The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1881-01-14

many that they would rise in insurrectior
aud soon disband our armies. They ut nc
time ever behaved with more loyalty to us
or with more propriety. Since the end o
the war, when, as we thought, you very un
wisely gave them the ballot, they have ex
ercised the rights Of freemen with mod
craticn that probably no other race woul,
have done. Therefore, sag it is our dut,
in the South especially. aud 1 think your
in the North as well, to encourage them, an,
as they are now citizens, to elevate theu
aud make them the best citizens possible.
/ THE CAUSE OF ILLITERACY.
Hat M ! stated a while agn, Lhnxe give
1 you . reason Why there is ar 10. vast 'pre
ponderance OF illiteracy now in our section
1t is not only due to the fact that we did
not have the common school systems in the
Southern States prior to emancipation. but
that the four millions Of freedmen were ad.
ded to our population as citizens there with
ont education,< Then we must appeal to you
not only now but in the future to be liberal
towards the South in aiding in the education
Of these people. know there have been
complaints that they may have been cheat
ed In some instances at the tallot.box Ig.
norance may be cheated anywhere. Doubt
less, Senators, you have seen the more ig.
norant class cheated in YOUR own States
Ii you would guard against this effectualIy
IN the future, educate them; teach them to
know their rights, and, knowing them, they
will maintain them.
It's necessary to educate them, further.
more, for tho reason that they do not now
understand, rs ignorance does not 1ywhere
understand, the theory aud form and spirit
OF our Government. Education will enable
them to understand it. We must give it to
thcm. We must teach them what is the
nature OF tho Government, what are the
principles of the Constitution of the United
States, aud, now that we all agree that it is
to be perpetual in future, we must teach
them to love the Union and to be ready to
stand by and defend it, and | believe the
senators from New England will agree with
me when say We must teach them also that
tho Union is union of States, and that we
must not destroy the States. When the
States arc destroyed there is no longer the
Union OF our fathers. As the Union is to
be indissoluble the States which form the
Union-and without which it cannot be
maintained--must forever remain in lcstruct.
iblo, and they must continue in the exercise
OF all the reserved rights which they now
HpaRf sba saaa1itsii8p aa i y'aRYs RYhs
States. s
THE NEED OF EDUCATION.
Therefore, it is necessary To teach all cit.
izens' white and colored, and to teach their
children, the Importance of maintaining
Republican institutions in the purity in
which they originally came from tho hands
OF the trainers Of our Constitution, and to
maintain the ballct-box in its purity also.
announced in my own State to the cleo
tors who were to vote on my case tho next
day, that was for a free ballot and q fair
count. want to see the day como when
that will be so everywhere, not only in Loai.
s'ana, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia,
but in New York, Massachusetts, Ohio an d
Indiana as well. Let it be so everywhere.
Let us educate our people, white and color.
cd, up to the point where they understand
the proper uso of the ballot then let it be
free to all, and let the ballots be fairly
counted when deposited. Having referred
to the struggle that brought about tho pres.
ent state Of things, | will add that what.
ever | may have thought of the terms
you dictated to us, l have accepted them,
and l have all the while advocated carry
ing them out in letter and in spirit in good
faith, in practice as we'll as in theory
Whenever the whole mass of the people are
educated there is no danger in doing this.
Until they are educated there will be i'm
positions practiced upon ignorance in every
section OF this country, and probably in ev.
cry State in tho Union.
THE "sTRIcT CONSTRUCTION" VIEW.
Some objection has been raised on the consti-
tutional question. II has been said that the
States alone can take charge of this matter, that
the Federal Government has nothing to do with
the education Of the people. Well, under the
striciest rules Of construction of tho old States
Rights school, prior 10 the war, possibly 80; but
we DO not live under the Constitution that we
lived under them. The amendments made at
the termination Of the struggle have very great
~ enlarged the powers Of this Government -
Again, think, the constitutional objection can
not apply to this bill, for the reason that il is
mainly proposition to dispose of the proceeds
OF the public lands, and so far as those proceeds
are concerned there never has been time when
the Government did not have the right to dis
pose OF them. As far back as 1886 there was
law passed for the distribution of the surplus
funds in the treasury, and in 1871 to distribute
the net procesds Of public lands, the Congress
recognising tho fact that they belonged to the
States. Then in the organization Of new States
and Territories large amounts Of the public do
main have been set apart for the use Of colleges
and schools there, recognising the power of Con-
gress to use portion Of the land for this pur-
pose.
Then, again, the act Of 1862, of which have
been speaking, which appropiates certain
amount Of the public lands In aid of agricul-
tural colleges, Is another use Of the public do
main for that purpose which has not been OBJ
jected 70. After oil that has been done, why
may not we now appropriated the future proceeds
Of the public lands and the Patent Office 10 this