The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-26
AMERICAN ILLITERACT.
General Logan's Paper on the Proposal Of Ma
tional Aid to Education.
General John A. Logan. in The chantaunnan.

the high position in the scale of intelligence we
occupy as a people; but pride in that fact should
not blind our eyes to our existing imperfections.
We are proud of the attachments of our men OF
letters; we rejoice in tie achievements of our
scientists and inventors; we glory in our rapid
advance among the nations of wealth and power,
and we fail to give serious heed to the hundreds
Of thousands OF our people who are growing up
every year in cloaded ignorance, without even
the rudiments of educasion. If we examine
with care our census returns and the reports of
our Bureau of Education we will be startled by
some of the facts they reveal. Take the
bulletin of 'Illteracy in the United States, y
as returned at the tenth census, and its
first line reveals the deplorable fact tkat of the
&c. 761 GOT persons of ten years of age and upward
1928 451 lover one-seventh) are unable to read,
and 6,239,95S NEARLY one-sixth) are unable to
write. 1t appears, moreover, from other census
tabulations presented to the United States Sen
ate that, Of the So 155, 1888 persons constituting
our population in 1880, there were equally pro-
portioned between the white and colored races,
4,204, 1863 of both sexes over twenty one years Of
age unable to write, or about 100000 Glitter
atesout of the 10 0O0 900 persons at that time en-
titled to vote; or, in other words one of every
five voters in the United States unable to write
his name From other statistics of that census
it appears also that l,6400 900 voters were unable
to read. Thus we have the astounding assurance
that while one in every five voters cannot write
the ballot that he wishes to deposit, one in every
six voters cannot even read the ballot that he
places i'll the box! It is this one illiterate voter
lAof halo
of power at our elections.
While very large proportion of popula-
ton, and also of that portion of it which -exer-
cises the elective franchise. can both read and
write; yet great number of these are very lit
tie the more intelligent because their limited
ability to either OF both is so imperfect and so
rarely availed Of Abiding to these commit
tee of the United States Senate said "Of those
who can write, multitudes do not place a SEN
tence on paper twice in a lifetime. Thousands
never get an idea from the printed page" Yet
these are the men who may at any time subject
the country to their control-rnen who hold the
weighty bala nee of political power.
To the patriot, to the lover of republican in
situations, to the advocate of unrestrict ed in
dividual suffrage, this fact is appalling. But it
is none the less a fact that should be known.
The very knowledge that one in every five of
our voters exercises gnorantly this undue and
prodigiouS power must nerve free and en-
lightened people to make immediate and ade-
quate provision both to aid and make obliga-
tory the elementary education of those, who, in
due time, will inherit from us the right Of SUI
frage.
1t cannot be too often or too strongly urged,
under the light of the revelation from the CEN
sus returns. shat an ignorant ballot is danger
Gus ballot, because it may be at once needless,
and easily deceived that an educated ballot is,
to the degree OF education, an enlightened ballot
possibly wrong headed or mistaken at times,
bnt as a rule careful, brave and pure, and that,
as the ballot is placed in the hands OF all Amer
leans, education-the means by which they may
discrininatingly cast that ballot-shoul6 be
open and free to all
The very existence Of the Republic depends
upon the proper. use of the potential ballot.
Education alone can teach that proper use.
Hence it is that education to all" is the thief
corner stone of the Republic; and to maK1tfhat
secure, no effort however great, no expense
however large, should be withheld.
Here, then, with the fact staring us in the face,
that the one potential vote OF every five votes
that decides all the great political questions of
the day-questions involving the most complex
and farareaching principles of government
questions of finance, Of diplomacy, of commerce,
OF trade of tariff, of the relations of capital and
labor. and others whose solution perplexes the
minds of our very ablest statesmen-is an utterly
ignorant vote, can the American people hesitate
to demand of Congress not only immediate but
adequate remedial legislation in the shape of
ample national aid to elementary education for
all of school age and obligatory attendance with
in reasonable limitsa
If we examine the details of these census
fluctuations we shall find that much the larger
portion of this iliteracy is found in some thir-
teen or fourteen States Taking these States
and Territories in which the proportion of SLIT
II 49,
or Territorial population of ten years of age ~,
usward exceed % per cent, we find th,t
ratio to be: In Alabama, 500 per cent.
Arkansas, 80; Florida, 434 Georgia, 400; Ken
lucky, 1913; Louisiana. 49.l; Mississippi, z95;
New Mexico, 65; North Carolina, 1873; South
Carolina, 55.4; Tennessee, 3S.7 Texas, 30 z; and
Virginia, 40.6. Massing these twelve States and
one Territory together, we find they include a
population OF 1O079, l3O of ten years of age and
upward of which number no less than 1924
| 513, or over two-ffths, are unable to write-43
out of every 100 unable to sign their own names
while of the 26 6s2 ATT PERSONS of like age in
the remaining States and Territories, the number
of such ilterates is but 49, 445 little over
| in every 100
| We are ALL of course, aware that this large
proportion of I'LL teracy in the States named is
| largely owing 70 the presence of the colored
| population. Nevertheless, the fact remains that
| these people, to whom all the rights of citizen
ship have been accorded, and who will hereafter
ating factor in the administration of the affairs
of these States, as well as an important factor
in national affairs, must remain for Q long time
| in ignorance, unless some other means of edu-
| eating them be adopted than that which now
! obtains.
| But let no one deceive himself with the idea
that this undue and lameptable ratio of illlteracy
| in these particular States is due wholly to the
presence of the colored population. Unfortunate
ly illiteracy prevails to very considerable and
almost an alarming extent among their native
white population also Massing them, we find
! that of the 60l0 TIA native whites ten years OF
age and upward, within the territorial limit men
toned, there ara as many as 1895 44l-beine
90 per cent, or nearly one i'll every four of the
| Understandable to write. 1t is evident, there
fore, that the surprising ilteracy of these States
is not wholly attributable to the presence there
| in of the colored
1t is somewhat humiliating to have to confess
to the world, by own official figures, that one
out OF every four of the native whites over ter