The Portland daily press., 1866-02-17
Ignorance of the Southern Poor wbite.

~ Reading Matter on all -Four Pages
Ignorance of the Southern Poor Whites.
The opponents of the principle ofmanhood
suffrage, as applied to that large class in the
South recently transformed from the charac-
ter of serfs into that of citizens, draw their
most specious argument from the alleged ig-
norance of the freedmen, and present to us
direiul pictures of the consequences which
must result from placing the ballot in the
hands OF men so unfit to be trusted with its
Welghty responsibilities. The singular cir
cuhstance connected with this point-if we
may Judge by what we hear and read-is, that
tsnorahce lii the voter is only productive of
dahger when that voter happens to be black
The dullest and most imbruted fora;orer th.+
ever landed from an emigrant ship the most be-
nighted poor white" that ever ate CLAW and lazi-
ly slept with his dogs in the hot sun Of the Caro-
llnas is deemed safe depositary of this re-
sponsible trust, provided no shade of African
blood mingles in his veins. To put votes into
the hands of the freedmen will, we are told.
be giving political power to class so unfit to
exercise it that they win be sure to make
trouble; so it is proposed to leave the business
OF legislating for the true interests of Southern
communities, wholly in the hands of the "su-
perior race" That our readers may be able to
form some idea of the high degree of intelli-
genee and education prevailing among this
class who claim the right to govern not only
themselves but others, we give few statistics
which we find in the New York Tribune. Tbev
have been gathered, it is true, to illustrate a
different point, but they are none the worse
for our purpose for that reason. They are
drawn from the calculations of De Bow-es-
teemed the highest Southern authority-pre-
pared for the census Of 1850. The estimates
being made by those wholly devoted to the in
terests ofthe South and of slavery, it is not to be
supposed that the case is put more strongly
than the facts will warrant. Nor is there any
reason to believe that similar estimate made
to-day would show any improvement. On the
contrary, the cause OF education in the South
has gone backward rather than forward. this
inert and sluggish mass of the the poor white
population showing constant tendency to
sink lower and lower in ignorance and degra-
alton: "'~ '
In Alabama there were 33,992 adults who
could neither read nor write. OF this num-
Der 1921 were males and 2O,721 were females.
In Mississippi there were 13,528 iIliterate
adults, of whom 5597 were men aud 1881
were women.
In Missouri there were Se77s illiterate
adults, OF whom IA ,729 were men and 22,O49
were women. f
In North Carolina there were 9O49S. illit-
crate adults, of whom 29,33S were men and
81 ,33S were women. @ r1H
In South Carolina there were 1854 litter
ate adults, OF whom 5 AIS were men and TO-
PA were women. These statistics were nm
questionably made to order. Every one who
knows this State Is aware that these figures
must be far below the truth. -
In Tennessee there were 1868 illiterate
whites, of whom rs, ,795 were men and 49.6 ga
were women. II
In Texas there were 1858 illiterate adults.
OF whom 5,O22 were men and 5,561 were wo-
men.
In Virginia there were $500 illiterate
adults, OF whom IS 1856 were men and 43,135
were women.
In Arkansas there were 16,9S6 adults who
could neither read nor write-we will call
them illiterate ''for short"-of whom 6,7S1
were males and 10O64 were females
In Delaware there were 1O,1S1 illiterate
adults, of whom 4,736 were men and 5,445
were women.
In Florida there were 4, 4,129 illiterate adults,
OF whom 1 1852 were men and 2,277 were wo-
men. .s.
In Georgia there were 41,667 illiterate
adults, of whom 6,760 were men and 249O7
were women.
In Kentucky there were e9,7O6 illiterate
adults, OF whom 20,1 1856 were men and 4O,521
were women.
In Louisiana there were 24.e1O ilHterate
adults, of whom 10,880 were men and 1880
were women.
In Maryland there were 1887 illiterate
adults, of whom 1870 were men and 23,S99
were women. ti
From these totals may be deducted the free
colored adults, but they form so inconsider-
able fraction that they do not affect the re-
suit. For example, in Tennessee there are
but 1907 out Of the rs, ,619, and so on In sim
liar ratio, excepting in the case of Maryland,
where they constitute a little over one-half
LIN other words, there were, according to the
last census but one, no less than 56S,1S2 free
adults in the then slave states who could
neither read nor write What commentary
do these facts afford on this constant talk
about the dangers to the South which would
result from comforting the franchise upon the
ignorant freedmenl I'D 5000 .T
In contrast with these figures we ask our
readers to recall the statements, fresh in the
minds of many ofthem-lately made by Gen.
eral Howard in relation to the eagerness and
avidity with which the freedmen are availing
themselves of the very imperfect means of
education so recently placed within their
reach, hundred and thousands of grown men
having learned to read within two years, and
to judgefor themselves how long it is likely to
be before the emancipated race win become
the equals in intelligence and fitness for pow
er ofthose whites who in spite of all their ad-
vantages are even now SO little in advance of
them? M isslt.t.