Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-02-10
LOOKING FORWARD.

1t is question of fstatesmanship to de-
eide what an educational qualification to
the prerogs:ive of suffrage should be.
With some it is held sufficient that the
applicant should be able to read ordinary
print, and to write his own name in a leg
ible manner. There are others who hold
these acquiiements to be insufficient, con
tending, justly, that the writing part of
the test is merely mechanical, and the
fact of being able TO read common print
ed matter no true index of intelligence,
which is the end sought to be gained by
prescribing an educational qualification.
In a certain sense this view is correct, it
often happens that there are unlettered
men who are better posted upon the mat
ters necessary to know to be qualified for
citizenship than others who have all the
advantages which education affords.
1t is evident that no test can be made
which will bear with equal force upon all,
but such is the inevitable nature Of law.
Yet it cannot be denied but we have
reached the uttermost limit to which lib
erality can 60 in the bestowal Of the elect
tive franchise, and whatever steps are
taken in the future viii have to be in the
nature Of an abridgment Of this right.
There is a division Of opinion as to what
the nature of this abridgment should be,
some contending for an educational-oth-
ers for property qualification. Either
one has reasons why it should be adopted,
but we think if either be made criterion
| it should be the one which stamps its
possessor as beir G gifted with intelligence.
ties essential to the accumulation of
wealth looks, to us as very negative
recon mendation. 1t is true that those
who have property interests at stake
have a higher incentive to range them
selves on that side which aims to secure
efficient and good government than those
who have not. But it is not alone prop
erty interests that make men good citi-
zens indeed, it is frequently the case
that those who are bound by family ties
alone are better versed in the science
of government than they whose minds
are given up to the cares Of busi-
ness. The possession Of property should
not in itself be criterion unless we 20
upon the hypothesis that "money makes
the man." Bat an educational test is
subject to no such objections, and the on
ly difficulty confronting US there is, "of
what shall the test consist"
AS the case now stands all, except
Asatlc's, are eligible to citizenship. No
matter how ignorant or how degraded,
the door to the exercise of the elective
franchise is open to all, and the vote Of
the unlettered poor offsets in the ballot
box the vote Of the citizen of culture, in
telligence and refinement. In a Demo-
cratic point Of view this is all well enough
one man is just as good rs another, and
where all are amenable to the law all
should be Untitled to assist in framing
the law. But it win not always do to put
theory into practice, the results Will too
often fail to meet the expectations.
Laws must be general in their applica
ton to bear as equally as possible on all
classes Of people, and to this end the
qualification to citizenship should be a
national one. Some such test will have
to be adopted in order to place the great
privilege Of the franchise in the form Of
prize to be attained only by those de-
serving fit. Experience is oft dear
teacher, but her lessons are lasting ones.