The Aberdeen examiner. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1866-current, 1884-04-10

The Presiding Officer Mr.. FRYE in the
chair] shakes his head l think il he
couches that shake of the head IN the
same language as the Senator from
Oregon, Can disprove it so far rs the
State which represent is concerned.
1t is to the interest of our people that
we should educate that population.
Ignorant and uneducated, they are dan
gerous to our civilization, dangerous to
our safety, dangerous to our peace, don-
gerous to our prosperity. 1t is to our
interest to educate them, to quslify them
for those duties of citizenship which yon
have bestowed upon them, and for which,
as certainly you will admit yourselves,
they are incapacitated
Mr.. HARRISON. Will the Senator
allow me to interrupt him moment for
a question?
Mr.. JONAS. Certainly.
Mr.. HARRISON. Did l understand
the Senator to express the opinion that
the colored people oi'the South controls
cd the elections of that section?
Mr.. JONAS. They do IN some Sec
tions where they have the numerical
right to control, and they control them
IN some instances in the interest of the
Democratic party; but they vote freely;
they vote rs they please. L am aware
that il they vote for the Democratic
party the Senator does not consider, and
will not believe, that they exercise their
civil rights. but they vote as they please.
MIR. HARRISON. The Senator great.
ly misrepresents me-.
Mr.. JONAS. Ii do take it all
back. I have no desire to misrepresent
the Senator.
Mr.. HARRISON. | have put one
desire, and that is that everybody in
the South as well as in the North, every
black man as well as white man, shall
express his own convictions by free
and untrammeled ballot which shall be
fairly counted.
Mr.. JONAS. I shake hands with the
Senator; and that his ballot may he free
and untrammeled and may be intelligent,
| want to give the blessings of education
TO him and his children. l want to
qualify all for the exercise of that right
intelligently; and therefore | accept the
benefaction which you bring us. We
are unable to give them education, and
| welcome this aid
Mr.. President, it is necessity, I re-
peat again, to us that these people
should be educated. Therefore | repel
the insinuntiou which has been made
that the people of the South, or at least
that part of the people of the South that
[ represent, will be faithless to this
trust if confded to them.
Why, my friend who is in the chair
[ Mr.. FRYg] knows that the evidence
taken by the committee that examined
into the affairs of the far fnmed county
of Copah proved, if it proved nothing
else, that the benefits OF education, to
the utmost limit of the capacity Of that
people, were extended to both races
alike. 1t was proven before that COM
mittee that they had an equal number
Of school,houses, m equal number OF
teachers, an equal distribution of the
school fund in proportion to their num-
bers, aud every facility was accorded to
them for education that was accorded tC
the white people. l believe this is the
case all over the South, | know it is
the case in my State.
l shall welcome the day when the ass
sistance of the National Government,
which you give by this bill, will enable
us to afford universal education; but
without this bill l hope and believe the
time will come when we shall have
greater prosperity, and will be able to
raise ourselves the necessary fund with
which to give the blessings of education
to every man, woman, aud child IN ou
State, no matter what his or her race,
color, or previous condition, and III this
hope l am expressing the unanimous
feeling of the people whom l in part
rpnrpEAnt