The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-19
FEDERAL AID TO EDUCATION.

FEDERAL AID TO EDUCATION.
A good many of the leading South
ern journals are demanding federal
aid to education. Such aid is espe-
cially due in all the Southern states,
where the act of the government, in
extending full citizenship to four
millions of slaves, imposed upon or
ganized society in these states, a bur-
den most detrimental, because of
ignorance of the duties of citizenship.
Though the war has been over for
nearly twenty years, in some portions
of these states there is no improve
ment; in fact, districts may be found
where ignorance is more supreme
to-day than ever in the history of
slavery. Before these people were
set free they had no voice
in government; they were simply
slaves, held alone for labor
in the southern fields-the agricul-
tural producers of the Southland
their ignorance protruded itself in no
wise into public affai S. The South
ern states were wisely governed; in
competent and corrupt governments
following in the wake of reconstruc-
ton. 1t was a federal act-a neces-
sary one, it was said, which made these
people responsible agencies in the Or
ganization and direction of govern
ment and the assistance now so long
talked of was due from the federal
government so soon as the late slaves
had been metamorphosed in to polit-
ical masters. In his late Fourth of
July speech at Woodstock, eX-Presi-
dent Hayes dwelt upon this subject.
He said:
"The total numbered men of voting
age who could not read and write in
the late slave-holding states was in
1860 one million one hundred and six
ty-seVen Thousand. In 1880 the num-
Der of illiterate voters had increased
to one million, three hundred and fiji
ty-tive thousand. In each of eight
Southern states the illiterate voters
exceed in number the majority of
votes cast even at the most exciting
elections. Most seriously imp Ortant
of all, the illiterate voters of the South
have in the last ten years increased
almost two hundred thousand. This
increase of ignorant voters alone eX-
ceeds the number of votes cast in any
one of twenty of the states at the last
| presidential election"
1t must be borne in mind that more
money, according to wealth and pop
ulation, has been spent on public edu-
cation in the southern states since the
war than in northern states. The
Brooklyn Times says: Private eff
fort and state effort have done their
utmost. and their failure is writ
ten broad and large across the re-
public in the increase of illiterate vot-
ers from !, l67,0O in 1870, to 1856, 900,
in 1885," These illiterate voters hold
the balance of power in elections;
they determine which side shall have
the majority in congress, and their
|
creased by the last congressional APP
portionment, which, recognizing only
the increase of voters without taking
cognizance of their intellectual Ca
pacity, added largely to the proper
tionate representation of those very
states where ignorance is still SUI
preme. The same paper points the
moral Of these plain facts and calls
for its correction. 1t is said that
every question of tariff, of finance, of
foreign or domestic policy, depends
upon this dense mass of eXistance for
its final arbitramentj it asks how
long can we expect that the sober
sense and sound judgment of the ed
ucated citizens will prevail when this
material stands ready to be moulded
by demagogues and tricksters for
their own selfish purposes? "Educa.
tion," says the Times, sis vital ne
cessity in a free government, and I'M
less the people realize the magnitude
of this problem of Southern illiteracy
and compel congress to deal with it
in liberal and Intelligent spirit, the
country must finally pay the penalty.
We hear from time to time of
the danger to which we are eX-
posed from the presence of
surplus revenue in our treas
sury, while our navy is the laughing
stock of the world, while our busiest
harbors are in danger of being filled
up by drift" 1t there be no other way
of disposing of this dangerous surplus;
if sectional jealousies will not permit
the expenditure of any portion of it to
keep our harbors in proper repair or
to guard broad states against the peril
of chronic foundations, it would sure
ly seem that at least a few millions
might be judiciously appropriated to
stimulate education among the freed
men, and to remove this growing
peril from our midst. 1t is GER
tainly wise and most conservative
view to take of the question. Many
OF the states are, as yet, really
unable to contribute properly
to education, and while the federal
government could not discriminate
as to which most needed help, it is
due them to extend this aid. In
Texas we are able to take care of our
ignorant classes, and to give them free
education, but this fact could not be
taken into account in any distribution
of federal funds. Texas has already
spent millions in attempting to edu-
cate its ignorant element, and any aid
from the federal government would
go towards reducing the burdens of
taxation imposed for this purpose.
ALJTTJ,E TOO MICH