The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1882-12-07

NO TOIIlalCe aLCdCneS TO Guelr history. |
No party depends exclusively on
their votes. In the collision of
parties and races there is danger of
their sinking lower. unless church
house and school house, missionary
and schoOl-master are carried t..
their doors. Possibly, the Southern
States. by 4 strong effort, might. un-
aided. educate the white race.
I'm the late slave holding States
there are 2.025.567 colored people.
over twenty-one years Of aye. who
cannot write. These are grown men
and women, husbands and wives,
| fathers and mothers. | vas Il Con-
federate soldier. but no person in the
Western Reserve rejoices more than
do in the emancipation Of the
negroes. They. however, need to be
fitted for civilization. and citizenship.
and Christianity, Thoughtful men
at the Nor h contemplate this nation
al problem fro:a a distance. We
are enveloped by it, and are necessi,
tated to study it in all its bearings.
|
The mass of illiteracy at the
South constitutes a peril which
language cannot exaggerate. 1t is
a standing menace to free govern,
ment. 1t invites disorders AID ex-
cesses fearful to contemplate. II
evokes and emphasizes all the evils
Of representative government and
puts IN hazard all the benefits. So
much illiteracy is incompatible with
our free representative system. Ac.
|cidental and transient evils NAV be
endured. Montesquieu said that un
Ter bad government one abuse often
limits another, bat this concentrated
Ignorance reaches and vitiates the
very essence of our free government.
ignorant suffrage means universal
ruin. 1t enyenders and fosters
Bossism. It has emily ohteued reform
1t encourages un ,crupulous, irrespon-
Sible domination. 1t furnishes fit
field for demagoguism and party
tyranny and official knavery. Those
who use the despicable means to get
and maintain influence with and over
the ignorant rabble-who, like the
chief priests, Sur the multitude to
envy-cultivata those passions which
gave the ascendency. Appeal to
reason, Judgment, conscience, patriot
ism, being no longer a factor IN ele:-
lions. OF necessity there is a resort to
low instrumentalities. Money. whis.
key. secret conclave, race and class
F pre- judices and antagonisms, become
the vile means of success. At each
subsequent election, partisans and
aspirants and voters gravitate to a
lower deep and favor schemes more
o4rarian and anarchic. immortality
: deception and fraud become system
attic. and. in the ''auction Of popu
,arity.' he who pandecs to shameful
est passions ard motives is most
sure OF success. From prejudice and
: hate tie descent is easy and rapid to
Communism and Reputation. An
; Ignorant and infiamed p, pulace
without individual will. impervious
: TO argument and conscience, will
=.
, trampie on halowed traditions, multi
fy solemn engagements, and scout
state honor AMI national fidelity as
| a bau5le with as little pure hasiny
= power as the honor which excited
t'alstatf' S disgust. Thus the domin
S ion of majority becomes the de.
: potlsm Of a haady, corrupt and tu-
multuous populace, subservient tic q
|, Barrere Or a Danton. Fortunate i.
: he who has not seen. IN ''the lmult
: venality and intoxication Of an cleo
: tion mob.'' the high prerogative OF
y the elective franchise used without
: the vaguest knowledge Of the qualfi
e cations Of candidates, or of the is.
e sues of the contest. OR of the sacred
# ness of the privilege. Fox said ''tha,
d principle of representation is the
S best which calls into activity the
d greatest number Of Independent
n voters and excludes those whose
q condition takes from them the powe
:, OF deliberatlon.' An ignorant voter
: The slave of prejudice, the tool of :
e demagogue, does not understand
n what he blindly and recklessly uses
the personal and moral dignity o
e citizenship, nor enlarge his thoughts
It beyond hatred of one man and sub
= serviency to another. The ballo
n may, in some eases. be educatory. bu
= 1T is not per Sc catholicon for politi
J.. cal ills. In France universal suffrag
S was the willing ally Of official candi
Y dature and Napoleonic absolutisn
e and peridy.
: General reflections on the evil
}. OF llliterate Suffrage are of painful
> practical interest when applied t
u the South. A few non-tax paying
n illite rate voters of the same rae
IT mig ht be comparatively harmless a
g. the Importance of the votes would b
s. proportionately little.
IS "In Alabama, Louisiana, Mis5is
% sippi, North Carolina and South "a
le Olina one-half of the voting popul;
as ton cannot read the ballots they cas-
e In Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee an
l. Virginia, the number of illiterate
H. equals Or exceeds half the number {
m those who voted at the Presidentia
a. eiect on in 1870 Tn Gooroio Oui