 The effect was to prohibit the use of public funds by any religious school , although it did not advance Grant 's other aim of requiring states to provide public education to all children . The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate . Although it never passed Congress , and left Blaine open to charges of anti @-@ Catholicism , the proposed amendment served Blaine 's purpose of rallying Protestants to the Republican party and promoting himself as one of the party 's foremost leaders . 
