
That the motion to reconsider
was defeated on a tie vote, and
thereby resulting in the passage
of the bill through the senate,
and, so far as its advocates could
then see, in the bill becoming a
law. That afterwards, to-wit,
March 4th, the senate bill was
reported to the house, where at
a night session of that body, held
March 9th, the bill passed by a
vote of As to 43, 80 not voting.
That later, and after the ap-
proval of the bill by the COVER
nor, to-wit, on March 18th, 1884,
its opponents in the senate re-
newed their fight by a successful
effort to reject the whole number
of trustees whose names had
been that day nominated to the
senate for confirmation. Follow
ing the rejection EN- MAssE of the
trustees first named, and the &C
ton of the governor, after consul
tation with certain friends of the
measure, in promptly nominat-
ing and sending to the senate the