, 1866-03-23
The Intelligence Bn>l~ of Suffrage fer
WAlfex mud Hiackh.

IN yesterdays issue we gave ali extract
from M article in New York Tines advoca
ting qualified negro suffrage. In Its issue o.
the 18th inst. 1t returns to the subject, and
while stoutty opposing unqualified suffrage, :,
argues strongly aud warmly In Eror OF 90
'4nteligenee suffrage" for both whites and
blacks. The Times has not yet indicated
whether It will support an enabling act oi
Congress admitting the people Of the lately
Tebell{ous States to q participation In the
Government, On the basis Of t'Inte1ligcnce
Suffrage" nor has 1t stated whether Mr..
johnson can be induced to concur In such a
condition Of reconstruction. Tie Times thus
argues in behalf Of Intelligence Suffrage:
In the recent debate In the British Parlia-
mcnt on the Reform question, the member for
uull, Mr. Clay, presented proposition ior a
basis Of sulraEe, which excited much ntten-
tlon, but which the Ministry did not feel at
liberty to commit themselves upon.
lle urged tAat the franchise should be given
to al who could rcad, write and pass cer-
tain examination in arithmetic, and who DOG
scssed certain small amount Of property.
In some respects Mr.. Clay's measure w0s not
so broad as that expected from The Ministry
tor thirty dollar rental must include some
who can neither read, write, nor pass an
arithtnetica1 examination, though, on the
SLAt4 A@Aiat loAu5 ulruk PiSR eucl aQ G1Am-
nation who did not occupy even q cottagc as
tenant,
4" "1Ae proposition which has met with ut
least respectful consideration in England, Is
a straw showing how stronathe driil is now
,9oss ,n Great Britain to*ard Mde' popular suf-
The true and just middle eoursc in this
matter, It seems to us, Is to urge for the whole
community au u1STELL1aEScE-surrRAe that
Is, to sock to make the basis Of the right to
vote eserywheae the ability. for instance, to
judges Of elective qualification, In the Cousti-
tuition Of the United States, and to write
zones name legibly. Such q test could be
Recommended to every Southern Legislature,
to bc applied to every negro. and on his fill
ing the requirements he should be allowed
vote.
IA similar test should be established In the
other States for every future voter, (as twill
mot be possible 10 exclude present voters un-
der it, Such Law would Mt once shut out
In this city two-thirds OF the new voters In
such places as The FiTe Points, Water street,
the First Ward, Rotten Row, aid all the deus
, In MI our cisie5 the great proportion Of the
low, dangerous and vicious class; II would
exclude the children, as they grow m, Of
some Of our most degraded mountain dis
tricfs. unless they arc educated: 1t would
beside stimulate the poor and low every
a new drop to the bulwark OF our liberties
onr common schools md would transform
GcmaEogucs into school committees aud turn
primary meetings into primary schools. The
alphabet wou2d become Of more importance
than The hrogue to our ward politicians, aud
q acood teacher Of writing become as iu.iuen-
t!ai as Is now portcr-honsc keeper,
"Such provision at tho South would indeed
shut out for time the great mass Of the
blacks; but not long nor perhaps lnugcr
than il desirable. They learn last. It would
give Eew start To what has been 70 1anenta-
Lly de{ectivc-the popular education Of the
poor whites. and would tend 10 remove one
Of the causes Of tho late rcbcllion-southcrn
ignorance.
"The interest of the white class would he
immediately In educating its poor and de-
grnded members. The negroes would strain
every nerve to educate themselves and their !
children. There would be a competition at |
once in the primary education Of the two
rnces, 4 result the most desirable that could
be imagined tor the interests Of the Union. |
There might appear to be an Injustice In civ |
Ing suffrage now to ignorant whites and deny |
Ing It to ignorant blacks. But all that we can |
say is, that no legislation can Secure idea} jus.
lice; the whites have the Suffrage now
and the blacks have not; wo can
not impossible, to change existing clrcum-
stances. And the existence Of one mass Of L.
ncrnnt voters Is hardly q sound reason for
,rcatInr another. We would be glad to CT
,ludc The most ignorant. whites both North
md South, but VIC cannots therefore VIC must
Frovide for what, perhaps we can accom-
plish in the future the excluding all ikno-
ant persons OF whatever race or color. Even
he in elliscnce sufstnge is not 3 perfect basis;
,It the science Of craftsmanship l. to discov-
II the best thing practicable, and AS this has
1eep tried in this country, with good results,