Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-03-11

public will be certain and remediless. The
census has already sounded the alarm in the
appalling figures which mark how dangerously
high the tide of illiteracy has risen among oar
voters and their children.
To the South this question Is ofsupreme i'm
portance, but the responsibility for the exist
en.sof slavery did not rest with the South
alone. The nation itself is responsible for the
extension of the suffrage, and is under special
obligations to aid in removing the illiterscy
which it has added to the voting population.
For the North and South alike there is but enc
remedy. All the constitutional power Of the
nation and of the States and all the volunteer
forces Of the people should be summoned to
meet this danger by the saving influence Of
universal education. 1t is the high privilege
and sacred duty of those now living to educate
their successors and fit them bv intelligence and
virtue for the inheritance which awaits them.
In this bens6cent work sections and races
should be forgotten and partisanship should be
unknown. Let our people find new meaning
in the Divine oracle which declares that "a lit
tic child shall lead them for our little child
rem will soon control the destiness Of the re-
public.
This is ~ we have said is An intelligent
and almost fair statement Of this ques-
ton. 1t is net an entirely fair statement,
however. While the President might
have been expected to endeavor to excuse
his party for the great evil it has for the
attainment of partizan ends, visited upon
the Southern communities OF our Union
by turning loose upon them such terri
bic menace to their liberties as is found
in the great maze Of enfranchised ignor-
ance to which he alludss, yet, the apology
that "undsr our institutions, there was no
middle ground for the negro race between
slavery and equal citizenship, will hardly
he accepted as sufficient justification Of
his party's course. Our constitution con-
templated the negro race in the capacity
of perpetual slavery, and only rec"g
nized its right to live in this country
in that state. When therefore the
Federal Government. acting upon the
emergency and supposed justification
of a civil war. determined to emascirate
this race. an intelligent statesman like
Mr.. Garfield, looking from an impartial
standpoint, could hardly see anything re-
puquant to our institutions in requiring
this race to first become, to some degree
at least, qualified for the great republican
privilege Of elective franchise, before in
vesting it herewith. No one commended
for a"psrman.nt di.franchised peassntry.
All that was asked was thae these people
should be in some measure, qualified in
point of intelligence for the elective fran
chise before they were enfraschissd. Mr.
Garfiel.ls admission that "the nation 1t
self 10 under special obligation to aid in
removing the illiteracy which it has added
to the voting population" goes to prove
the culpability Of those who controlled
"ths natica" in precipi,atsly thrusting
this great privilege upon these ignsran'
voters. 1t is impossible to shin upon the
popularity Of our institutions this m"'s
culpable piece of political trickery, though
We would not expect the President to be
as frank ~ another intelligent Republi-
can, who said the eniranchisement OF the
negro was - monster born Of party neces-
sity and political insincerity."
1t Twill be with pleasure, however, that
all will observe the rational and consider
ate spirit with which the President treats
this auestion, and the intelligent aPPre-
citation Of the present situation in the
South, which his message evinces. gives
u every assurance rsat, wuatever may To
the pressure brought to bear upon him.
the new President will never be induced
to resort to the brutal and fragrant usur
pations Of Grastisn in his conduct to-
ward the South. Az We have said on a
previous occasion. We think that the ad-
ninistration will find throughout the
South . cordial co-eperstion among her
representative men in the most necessary
work of educating the newly e.frsnchised
race up to an understanding Of their pre-
ma,urely conferred right Of franchise: ~
all intelligent Southern men must AID do
recognize that this 10 the only means OF
escape from the terrible evil which Re
publican knavery has visited upon Us. II
the present adninistration viii emily adj
dress itself to this question with sincere
purpose Of qualifying these people a. vo-
tiers, and abandon the previous efforts of
the Republican party to retain the whole
negro population - Republican vs'ers.
(Which has been the damning feature Of
all the Federal legislation in reference to
the Solth since the war; AID confine it
self a. the President says it will do, to
"acting always within the authority and
limitations of the constitution, invading
neither the rights Of the States nor the re-
served rights of the people" we hesitate
not to predict that, before the expiration
Of the term for which Mr.. Garfield has
been elected, he will have the satisfaction
of knowing that "the free enjoyms OF
equal suffrage will be no longer in ques
ton"
The address speaks in unmistakable
terms upon the question Of finance. 1t
says the present issues Of United States
notes have been sustained by the necsssi-
ties of war, but such paper should depend
for its value and currency upon its con-
venience in use and its prompt rsdemp-
ton in coin At the will of the holder, and
not upon its compulsory circulation. 1t
possible, such An adjustment should be
made that the purchasing power of every
coined dollar will be exactly equal to its
debt paying power in all the markets Of
the world"
The President csnmends the religious
freedom granted by the constitution, but
thinks the Mormon church in some Of the