Year: 1872

Mr.. DunneIl-The proceeds Of 50
much as may be sold.


Mr.. Butler TENNESSEE spoke In
support of the bill, and got into con-
trOversy with his colleagues, Garnett
| and Wright, as to who stole the school
funds of Tennessee. He declared
that the Democratic rarity had stolen
three millions of 1t and the Republi-
can party only three hundred thou.
sand dollars.


Mr. Garnett asked when was that?


Mr., Butler-It was when you were
a member of the legislature and were
expelled from it. Laughter.


Mr.. Blair tMiehiganl expressed his
appreciation of the bill and said it was
perfectly fair and equal to the whole
country.


Mr.. Garnett said that the statement
that he was expelled from the legisla-
ture was wilfully false, aud that Mr..
Butler knew it TO be false. Calls to
order.


MI. Coburn spoke in favor Of the
bill, and in reply to Mr.. Kerr's speech
Of last Friday, particularly as to the
source from which the school fund of





the Democratic party had anything to
do with it. II the Democratic party
of Indiana had done anything in the
matter, 1t was to bresk down the sys-
tenn under which that school fund was
accumulated. The Democratic coun-
ties of Indiana were the most ignorant
counties of the State. While he was
in favor of the bill generally, he was
opposed to the mode Of distribution
according to population He would
have the fund distributed in direct
proportion to the illiteracy of the
State, and in inverse proportion to
the amount of school property and
funds which State possessed. The
States which had the least school prop
erty and the most iliteraey should
have a greater proportion Of the fund.
He offered an amendment to carry out
his views.


Mr.. Harris Virginia., opposed the
bill IS it was step toward the sys-
tenn OF Capitalization and of submis-
sion to a despotic power; he opposed
il all because it undertook to force on
the country a mixed school system.


Mr.. Storm opposed the bill, and Op-
posed particularly any amendment to
it which would restrict it exclusively
to schools conducted in the English
language.


Mr.. Garfield disdained from utter
ing the idea that the bill proposed
any governmental control over the
schools, it only required reports as to
what is done in them to be made to
congress; and the publication of these
reports would awaken an emulation
between the several States. He cor
daily supported the bill and hoped it
would pass.


Mr.. Stevenson Ohio said he would
prefer to vote money out Of the public
treasury for the purpose of education
in the South, but he accepted this bill
as step in the right direction. He
believed in the policy Of taking what
he could get for school purposes.


Mr.. Shanks declared himself in IA
vor OF the passage of the bill, though
he would not favor the sale of public
lands under it, thus taking them from
the homestead settlers.


Mr.. Dawes advocated not the de-
tails but the general scope of the bill.
He wished that the unoccupied acres
of the public domain were by this
bill consecrated for such a good and
noble purpose. They should see to it
that those who had been clothed with
the ballot in the South should have
the means Of casting the ballot intel



The debate was closed by Mr.. Pierce,
who defended the bill and its details,
and expressed his conviction that the
whole fund would be permitted to go
where it was most needed-to the
Southern States.


The first question was on Mr.. Nc.
Neely's amendment putting printers
ink, type metal and printing paper on
the free list.


One objection of Mr.. Hoar to the
amendment was ruled out Of order as
being a revenue measure which must
first be considered in committee of the
whole.


The vote on the bill and pending
amendments went over until to-mor-
low, and the house adjourned.