Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-09-18


tervals, and drowning the exercise
OF calm judgment. we should fnd
the people engaged in well directed
efforts, prosecuted from year to wear,
for the spread Of needed information
throughout the country Having an
intelligent apprehen sion Of their du.
ties, they would no more cease their
political endeavors than they would
cease like efforts in the cause OF
tracts and missions.
That existing methods Of political
enlightenment are insufficient is
proved by other and kindred consid
erations. ! might refer to the grow
ing prevalence of mobs in our coun-
try. especially in our large cities,
and the frequency of lynching in our
Southern and Western States. Who
can call TO mind the horrid scenes
enacted during the last few years in
Louisville, Baltimore, New York
and other cities, by lawlcss hordes
Of ruffians without rejecting that po-
litical power has been placed in the
hands OF multitudes who are unit
to use it, and who have no Just idea
of government rs the protector of
right and the avenger OF wrong
Who does not see that DR.. Claiming
was right in say ing that "a system
of education should be established
in a republic for the purpose of ma
king suffrage uniyersal-that is, for
the purpose of qualifying every
man to be a voter" "One of the
principal objects Of our public
schools" says he, should be to
train the young Of all conditions for
the duties Of good citizens, to furn-
ish them with the necessary knowl-
edge of principles for the judicious
use of political power But 60 to
our census returns, and you will find
that we have in Indiana more than
seventy thousand white persons over
twenty one years OF AGE who can
neither read the Constitution nor
write their names; that New York
has over ninety thousand; North
Carolina about seventy-four thou
sand; Ohio over sixty one thousand;
/ Tennessee about seventy seven
thousand; Virginia seventy-seven
thousand, and Is kentucky nearly sixty
seven thousand We have, in all the
States, nearly one million. Deduct
ing one half for females, and we
have left five hundred thousand rs
voters And can we regard our
country rs safe, whilst an army Of
ignorant men, FIVE hundred thous-
and strong, is annually marched to
the ballot-boX, freely participating
in the great act Of sovereignty?
Should not such spectacle excite
the alarm of every right thinking
man, and inspire the most vigorous
efforts to educate this great multi
tude? / do not say that ifthey knew
how to read and write they would
ndcessarily become good citizens
sfss.S{lps ,9xNcation, in its ordi-
:, nary sense, haElel,Raptly compared
. to. the alphabeyfk kSends on how
fmfn ussit: EdtIc<6oress popularity
is ns.a9sssute sesxi!y
NOTICED one Of tie best edgested
countriesjn the world and yet,~'lib-
erty is therqan OUTLAW 'fThe neces-
ity of yolttdI e,&acation, is the very
point l am urging; and4-only refer
to osr census tall-StQ prove, that if
we have a half million of voters thus
ignorant of, the very rudments of
knowledge, they must Of course be
untaueht in their civil duties. Nor
do | say ] would withhold the ballot
box from them, because as already
observed, its possession viii help to
make them worthy oft, and because,
in the language OF a very learned
man, ''to wait before yoa bestow
liberty or political rights til the re-
cipients are fit to employ them arie ht,
is to resolve not to 90 into the
water till YOU can swim. Let the
right Of suffrage be extended, rather
than restricted. bot let US see to it
that those who are intrusted with the
guardianship Of their own and Of our
welfare, shall he specially educated
+ for so responsible a trust. Give the
ballot, and give the knowledge to
use it wisely, but do not insist upon
universal suffrage, without universal
knowledge.
IcoNcLUDED MKT vEEK.