The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1882-07-01
For the TINES
Manhood Suffrage.

lfgovernments are, as some able
and phllOsOphic statesmen have
announced, an experimental sci
ence, then ought the experiment
to be fully tested. Experiments
which at one time proved a sue
cess are often laid aside for new
ones less beneficial and often det-
rimental. We do not doubt but
that the science of government is
progressive, and each age or new
phasis of political life each demand
new ways for development, or new
paths to travel, or new departures
from the old ones. Yet change is
not always Improvement, and new
departures do not always select
the best and safest highways. Per
haps no other science has had so
many experiments or witnessed so
many pretenders, or nourished so
many quacks, or withstood so
many unskilled trainers. The
books that have been written, the
Espeeches uttered, political croeds
adopted, would make, if collected,
a large library; and perhaps no
other branch Of science could pro-
duce such worthless trash. This
free democratic country has added
its full share to this governmental
science, and yet the political mil
lennium is not yet. 1t isyet in the
future. The history of the past is
dotted thick with the tomb-stonet
of dead and buried nations. Many
fell victims to too much expert
menting, like France from tn,
meeting of the States-General il
1889 to the coming of the Man o
Destiny. Upon all the tombstone
there is but one uniform epitaph
"Died from internal corruption
and the decay of public virtue"
The last experiment in this sci
ence is manhood suffrage. This !
now on trial, and an enlightened
impartial jury would not hesitat
long in agreeing to the verdict
We believe thataas practiced il
this State for the past few years |
has proved a failure: not at al
meeting the expectations of tn
experimenters. 1t has given
more violent shock and encourag
moro doubts in regard to tn
theory of our form of government
than all other facts that has here
tofore darkened our political his
tory. Annual elections, MANHOOD
suffrage, sounds well and read
well in political addresses. TIL
sublime theology and sacred teach
ing as announced by the deseipl
whom the Gallilean loved, is sooth
ing to the heart, consoling to th
unhappy, and full of divine low
and promise to all; vet when W
read that the teachers of this llol
Writ sanctioned the horrors Of 81
Bartholomew's day, establlshe
the inquisition, sent Alva on hi
bloody missien to the Netherlands
we find a great interval betwee
the theory and the application
When the stern fact that a larg
majority Of manhood suffrage al
extremely ignorant, and many {
this majority are for sale TO til
highest bidder, how fearful of mi
chief it is. In towns and cite
there are yearly two election
held; one for the local offices, I'll
other either State, county, Co
gressional or Presidential. VIII
a fearful evil is this. The bribel
J. begins when delegates are sele
ted to the nominating conrentio
Persons who can control the mo
!. votes in that convention can d
mand and will receive large sul
for his influence. After the non
nation his services are aga
bought to aid in the canvass; al
then at the polls so many dolla
: for each vote he can poll. "
have been told that in some citi
in this State there are some ma
hood suffrages make enough mo
ey in this way to live in comic
and in vice. The papers public
proclaim that at the recent loo
election in Vicksburg there we
: at the polls voters who openly
+ fered their votes for sale to &
highest bidder. These facts a
notorious, and the evil is CROWN