Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-10-02
Education made Odious.
TooNTINUnD PROM Last WEEKS PAFEl


This act fixes a stigma upon educa-
ton It singles out the occupation OF
the student, and makes it per Sc a dis
qualification for voting. It provides,
TO use its very language for chaIleDg-
ing a person offering to vote as IN
QUALIFIED ON THE GROUND that
he IS ia attendance upon, or that he caBle
into the tOs0RshiD > an lUhieh he
offers to Uote, to attend any school, Semi
nary > . or other lnstiEpttiOR of learn
lag." Now, why should the law pro-
vide for challenging the person as ''un-
quaIded'' on the ground that he is SO
occupied, unless its intention is, if the
fact be proven, to forbid his vote And
what reason or justice il there in ehal-
lenglng him on-the ground that he is
employing his time in this way, that
there would not be for challenging him
on the ground that he is making shoes,
setting type, eIerking in a store, or pur-
suing any other honorable vocation or
avocation? And why should person
be challenged on the ground that he is
attending school any more than be-
cause he is pursuing private studies, or
preparing himself under the instrue-
tions Of a lawyer, physician, or theolO-
gian for professional life E? 1t would
not do to say that in the one case the
voters residence is merely temporary,
and in the other not, for the fact that he is
connected with an institution of learn
ing no more necessarily determines
this question than that of his being en-
gagged in any other employment or busi-
ness. This is virtually acknowledged
in section of this act, which imposes
penalties for voting, upon three distinct
classes of persons: /, those who have
not resided in the township twenty
days; 2, those who have come into it
''for temporary purposes merely; 8,
those who have come to attend an in
stitution Of learning; thus clearly dis
tinguishing the latter class from tempo
rary residents. Ifthe voter is "unqual-
iied,n as this law assumes, on the
ground that he is at school, iE must be
simply because he is at school, that be-
ing distinct and separate matter from
the permanency or impermanency Of
his residence.
There are many occupations quite as
migratory in their nature as those of a
student, but of no other person does the
law determine the voting residence alb
solutely by his occupation, or the abode
Of his parents. A man who is engaged
in retailing liquors, for example who
came into the township for that pur-
pose, cannot be challenged as unq0ali-
fed on that ground, and if he resides
the legal period he can vote. But ifthe
same person had come to attend school
he would be liable to challenge on that
very ground as an incompetent voter,
and though he remained the same length
oftime as in the other case,or Longer, he
would be denied the franchise. It
amounts to simply this; Let him come
to retail liquors and he can vote; let
hin come to acquire knowledge ard he
cannot vote. Let him be a mere STROLL
ing gvagabond aud he may vote, but il
he were George Washing on himself he
must not vote, ifa student.
The. alleged necessity foKthis Unequal
ity is a mere pretense, and an unjust
reflection upon the young men of the
State. Why is such legislation amy
more necessary to prevent fraud on the
part Of the student than on the part o.
the retailer. Of liquors 2 Why should hC
who is occupied in the cultivation of his
mind be singled out as more dang
erous enemy to the parity Of elections
than the rum seller, the brothel keeper
or the professional loafer 1t will puz
zle the friends of this measure to show
that the acquisition of knowledge il
more fruitful of fraud upon the ballot
box than these occupations. If such {
proposition can be established, the pres
ent Legislature will deserve all the
merit of its first discovery.
Nor can there be an any more neees
sity for an act like this in the alleged
iDpermanence Ofthe students occupa.
ton than there is in its intrinsic nature
Aliens born in distant lands, may
whatever their occupation or condition
acquire all the rights OF American citi-
zenship in five years. The period ne
cessary for course of classical study is
seldom less than that. If, then, it is
permissible for the alien, who may
have changed his home many times in
that period, to acquire all the preroga-
tives of an American citizen-including
voting-in five years, why should it be
any less so for the American student
to the manor born, and having inteIli.
gence, culture, industry, and every
other qualification for useful citizen
This law degrades the pursuit of edu.
cation by virtually declaring it more
dangerous to the purity of the franchise
than other occupations. 1t has beer
shown that in effect it undertakes K
prescribe the qualifications of a certain
class of electors by imposing disablli
ties upon them. But the Constitution
itself declares what persons land NJ
others) shall be Ineligible to vote. I
says:
'sThe General Assembly shall have
power to exclude from the privilege O
voting or being eligible to Office, any
person convicted of bribery, PERU.
ry, or other infamous crime"
Totbese it adds idiots and insane per
sons, but nowhere gives the General
Assembly power to exclude any other
persons who have the qualifications il
prescribes. Now as this act undoubt-
ed1y excludes students from voting il
cases where any other class of persons
would be permitted 70 vote, and as tbs
Constitution expressly mentions thG
cases in which the General Assembly
shall exercise such power, the authori
ty to pass this act must have been de
rived from the power to exclude idiots
insane persons, and felons from th'
franchise, and students are placed on Z
par with these classes. Henceforward