New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-18
TIE UNIETELLIGENT VOTE.

Headquarters who, when the returns began 10
come in from the disputed States indicating
the election of Hayes, said it was a great
shame that the election of President of the
United States should be decided by the votes
of lot of ignorant negroes at the South,
spoke the sentiments OF great many sup
porters of Gov. Tilden. To the narrow and
partisan view 1t does seem too bad to have
the scales turn in so important question upon
the chances of an ignorant, unintelligent vote.
Aud in such cases the partisan view Is mainly
confined TO the ignorant masses that turn the
scale against him, and not to the ignorant
masses at his own back that weigh just as
much and are an equally potent factor in the
situation. 1t may not be amisS to consider for
moment the unintelligent vote OF the
country, its locality, its reason of being,
and its weight aud influence in cleo
tions. 1t is certainly stubborn concrete
fact in politics, and as such is worthy OF
something like philosOphic investigation ana
intelligent treatment. That the large negro
vote at the South Is mostly unlntelligent Is
unfortunately true. We do not need to dis
cuss the questions how and why they happen
to be in this condition of ignorance. We
leave ont of the case entirely the consideration
that the men who most loudly complain-and
with good cause, we admit--Of the hardship OF
being ruled by ignorant negroes are most 10
blame for that ignorance, and have only come
into their own inheritance. That is not to our
present purpose. But it is quite legitimate
to it to consider the reason for tlis
dense mass of ignorance having voice
aud vote and weight at the polls. III
these blacks are ignorant through the
fault Of those who now protest against unin-
teligent suffrage, they are for the same cause
in the endowment Of the ballot. The complain
ants made it necessary that they should have
the ballot for their own protection. There
was no other pretext for 1t. Leaving ont then
the causes of their ignorance. we say that
being ignorant they were only intrusted with
the ballot because the behavior of the present
compliments made that step absolutely neees-
sary as a measure of defense. There is then
a reasonable excuse for the admission OF the
ignorant Southern blacks To an equality TO
which under the test of intelligence he is not
entitled Being admitted, it would be the
merest mockcry of justice if the Government
which invested him with the franchise did not
! stand by him in exercising it.
But there is ignorance elsewhere than at the
South and among the blacks-ignOrance that
has not the excuse of resulting from compul-
sion, and that is not the fruit of generations
of oppression and bondage. You viii find in
all our large cities at the North ignorance
welded to deprayity; ignorance that has de-
libcratcly and of set and vicious purpose re-
fused to he lettered or enlightened; the igno-
rance that goes hand in hand with brutality
and vice that instead of being innocent and
helpless is instinctively and intrinsically bad,
destructive, and dangerous. Its neyhborloods
are marked and well defined, its centers noto-
rious. Ii reeks in masses III the slums, IN"
low wards of cities, the disreputable dis
tricts of large towns. il is a worse igno-
rance than that of the Southern blacks,
| for the mOrsel of intelligence in II Is ineyi-
| tably i'll directed aud daIkens rather than
llumines it. Here are ignorant voters for You,
| nests upon nests of them. And they vote too.
Not only vote but are active partIsans ard
they do not sickle at voting more than once
when they can do so with impruity. III it Is
too bad TO have Presidential election de-
cided by a lot of ignorant blacks at the South,
how Is it about having it decided Ivy this unin-
| teligent vote at the North I And this vote it
must be remembered has no such reason for
|
as weapon of defense; il is simply the instru-
mcnt OF scliishness, corruption. and crime. If it
| is too bad that ilIteracy turns the scale in
| a great election-and think it is-it is GER
tainly no worse, nor indeed half 80 bad. to
have it turned by the helpless and almost
harmless ignorance of the Southern blacks as
to have the white denizens of the slums of
| great cities turn it. And the unintegent
vote of the cities is az surely Democratic rs
that of the blacks is Republican. If Tiden's
| friend is so shocked AT the rule of ignorance,
he may read with profit some figures in his
| table of election returns to show that upon the
whole the Democratic vote will not stand q
| very searching analysis Here, for single
| instance, are the votes of New York and
Brooklyn, giving together over 10000 majority
| for Tden. Without them he would have
been in minority Of over 10000 in the
State, and defeated beyond even the ghost of
| doubt. And where in these two cities the
| Democratic votes come from is only too no.
tOriOus. Turn the question round. Look at it
| from the other side. Shall the voting popula-
ton of the Democratic wards in New-York
and Brooklyn decide the question of the
Presidency That has a different aspect.
The truth is, we have the unintclligent vote,
whether we want it or not. 1t is not an ee-
ment of safety or source of wisdom, but
such as it is we have to take it and get along
with it. There are great many things in a
popular government that seem unequal un-
| Just, and unreasonable when considered sepa-
ratcly from their relations with other parts Of
the system but upon the whole the machine
works quite as well, and with as little friction
and little injustice, as any that has been
| inNnnfnI Ihn IlDhIS fnirl,, nj