Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1876-12-27
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have been accustomed TO refer 70 our
.'Constitution [" - the grandsst isstru-
msnt for the government Of . country
sver devised BY mortal . We have
been proud Of Il q guarantee OF hu-
man rights. Before its luminous glory.
the fame Of all other indictments Of the
kind have palsd in nj eyes. The
Union must and shall Be preserved. has
been syaonymous in our minds with the
sentiment, the Constitution must and
shall BE- preserved. In short, realizing
the fact that this document was the
mainstay Of our liberties. a. u certainly
has been in the past. ws have come to
idolizs Il; TO deem that IL 10 perfect. and
that any change made in II must DO for
tho worse. and cannot By any mean b.
for the better. We have come to look
upon in cardinal principles as an heir
loom from the great fathers Of the Re
public, from which the sacred dust Of
generations must not be brushed. and
under which the Rspablic must live or
die: must rise to glory OF fall into Oh
livion.
This sentiment Is In u ssnss q good
one. II IL well to remember aud revere
the memories Of the men who laid the
cornerstone Of tho grand structure
which We now inhabit. But II 10 well
also 10 remember that they lived and
laborel for their children nearly = hun.
drsd years ago. At that time We were q
small and struggling nation. Our wants
we're few; they could be comprised in
the one word-fro.dom. Personal
bltion held but little sway in tho land.
The one object OF the founders OF this
great republic was to secure to their
children and their childrsn's children
that most priceless OF all boons. liberty
Of conscience in religions matters.
aud tho right 10 govern themselves in
their own way. and according 10 the
dictates or tAsir 0xn Judgment. These
two rights were amply secured BY the
Consultation TO the country At that time.
We have a right to DO proud Of II. for
under no dvcuinsat OF the kind has ever
. State risen 10 the same proud promi.
men which We have attained under II
In the shor, space Of sishiy-nine years.
Hat AZ the years have rolled around.
NO have grown in importance a. . ma
ton. Our population has increased
vastly. and with the increase Of popn.
l,iion has come an increase OF lsgiti-
mats wants. Europe has sent to us the
surplus Of her people. Many Of thsss.
when they land ON our shores, are to-
tally ignorant Of the first principles Of
eur government. A few arc educated.
and whom the time arrives when they
can DO legally naturalixsd. are prepared
by intelligent study and observation to
bseome American citizens In every sense
Of the word. But W far the greater
number are Of the lower class. who
know nothing Of the science Of govern
msnt-vho are. indeed. driven from
their own country because they are too
ignorant or too lazy 10 earn an honest
living there. and who rome here simply
because they have heard Of . Republic
''far across the sea-" where they be-
lievs, not that q man msans q man. but
that . mau means money: In other
words. that the poor man 10 In every
respect the equal OF the rich man; that
there are no social distinctions. - we'll
ss no political ones.
This notion Is absurd. but you can
never eradicate u from the minds % the
lower class Of ~smigrants who have been
iiocking to this country for years and arr
still fioeking here. Il has caused great
trouble In the past. and is liable to cause
greater in the future. A poor man here
Is as good AZ q rich man 50 far ~ hi.
national rights are concerned. But this
Is all. lie cannot reasonably expect to
10 admitted into the society Of thoss
who eau spend more money than be can.
and therefore can sffori moro luxuriss.
We have no aristocracy Of caste here ;
bot We have an ~aristocracy Of wealth.
which every nation in the world has.
and above all We have an aristocracy o.
intelligence. which some nations have
not. This last aristocracy will be main
tanned wherever the conditions for II e.
ist. And Il is right that IL should be.
The men who framed the Constitu-
ton had mo idea Of tho vast influx OF
ignorance which was to come upon this
nation. Could they have forssssn Il,
seue educational qualification for voters
would most certainly have been incor'
poratsd in that instrument. II Ia not
just nor proper that the mar who can
neither read nor write. the man who has
not the least conception Of the spirit Of
our institutions. who really does not
know the difference between . Republic
and a monarchy. should have the same
right TO dictate the policy Of this Gov.
eminent as the intelligent citizen who
has made Rspubiicanism a study. aud
who deposits bis ballot at the polls NJ a
sacred duty. knowing and feeling that
upon that one vote may depend the fate
Of the nation 81 which be is . CON-
ponsnt part. The Constitution needs
amendment in this respect. We need a
clause declaring that no man Who can
not read and write shall be allowed a
vote. One hundred years Of bitter e.
ptriencs has shown Us that Ignorance
cannot rule = nation wisely.
But there Is another point even more
important than this. ON which the Con.