The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1884-02-23


table which shows that ia the thirty
eight States of the United States there
are / ,S7l ,2I7 voters who cannot sign
their names. In the Southern States
only one in five can sign their names.
Well, in fact, illiteracy holds the
balance of power in the selection Of =
President and Representatives, end
hence our government is said to he
controlled by power as unstable as
governments get to be. And when
we consider what magnificent oppor-
tunities have been ours, to educate
the masses in the way of lands, it is
absolutely discouraging, in fact Grim
inal, that we have not the most en-
lightened masses on earth.
Mr.. Willis now proposes to make
appropriations ont OF the treasury of
hard cash, to in some MAY mitigate
this miserable condition; but we fear
there will be little Improvement by
this means. There is much in the re-
suit of sueh legislation which we have
a right to expect, when reasoning in
connection with the general drift of
past legislation. 1t is true it takes
money to educate, as well as to do all
other things, and it is also true that
money will do it; bat what assurance
have we that the money to be appro-
priated by his bill, will be used for
the purpose, in the end? Like it ia
with other appropriations, we have
apprehensions that its distribution will
be used in the premises of political
sustenance. The North has thrown
upon the South mass of seething ig-
noranee, which this schoo! sppropria-
ton is calculated, we suppose, to re-
move, and if it can be nSed honestly,
fairly and squarely for educational Oh
jects, devoid of political Laint, good
is to be the result; but if otherwise,
it will become one of the grAndest
Of the age.
InasRHch MS we are inclined to be
hopeful, and to look upon the bright
side of this question, approaching
fully the necessity of some Improved
method of advancing -sdueatioh, we
wish Mr.. Willis success in his efforts,
and desire to encourage him in the
good work.
We are not statesmen, and, there
fore will not venture any advice to
him and only hope that should the
appropriation be made, sufficient
guard be placed around it to keep of
its use for political purposes.
The following is a concise exhibit
of illiteracy, as Mr.. Willis puts it,
and offers food for serious reflection
Representative Willis has pre-
pared most interesting table to &C
company his bill for Federal aid to
education, which shows that illiteracy
holds the balance of power IN IA
Northern and al the Southern States.
In the 38 States there are l,S7I,2l7
illiterate voters. Only one voter in
FIVE can write his name in the South
err States. The iIiteratc voters in
South Carolina are more than one
half, in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi,
Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia
one in two, while Missouri, with one
in nine, presents the best record. In
the presidential election of 1876 New
York, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
Connecticut, Indiana, California, Ne
vada, Ohio, Oregon, Wisconsin, Hi
nois, Rhode Island, Michigan and
Pennsylvania were ranged on the
side of iIliterscy. In the last presi-
dental contest 80 States in the Union,
with 298 electoral votes, we're again
within the domination of the sover-
eigR Whs could not read the very
charter of their liberties. The ma
IOrities which they gave could have
been overthrow by the combined
vote of their illiterate voters even if
those majorities had been five times
greater than they were. In 1876
'ixty out of seyenty-fTe Senators,
.hree-fifths of the whole, snd 259 ont
VI 292 Representatives were in the
grasp of ilIiteracy. In 1880 fifty
light out of seventy-six Senators aAd
'92 ont of S25 Representatives were
n States and districts where the iIlit-
rate voters held the balance of power"
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