The Shasta courier., 1867-11-23
Intelligence the Test.

A democratic government to be successful
must be thoroughly understood by the peo,
pie composing it. All despotisms are main
tanned through the Ignorance of the subject
hence. the despotic ruler opposes the educa,
ton and enlightenment of his people, that he
may make his government the more secure.
1t is unnecessary to demonstrate the impor-
tance Of education. Common sense approves
it and the proud position which our gov
ernment holds in the family of nations at
tests it, 1t is education that has made our
country an asylum for the oppressed of all
nations; and the freedom of four million of
slaves proclaim our educational advance.
ment; for the rebellion was the outgrowth of
popular ignorance, and popular education
was the means by which it was suppressed.
The tree of liberty cannot long flourish in
the soil of ignorance. If we would prosper
as a nation and perpetuate our glorious in
stitutions and maintain our freedom, the
safeguard of education must protect the bal
lot-box. The founders of our government
ought to have made education as essential to
the citizen as liberty itself. No man should
be allowed the privilege of suffrage who can
not cast the ballot intelligently. Ignorance
is the plant tool of political demagogues.-
The illterate man receives his instructions
from tho stump, ane his opinions are the
offsprings of passions, rarely, if ever posses
sing reason, because they lack that essential
ingredient, reflective thought We are in
favor of universal suffrage, hut first give US
universal intelligence and we are decidedly
opposed to the color Of mans skin being
taken the criterion by which to judge of
his qualifications an elector to make
such standard of judgment is to outrage
the very principles of our government. A
few statistics on the amount of ignorance in
this land offree schools furnish a subject for
reflection !; According to the census of 1860,
there were in the United States about half a
million of adult males, over twenty years of
age, who could not read and write. If the
entire voting population had voted at the
election of 1864, half million votes would
have been cast by men who could not read
and write We are apt to think that through
the influence of our free institutions these
evils will correct themselves but the statis
ties show that from 1910 to 1860, a period
of twenty years, the number Of illiterato of
twenty years of age rose from $40, ,G93, to
1918 .3l1, an increase of considerably more
than one hundred per cent. and, at the
same ratio, in fifty years from the taking of
the next census, the illiterate in the United
States, over twenty years of age, exclusive Of
the freedmen, will be 1880, 600, four
times the number with which the nation
commenced its career, nearly one-half the
total white population in 1860, and repro
senting voting force one-thrd greater than
the total vote at the presidential election in
1860; that is to say, over 5000, GOO voters
The good of mankind, the great interests,
and indeed, the life Of our nation may depend
upon cur presidential elections. Who, then,
in view Of this appalling mass of ignorance,
will deny that intelligence should be made
the principal test of the qualifications of an
elector? Is there not danger that our gov
ernment will sink in disgraceful anarcy,
without such restriction ?'-1lameda Ga
zelte