The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-28
Tho pallOt.

An English correspondent OF tue MasS''
chusetts Bureau of Statistics, writins ''.',
ahon. convention societies and pohtico-soc'a'
o.,,o,,, with rctcrcnceto labor, says: "Ihe
..baIl0i to intelligent ana edncdfed c''f<e"S -
..ga ,srolun5le pr1r'ic9e; cut to ignorant me"
..,s !, ,;onocy6n< ,reopon. ,r'h ,nh'ch they only
tenure themselves and the con,n,nnltY." This
indisrutabie assertion has never found so
striking an illustration anywhere else on
Garth A. in the southern States of thi, L MON.
MANY hundreds of thousands OF men who
were lately slaves. and who were utterly in
competent 10 vote. were made voters 10y the
arbitrary? will of the people OF one part oil the
Union. They uSsed the vote "onl. I" IN
lure themselves and the community" the!
elected men to make laws who could ncltbcr
read nor write. and they elected other melf
who were noted for no better quali'lcat'oh
than that they associated with the ignorant
constituents. and were VIGOROUSLY dishonest.
These ignorant voters have thus corrupted
and icpravcd legislatures of States famed IN
r.>t times for the dignity and integrity of
their legislative bodies. which were never
accused OF bribery or corruption in single
instance in their whole history until they
were Invaded 10y the men elected under the
influence of this ignorant voting population.
Indeed. tho ignorant voter can only in ure
himself and the community In which he
lives, Bad government hurts everybody
ignorant and intelligent all fall under the
bad consequences of bad measures and waste
tut expenditure and robbery of the public
treasure.
The ignorant clement in constituency is
not confined in its bad influence to its voting
power, but its poison spreads beyond that
Uuscrupulous men that should not be trusted
are enabled to dri goon the better class Of
people into their support by threatening
them with combinations with the incompc-
tent soters TO defeat any of those who may
be nominated. if they themselves are re-
'ccted. We need hardly say that the in
stances are innumcrable amongst Us of the
nomination OF men under this threat and
the fear of defeat who could not. by any
possibility. be sent to the Legislature under
this way been elected by intelligent con-
>tituenciCS. who looked upon them with
aversion and would have been unwilling to
trust them in any tiduciary relation in which
money could he Incorporated or trust
neglected.
In this way the black leayen in our cleo
tive body has leavcned the representative
body most di>;,StrouSly. There * not a
southern State which has not mourned the
decline of her Legislature in all the qualities
which make Legislature diyuitied and
trusted. The northern people can never
compensate the South for the evil it has
fastened upon it by the untoward act which
injected 80 much ignorance and blind pas
sion into the constituent body of the south
ern States.
Our people who are intelligent and who
bear the public burthenS. and bear also the
hrunt of all bad legislation. appreciate the
importance of preserving a. far as is in their
power the integrity and caInbility of the
public administration. They are soon to
rally once more to the polls to defend their
Interests is best they may from the deStruc-
tive wave of ignorance mhich orr northern
f,How-c'tisenS have let loose upon us. They
will be traitors to themselves if they do not
rally IL one man to the public defence.
1t is hard that they should he thus re-
oured TO struggle against their late slaves
for the preservation of all that is valuable i'll
government and domestic peace. The COM
mon welfare and honor Of the nation-the
itself should have saved them from this sud
fate but none Of these considerations inter-
vened for their protection, and they must
bra,cly meet the situation, and like men aud
patriots endcayor to save themselves and
their State from its worst consequences.