The Kanzas news., 1857-10-24
Unadulterated Democracy.

The fact, established beyond dispute, that
the majorities for Buchanan at the late Pres
iGential election, were almost universally
confined to the most vicious and least en-
lightened portions of the country, has very
naturally led some of the 3'Democratic'
leaders in Illinois and other places to con-
slider of their latter end, and what shall be
done to preserve their ascendancy in the fu-
ture. The Belleville (Tllinois) AdvOeate
gives report of a meeting of the ''Democ-
racy'' of that county, at which a committee
was appointed to take the subject into con-
sideration An extract from the report reads
as follows:
''Your committee beg leave to report that
it has had under careful consideration the
subject of the perpetual enjoyment of the
offices and patronage of the General and
State Governments Your committee is
unanimously of the opinion, that the very
life of the Democratic party depends upon
the patronage of the Government, and that
without it, its organization and efficiency
could not be maintained three months
Profoundly convinced of this truth, your
committee would respectfully suggest that
common schools, general education, and
newspapers, are inimical to Democracy; and
that it behooves the Democracy to crush
out these its most formidable foes. In proof
that common schools and general intelligence
are antagosnitic to Democracy, your COM
mittee would call your attention to the fol-
lowing facts, which have been partly gath
cred from the census of 1850:
Eleven States voted for Fremont. In these
States there are 43, ,O93 free schools, 81 ,913
teachers, and ,990, ,901 scholars.
Nineteen States voted for Buchanan
In these States, there are only 37,019 free
schools, 1929 teachers, and 1897, $3.50
scholars. The eleven Fremont States have
public libraries, and 795,608 volumes;
while the nineteen Buchanan States have
only 393 public libraries, and 529, ,552 vol
umes.
But the common-school libraries are en-
phatically the libraries of the masses. Here
the children are corrupted, and become es-
/ tranged from Democracy. In the Fremont
States there are IL, ,8O9 common school Ii
braries, while in the Buchanan States there
are only $50. Where, your committee
would ask, would have been Democracy in
the late Presidential struggle, if the Buch-
anan States had been as well supplied with
common school libraries as the Fremont
States? Your committee find the number
of copies of newspapers printed annually
| In the Fremont States to be over 1O0, ,O05,
623. Finally, the number of persons ii
the Buchanan States who can neither reaC
nor write is TAO, 400 while in the Fremont
States there are only 249, III, leaving hall
a million In favor of the Buchan States
I The only apology your committee has t.
offer, for taking up so much of your time
with these statistics, is the great truth en-
forced thereby. They clearly show that de
mocracy cannot exist with common schools
common school libraries, newspapers, anC
the ability to read and write. That th'
rank and file of Democracy must have SOM
instruction, your committee has to admit
How this instruction is to be communicate
has been maturely considered by your com
; mittee The Richmond Enquirer, one O
the most influential of the Democratic or
gans, lately contained an article showing tn
great superiority of oral over written in
struction. 1t was clearly demonstrated
that not only the negroes, but the poo
: whites also were made very miserable an
unhappy by the ability TO read and write
: Many Southern dixines have also adde
their testimony in favor of the superiorit
of oral instruction. By this mode of In
struction, just the amount of intelligene
: necessary can be communicated, aud n
, more In fact, all that Is essential to b
known by the Democracy can be communi
: Gated orally from the stump. Discreet pei
: sons can always be found for the purpose;
who will confine themselves principally
S the absolute necessity of the Democracy
: voting the straight Democratic ticket, an
no other. To give variety to their speecl
e es, they viii dwell at length upon the int
: ligence of the people, the danger to be al
pretended from dissolution of the Uniol
!. the perfdious wiles of Northern fanatic
: the Hartford Convention, the old Unite
5 States Bank. and other kindred topics.
d By the adoption of this mode of instru'
!; ton, the people viii be saved from the trol
J, bic of thinking for themselves, and free
If from the necessity of reading newspape
s and consulting common-school hbra1es--
! For these reasons. and many that viii sut
l, gest themselves, your committee recominen
d that newspapers. books, and common schoo
II be discouraged, and oral instruction subsi
IS tuted.
Isl
a No man can be proyident of his tin
,l,x,s n fl,a OH nf n