The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-01-09
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Wednesday Morning, January 9, 1867.
PORTLAND
Impartial Suffrage.

i Impartial Suffrage,
The Portland Press advocates an educat;o,o,
suffrage. would have no objection to this
if any way could be found OF offsetting the
millians OF voters in the South who cannot read
or write, and who, it is considered are not to be
distranchised, but are to continue to exercise
the privilege of voting, while none are to be
enfranchised, but those who can read and write
We do not see anything impartial about that
What we want, is to give perfect equality to all
men. We are not particular how this shall be
attained; but we do not want one man to have
any privileges that another in the same cir
cumstances is debarred from. We presume
the Press does not advocate the policy of dis
franchising those who have always voted,
because they cannot read or write. If not,
then you will have three or four millions vot-
ing at the South, while the black man must
wait until he aslearned what the white man
never would learn. This is not impartial. :
Machias Republican,. sss -t.r -
The Republican has here presented very
clearly and forcibly the strongest argument
which can be urged against the requirement
of an educational qualification for Southern
voters. The Republican does not object to an
educational qualification on general grounds,
but claims that In this particular instance, its
operation would be unequal The claim Is
strictly just. The requirement of such quail
ification at the South would exclude from the
polls large numbers of negroes, who have been
forbidden to learn the alphabet. Nobody Sc
riously proposes to disfranchise men who have
ever exercised tie electoral privilege, even
though these men, through their own neglect,
are incapable of reading the Constitution
which defines the government they partiallys
control The proposed requirement thus ex-
cludes certain men for no fault of their own
and admits others Notwithstanding their fault.
What makes the matter still worse is, that It
excludes many Of our friends and admits many
OF our late enemies on these unequal TERMS
The objection is very grave, ard we have no
wish to nnderstate it. ~ I'd
Z If we were legislating only for next year. or
for the next five years, the objection would be
fatal The operation of the requirement will
necessarily be unequal at first. But we are
not legislating for the present only. We are
laying the foundations of great and endur
Ing empire OF the people. 1t is necessary to
begin right. If moderate educational test
may fairly, nay, must in common prudence, be
required, as proof Of mans fitness to help
govern us all, when can we begin to apply it
better than now? Time will correct its ipe-
quality. To all candidates for the privilege of
participating in the government, the condition
will apply impartially. Those who are tempo
rarily excluded will rapidly fit themselves for
the franchise. We do not expect tie miilen-
mum until several years after the latest date as
yet fixed by the Millerite prophets the millen-
MUM will not perhaps come by reading and
writing alone; yet the diffusion of popular ed
ucation, of the elementary knowledge which
renders man accessible to argument. which
enables him to learn something of what ia
said on both sides OF the questions upon which
he Is called to act, assuredly will furnish the
best assurance of future peace and prosperitv
for this country; and no one measure will co.,
tribute more powerfully to this end than the
requirement OF an educational qualification
for voting. Whenever such requirement ia
made, temporary inequality will result. But
the inequality arises from what may perhaps
be esteemed too great leniency towards iQnor-
ant voters already enrolled, and furnishes no
excuse for extending the same leniency to 9th
ers. II the principle is right, we have now an
opportunity such as will never return, to en-
body it in our institutions. It is to be honed
that Congress will not allow that opportunity
to pass. bas, ,to aa.gi -aar.. ...sg sla..
y OF the Representatives and Senators from
Maine, only two have yet had occasion to
speak on this subject. Mr.. Morrill, has taken
ground in favor of an educational test. Mr..
Pike has taken ground against it. Neither
had occasion to elaborately discuss the mat.
ter Mr.. Pike, If one may judge by his casual
remarks, does not fully appprehend the posi-
tion OF his friends who would have all voters
read and write. "Let the negro,n he saws:
"have the same rights as the white man. and
be subject to the same disabilities" Certainly:
that Is precisely what we want. Mr.. Pike
continues, ''if men all over the country NAV
safely be trusted with the ballot when it Is In
white hands, know of no reason to appre-
bend danger when it is in colored bands.n-
But we do not believe the ballot may be safely
trusted In the hands Of large masses of whites
or blacks, unless the alphaber goes with it,
We have seen the poor whites of the South
manipulated by the cotton lords for years-the
North always divided by the wholesome con-
fict of diverse opinions, the South always
voting in solid column in the interest of
single class Politically the South is unit to-
day. We must have an educated South before
we can exnect to see men there q bpro intol
hsently acting with the two great parties
which society naturally developes. Conserva-
tism has controlled the South. Conservatism,
unbalanced by party of progress, has led the
South to destruction and imperilled the safe
ty Of the nation. The votes OF the ignorant
Southern population contributed to bring on
the rebellion, which their muskets sustained.
We cannot afford to run that risk again.