New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-23
ATALK WITH MR.. WEED.
a,s OPINIONS on UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE AMI NV
CATION.

HIS OflNiONo O%N
,,.ba oourse of n conversation with lhurlo"
NJ M his house In Twelfth-str lust peloIe '"'
sickness which has terminated IN MS oeatn, ",'o
tion was called to q communication whlch nav az
,eared in The TRIBUNE, entitled, Na''on"i ~
eracv.D from Edward ii. Ammido"n' Oh "oiii'
town \. j., in which he refers to speech u
Senator Blair. in the Senate, on June To- upo"
"Fducation in the States" The following points
flOm sir. Blair's speech, as commented upon "
Mr. Ammidown, surprised Mr. weed greatly 80,
Tyrst-Tnata sudy o. Ourre recent census compaIeo t
a.. resuts of progress in education abroad SHOWS tnS
uithn twenty-five years. unless We auNaIoe, ober
he Tar behind the English speaking race III any siCe
psrt Of the world That this is not due to an ehense
immigration Ilitera'e people, because tle ad of m
coming shores to-.la! are OF the s"ne N"N - -
ieNigCnce general population. oors can read
and Wrc tnese qualifications are to ia'c eA'ei', 10
ina sufficient TO accOmp sh the ordinary business o.
@ Int NOT he source OF kno Wedge, or the means OF
f tnought; so that figures OF every cen
ss are G more favora than the facts as 10 lhe ieN
mental condition OF the people 5000, ,,.,oo q "a
found more tnau two million are narayora
voter in I'VE write his name That de- therel9r
/, the prey of he demagogue victim OF preluucg D
still Lold &c Dala zee Vt power III almost e'e! "
H to,rb there is no reason to believe that the
r,.J .inre $50: That the expenditures for educd-
uon have certainly Hot lneTeaseu ~ "a children
OF this Natio4 are growing ap III apio-HS9 III BE-.
the English apLabet; auI thlt AZ the PrSsen az, ~
.Dfe "oenel o m hem and before half century ig-
norance and its consequences VIII nave OVeI'H4O"A ~
fGh-Tnat tho suffrage Is universal and that means means
universal ruin, unless ne capacity TO use II 10
A. created b., universal education. Ihls "Oi4 t,'
the Nation HE Issue cannot be ey"du ct ,n ~
school education must Decome universal or the form u
Cove unent must Dc cuhDg'o'
That is the most surprising article that mas
come to my attention for a long timer SAID MI
Weed. Except for the authority upon winch
those statements founded, should have been SLOW
10 believe them. 1t is al 50 different from what
supposed | was resting under the comiortanle I'M
Pre-. sion that education was becoming much more
general throughout he Nation, that we were rap
Idly advancing IN all of the Northern States. and
that now too large attention given to the edu-
ca,ional interests of the South. l am distressed
end ashamed that such an article has had cause to
lie written [ had supposed that the average In
+elligence of the Nation was increasing day by day.
almost perceptibly.
"UIsstartling TO learn the proportion of children
who do not attend school, and it is disgraceful TO
learn that appropriations tor the cause ofeduca'lon
have been in any instance di nnshed instead OF
increased 1t is true that the greatest danger 10
onr Government is through the ignorance OF the
masses who cast tho majority of the votes. Not
that the ignorance itself is so dangerous, or that tho
ignorant people by themselves are dangerous; the
orsat pril lies in the fact that the ignorant become
a force IN inc nduuS VI luttAAi'N'' N"UN'.''NA ''
dishonest men. The paramount object of universe
education is to make the working classes indie
pmdeut of the designs of the educated and dis
bopest-to make them capable of thinking
and iudgng for themselves and voting
upon their own responsibility. MisRoyerhmtn
comes not up from the masses. hut down nom the
sdncatsd and dish nest. The true theory of OuI
Government j. THAI universal education ana ua
yersal suffrage should go hand ana mana
" Then YOU believe Il uid be DETER II suffrage
were limited by an educational qualification y
"Well, when the question OF the extension OF
suff~o0n was debated tAat very matter was cousid
rrel / feared the dangers OF universal suffrage I'M
nunllicd in any way. and for tha' reason l strcnu
ously opposed the amended CONSUMPTION, but The
tonight sgains il, wrote against IL, did all could
against it, but the Democratic party were
unanimously in favor of It's Its pob pas;agF
party supported IT, and so II wac
easily carried through. That II remember rightly,
was in lS22-sixty years ago--and have lived all
these years under that amended constitution and
have not seer he danger once feared ne TACT
of the ma ter Is. the regular political parties man
aged by talented, educated men, have always used
these ignorant classes and for that reason the dan
ger first bad in mind has been aYered."
" What WAS the danger you thought OF at first p
''Well, that at some time the masses OF ignorant
and poor people might unle together, elect men 10
ofice from among themselves. WAC would then pass
laws which. while beneiiting their class, would
impovcrisn and those who Were large
-. Dut / am convinced now that there
wa really no danger to be feared rom such cause
The ignorant aud poor never have united so far as
to be able to accomplish anything by themselves;
demagOgues and scoundrcs, maybe, DuG sun lnleil-
gent fake the case OF the Tweed Ring which
prevod upon this city for SO many years. While
these men we're elected by the votes OF
ths Ignorant majority, it was intell-
gence that directed and united this vote
do not believe that, as a general thnE, the lgnO-
rant and poor want TO do wrong or what Is harm
fui TO the Government; the great trouble is they
are nlslcd, and misled through their ignorance.
hfltc 4 hat -
qualification should be required, TO limit suffrage to
thOs sufficiently intelligent To vote upon c0nyic-
ton nora from their own reasoning. Such limit,
too might luciie those with the desire 10 vote to
labor Tor Tho attainment OF the requisite quaiica
tlon, thus hep ping along The educational average of
Yo: alluded TO the fact that the great dangers
you feared in 1892 had mover come % pass, and
therefore yon had ceased TO fear them may not
/" 40 I cannot say that i think So"
"Yon do not anticipate, thon any danger from
possible coaiuon OF strikers ana the formation Of
party by them y
=" o. no ; nothing could DO accomplished 10y such
parry. IL is true that there arc now. n. there
have been in the past, SpasmOdic organizations OF
worg.asncn, with Their organs, candidates and
part Platforms; but ia all the past the result has
hecA almost invariably tho same. The representa-
i've .! thea organizations Or the men elected to
odir have after election, sold ont 10 the highest
blaar. corporation, party or indiv!dusl-whsr-
ever vas Ia be Obtained the highest reward for
iii movements having tho object in Wow OF
drawing voters away from existing parties have
rcs.!tcd IN faiiure, with one partial exception.
Ab0a, foItv-iiye years ago IN attempt made
orgaIiLe Il workIngIAens' party IN New-York in
fSot / 90 party was organized. 1t had papers pub
li,..cG IN Ito interest, plenty OF men who de-
vO3,i ell their energies 10 It's success aud really did
% exte;Se work IL elected lis Candidate, Levi ID.
Sa nm i0 ito Leg stature. That party regarded
ss dSg,r!Ous Hal II beon able 10 rcInain 10 power
Es~-irT. would have suffered severely from t.
IT. ,Ia4ued success would have meant plumber
ard i0 lot the good of tho peOpls discovered
low ibIlys wero going IN time, and ihe party was
mt NV. attor AN existence Uf "a single year. That
movement lihe The recent Kearpey movement. was
Nj exception 20 the general rule that all movements