, 1875-01-21

Ignorant suffrage" mid JAMES PAXTON
Inst Sunday, :" is government by class ; and
government by cfass has been tried md
found wanting" III tho fnco OF tllis serious
faet,-noMo tho less serious beeauss n man
given to historical ro,nancng llas put it into
n fow woryls,--wo anl,tsing Americans arc a.
lowing ignorant suffrage 10 exist and to sap,
by existing, the very foundations Of Our Gov
erntncnt. We arc mixing every officer, Ito
rnatter wlnt his functions may bo, hold hiH
seat by The grace Of tho bailot-bo1, mud wo
nee patting TINT bnllot-hox moro and mora
into the power Of the gutter and grog- shop
Our very Judges havo to pick. tl.eir soiled
eriiline from the kcnucls where human dogs
riot. If tlis process goes on 1n1cl. longer,
wo shau live in the Diss,nitel States,-in Tho
States torn apart and into pieces by the dead
weight Of corruption.
Wheu compulsory education ahall llaso
made reasonable degree of intelligence uni-
ycrsa, universal suffrage may possibly be
sSfe. It is not safe now. Tho ballot is q
trn'st, created by tho state, given by the State,
and to to used for the benefit Of tho State,
not to be sold for the benefit Of the trustee.
The claim that 1t belongs 10 overy man be-
cause he has taken the trouble to be born and
to live is an absurdity. The community 1nay
rightfully require Of tho individual son,o
proof TINT he is fit to Use the ballot before
granting it to him.
Some political refonners would have this
proof consist in the possession of property.
Tho objection to this is, that it would intensi~
| fy tho bitterness Of feeling which already ex-
lists between the rich aud tie poor, and would
givo money tho power which should belong
| to mind. Moreover, such 0 prosiso invites
| fraud. 4 watch has been known to mako
| fifty voters. 1t might bo possible to attach
| different qualifications to participation in dif-
feycnt elections. Make grant Of money,
for instance, depend on the votes of tax
payers. Probably the best possible system
| Of property suffrage is that of Prussia, which
| gives every man u vote, bnt makes votes
count somewhat in proportion to the taxes
paid by the men who cast them.
! Another and 4 better reform would be TO
/ require proof Of intelligence. Taero are
difficulties connected with tllis. A 1nan can
be drilled in few days to repeat page or
| two nnd to write his nnme, and co}iusion with
| tho Board of Examiners can secure his being
called upon to read the very passage which
},o has committed to memory. In New
Haven, Conn.,, few yeara since, tho Demo-
cratic LEADERS, always knew beforehand the
section Of tho State Constitution which the
board would ask tho candidates for the suffrage
to rcad mud the candidates would rattle if OF
ut railroad speed, with noble disdain of the
fact that the book might bo upside down or
| opened by mistake at the wrong page. Still,
M honest Board can prevent such fraud.
Every voter should be required to sign his
ballot.
A provision of this general nature would
purify our politics by destroying the power
of tho men who now control for their own
evil purposes tho votes Of tho il1iternte. Tho
TwEEDs and the EuTLEns rise to power on
the shoulders Of the ignorant by using the
ignorant lnasses. Educational suffrage would,
moreover, spur men into study. It would
DO pnlpablo prize for knowledge.
The Acknowledgement of tho uueducatel
voters OF today is inatlvisablo as well
as iulpracticable. But a speedy date
should be fixed for tho resumption oi
intelligent and honest government by
declaring that on and attor such day every
applicant for tho suffrage shall provo his
ability to read and write and to give some
intelligiblo sketch of orr system Of govern
ment aud tho history Of our country.