Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-01-13

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State to the electors who were to vote
on my case the next day, that I was
for free ballot and a fair count. /
want to see the day come when that
will be SO everywhere, not only in
Louisiana, South Carolina, Florida
and Georgia, but in New York, Mas
sachusetts, Ohio and Indiana as well.
Let It he so everywhere. Let us ed
ucate our people, white.and colored,
up to the point where they under
stand the proper use of the ballot;
then let it be free to all, and let the
ballots be fairly counted when de-
posted. Having referred to the stFng-
gle that brought about the present
state of things, will add that, what
ever may have thought ofthe terms
YOU dictated to us, have accepted
them, and l have all the while advo'
Gated carrying them out in lstter md
in spirit in good faith, inpractlca as
we'll as in theory. Whenever The
whole mass of the people are ednea'
ted there is no danger in doing this.
Until they are educated there will be
impositions practieed upon ignorance
in every section of this country, and
probably in every State in the Ua-s
ion.
TIE "srRlcr coNsrRucr1oN' VIEW.
Sone obj .ctioa has been r'issa on
the constitutional question. l. has
been said that the States alone can
take charge Of this matter, that the
| Federal Government has nothing to
do with the edlcasion of the people
j'Well, under the strictest rules of con,
struction of the old State Rights
school prior to the war possibly that
was so; but we do not live under the
Constitution that we lived under then.
The amendments made at the terml-
nation Of the struggle have very
greatly enlarged the powers OF tins
Government, Again, 1 think, the
constitutional objection cannot apply
to this bill, for the reason that it is
mainly a proposition to dispose ol
the proceeds Of the public lands, and
so fer as those proceeds are concer1-
j ed there never has been time when
the Government did not have the
right to dispose u them. AS ial
back as 1885 there was law passed
for the distribution Of the surplus
funds in the treasury, and in 1871 te
distribute the net proceeds of public
lands, the Congress recognizing th'
fact that they belonged to the States
Then in the organization of new
States and Territories large amount
LOT the PUBLIC domain have been sc
: iis.5'71ss---.----e nsa-of- COLLEGES ant
schools there. recognizing the powe
5 CT Congress to use a portion of tn
t land for this purpose.
: Then. again, the act Of 1862, =
which I have been speaking, whicI
( appropriates certain amount OF tn
: public lands in aid of agriculture
colleges, is another uae Of the publ
e domain for that purpose which ha
not been objected TO-. After all tha
has been done, why should we not no'
e appropriate the future proceeds OF tn
4 public Ia nds and the Patent Office t
? this sacred purpose?
y But believe there is another pre-
e vision OF the Constitution that Ina
g have some bearing here. "The Unit
J, ed States shall guarantee to ever
: State in this Union Republican forr
s of government" is the language {
/. the Constitution. If I be right j
y the position l took in the commence
i ment Of this argument, that this gc'
e ernment cannot be perpetuated as
" republic without the education of th
y whole mass Of the people, then to al
l. propriate money for the education
% the masses of the people would be
's better mode of guaranteeing a RI
: publican form Of government than
n undertake to make guarantee h
st the use of the army and the sword.