, 1866-11-15
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER Is. 1866,
EDUCATIONAL SUFFRAGE.


EDUCATIONAL SUFFRAGE.
The proposition Of the Chicago Tine. to
adopt impartial suffrage upon the basis Of
education, such as Is the rule in Massachu.
setts, under which NIL men, white OF black,
who can read, may vote, deserves conside,a-
tion only because that paper declares that
the Democratic party North will agrce to
that rule, and that the South will accept it
upon the motion OF tue Democratic party.
This involves two preliminary questions:
]. VIII the Democratic party unite in de-
mandfng that the South shall adopt its
2. Will the South, upon the motion Of the
Democratic party, or under any circum-
stances, accept such basis of suffrage.
We confess to an utter want of belief in an
affirmative answer TO either question. While
our hopeis strong that the acceptance by
the 7ime* Of negro suffrage may become gen
efal In the Democratic party, VIC want some
proof Of the fact beyond the isolated case Of
one newspaper. That question, however,
Will be speedily answered. 4 Democratic
State Convention is to be held in January in
Ohio, and VIC will then sec whether the abo-
lition Of all distinction Of calor in political
privileges can receive official endorsement at
the hands Of that party in any State. Lear.
Ing that peint to be determined By time, We
propose to give some reasons why VIC do not
believe the South would accent au cduca-
tional basis under any circumstances, or upou
anybody's motion.
Al the Presidential election in 1850, the
fifteen Southern States, and By thut tcrm VIC
describe tlc then slaycholding Statca, pollcd
in the aggregate 1,323, ,0S5 votes. THIS In
eludcs an estimate Of 5000 for the State of
South Carolina. By the census of the same
year, the total number Of adult whites in
those States who could mot read or write was
9,G71. of which number there were 2l9. .49t
males. Since 1SGO six years have clupscd,
during which the schools Of the South have
been comparatively closed, :rd the scholAs-
tic exercises of the youth of both sexes have
been neglected to much greater extent than
before the war. Will the South accept rule
limiting the right of suffrage, which will ex-
cluuc IRON the polls onc-sixth of her whole
white male population, and ndmit in their
places a corresponding number Of blacks.
During the six years that the whites
Of the Sonth have shut up their
schools. tho blacks have been busy
with the primer, the slate and the
reading book. This has been especially the
case among the male blacks who have served
in or followed our army. The proposition Of
the Chicago Times must necessarily be more
rcpulsivc 10 the Southern people than uni
yersal suffrage, because the latter merely
gives the negro the right of voting, Will.
the former, III placing tho negro on an equal
ity with the whites, excludes from the poll ).
one-eixth Of the present white voting popu.
lation Of these States.
To accept such o standard RI the cxercis.
ofthe rit ht Of suffrage. is ~ place the near,
not only On nn equality with the whites, but
in every case where he can read it recognizes
superiority over :thc white men who have
not that qualification. viii the South con-
sent voluntarily to negro suffrage in any form
or shape: We do not believe she will, but
whether she will or will not, no consent will
ever be given to any rule which will brand
any portion Of her people with iuleriority to
the negro, or deprive men who have hithcr-
to been voters Of that privilege. Shall d
veteran who can boast Of four years service
In the Confederate esmy be Obliged
to give way nt the polls to a
negro who has mastered knowledge
Of reading nnd writings Shall q Confederate
soldier, who lost leg at Gettysburg or an
arm at Chicamauga, be turned from the polls