The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-12

Early in the session of 1928, the legis-
lature passed a brief joint resolution i'm
structing our senators and requesting our
representatives to endeavor to obtain ap-
propriations of public funds by act of
Congress in aid of the public schools OF
the states respectively, ''on the basis of
illiteracy, the amounts to appropriate to
be expended by the states through their
superintendents of education
This resolution was intended to apply
to movement in the Senate of the United
States led by Henry William Blair from
New Hampshire. The promoter came
with a record unfavorable TO southern
traditions. He entered political office
early in life as a member of either branch
of the legislature of his state. He was
elected representative in Congress, served
TWO terms and thereafter served two terms
in the Senate. In all his official activity
he was a disturber Prohibition Of trade
in alcoholic drinks, regulation of finance,
regulation of labor and direction OF pub
lie education interested him.
In his first term in the Senate, Mr. Blair
offered bill known as common school
BILL" appropriating S105, 100000. The Sem
ate passed it, but reduced the sum appro-
priated to 81, 100000. The House rejected
it. That. was in 1885, the Forty-eighth
Congress.
With the persistency OF his New Eng
land stock, the senator renewed his
movement in the Forty-ninth Congress
1857. The Senate gain passed the meas
ure making the appropriation $3.50 ,0e0,
and the House again refused it.
The bill that passed the Senate provided
an annual appropriation for 10 years on
the basis of illiteracy: the first year s15,-
100000; the second year. $4,000, 900; the
third year $13,000,O0. An annual reduction
by one million would eXtinguish the ap-
preparation in a given time, say 10 years.
1t was not intended to displace or divert
in any manner the state educational sys-
tenn, but the purpose was to lengthen the
school terms and increase the efficiency.
In rora. the federal appropriation was
declared to be in aid of the State, the sew
eral territories and the District of Column
5ia. The schools so assisted must teach
sthe art of reading, writing and speaking
the English language, arithmetic, geog-'
raphy, history of the United States(D,
and such other branches of useful
knowledge as may be taught under local
law. Technical or industrial education
was provided for. In the states their own
school machinery would apply the appro
pudIloI IN the several territories, the
Secretary of the Interior would apply 1t
and in the District of Columbia the
United States commissioner of education.
Separate schools for the races were
alike to be benenciaries of the federal
school fund
The delegation from Alabama in Con-
gress divided on the Blair bill and the
Joint resolution Of the legislature in
dorsing ths measure Senator -Pugh and
oil fI,a fats Oaf fae hn
Third district anu Davidson of the Fourth
supported the BIN Senator Morgan re-
sisted with his familiar energy and abil-
tv. Representatives oates and Davidson
concurred with him.
Preparatory TO -nis last Blair bill the
Senate sent a committee of inquiry
through the states.f The committee sat In
Birmingham for several days. taking tes-
timony and studying the ground for re-
port Senator Pugh was a member and
sat with 1t In that town. *
1t was contonded that Alabama would