The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-03-24

BE census 81 1870 shoW ae iot
lowing distribution OF iIiiterate.
Voting guia...u Il a. Ualsi sr.-.. ...5ls -.
- o.. ,.'....- - 49, 800
'-. e-f.f. siit-r1te f1t'-7 lu-5ett states c"
Per c-.lf. iiiit,r.llr sotrfs 81 . n te~.
Percent 90 tiratc vote. b.. Istt-- uft slave
Per III. iiiiterate vDflT5 fi S. tiruiiHr---- =.
Iitcr;lr Vrter~ iu southern states .,viIlaf a030so
iilteFate voters in s.'at.'esn -'a .epFd) si9tto
Commenting on this eXhibil
Judge Tourgee says:
From this table the following
facts Will be apparent:
/. The sixteen Southern States
contain about one-third Of our
voting population, and almost
three-fourths Of our illileracy.
2. Forty-fve per cent. OF the
voters Of the Southern States are
unable to read their ballots,
3. The illiteracy Of the South,
plus six per cent. Of its literate
voters, can exercise the entire
power OF those States.
4 If this illiterate vote be neu-
tralized, by force or fraud, a ma
jorito Of the intelligent voters, or
twenty-eight per cent. Of the en-
tire vote Of those States, viii
exercise their entire National
strength.
These States haveg138 electoral
votes, or, IL other words, they
exercise - per cent OF the power
necessary 30 choose a President
or constitute majority in the
House Of Repre- Sentatives, and
81 per cent. OF a majority III the
Senate.
BY reason OF their ignorance,
45 per cent. OF the yaters Of the
South are unable,
/. To know what is their polit-
zeal duty.
?. To be sure that their votes
actually represent their wishes.
3. To secure the counting Of the
ballots which they cast.
4. To protect themselves in the
exercise Of their ballotorial priv
fileges.
Judge Tourgee very truly con
cludes that "the question for the
nation to answer is whether it
can afford to have three-fourths
Of the power necessary to con
troll the governments exercised by
either ignorance, riud, or vic.
lence."
The design of this article i.
said to be The suggestion Of 8
remedy for this iIIiteracy, and in
tidentalIy the consideration OF
the proposition now before Cor,
! gress to devote the fund derived
from the sale Of public lands t.
the purposes Of general educa
ton"
That view OF the case, doubt
| less, has its merits, but there j:
another conclusion which il
equally inevitable and porten
tous. Twenty per cent. of The
| power Of this government is exer
| cised in absolute ignorance Of it
principles, as well as in ignorance
of the particular issues atstake II
each election. Twenty per cent
of the total vote far exceeds the
| average majority of the success
| full candidate. Therefore the vote
of the blindly ignorant (to SAY
nothing of the mass Of the very
slightly educated, who are nc
classed with the above mention
ed ''illiterates" Though thei
/ knowledge Of affairs and of prin
ciples is little, if any superior) i
sufficient to decide every nationa
issue presented to the people
| One consequence, therefore, 0
manhood suffrage" is that the in
telligent vote may be largely il
/ favor Of one candidate while tn,
other candidate may be elected
by the ignorant vote. Under sucl
circumstances, manifestly, intelli
gence does not prevail; Ignorance
prevails. This raises tls.Ner,
| important question: Can faere b,
any circumstances in a countr,
/ whore universal suffrage pre- walls
! in which it is reasonable to pre-
sume that the intelligent vot,
! will prevail against this tremen
! dous margin Of ignorance? Ar,
! not these illiterate votes, unde
our system, the real depositar,
OF the will and power Of the ma
! ton? There appears to be no rea
| sonable justification OF negativ,
answer to this startling query
/ It's apparent that the intelligen
/ minority plus the ignorant vote
! viii always overcome the intelii
gent majority. That, again, beins
the case, universal suffrage doe!
not accomplish what it purport
| to accomplish, to-wit, the selection
of the fittest.