West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-11-15
THE BALLOT BOX.
SERMON px REV. DIT. rALMAGH
Subject; Tho Ark of IN American
Covenant.


Covenant.
TExr: "Ttro cu6its and a bofT ,ro, IN,
length Of Il, and a cUbit and a hair the
breadth Of u, and a cubit and a hair the
height OF Mn-Exodus xxxyii, /.
Look at 1.-THE sacred chest of the an.
clients. IL was about five feet long, three
ieet wide and three feet high. IL was
within and out OF pure gold. On the
top of IL stood two angels facing each
other with outspread wings. In that
sacred box was the law, and there
Wsre IN m it a great many, precious stones.
Carried in front OF the host, the waters OF
the Jordan parted. Divinely charged. cost
~, precious, momentous box. No unholy
hanos might lay hold OF Il. It was called the
ark OF the covenant. But you will under.
stand It was a box, the most precious box OF
the ages. Where Is IL nowf Gone forever.
not a CRYPT. OF church or museum OF the
world has q fragment of IL.
But Is not this nation Gods chosen peoplel
daVo we not passed through the Red Seal
Have we not been led with a pillar OF fire bv
night Has this nation no ark OF the cove
OF the nation, the ark of the American cove
nant.
In IL is the law, in it is the divine and the
human VIII, IN 1t u the fate of the nation.
carr1ed IN front OF our host again and again
the waters OF national trouble rave parted.
mighty ark OF the covenant, the American
ballot boxl 1t Is n very old box.
In Athens, long besore the art Of printing,
the people dropped pebbles into IL to give OK,
preston 70 their sentiments. After that
beans were dropped into tia White bean for
the afhrmatiye, a black bean for the mega
tive. After that, when thew wished To vote
a man out of citizenship they would write HE
name upon a shell and drop that into the box.
OConnell and Grote and Golden aud Ma
cauiay and Gladstone fought great battles in
the introduction OF the ballot boxes i'm Eng
land, and to-day il is one Of the fastnesses Of
that nation. It is one of the corner stones of
our government. 1t Is older than the consti.
tuition. In IT is our national safety. Tell mo
what will be the fate of the American ballot
box, the ark Of the American covenants and
i viii tell you what will be the fate OF This
nation. Give the people once a year, or once
IN hour years. an opportunity TO express their
pohtical sentiments, and you practically
avoid Instruction and revolution.
Either give them the ballot OF thew will
a the sword. Without the ballot box there
can De no Tree republican institutions. Mil
ton VISITING in Italy noticed that ON the sides
OF Nesuyius gardeners and farmers were al
work while the volcano was in eruption. and
ne asked them If they were safe. 'sYI s. said
tne farmers and the gardeners, sit is safe;
all the danger is before the eruption: then
comes earthquake and terror, but lust as
soon as the volcano begins to pour forth lava
We all feel at rest" 1t is the suppression of
PohHieal sentiment, the suppression OF
public opinion, that makes moral earth
quake and national earthquake. Let rub
lie opinion pour forth, and that rivex
satisfaction, and that gives peace. and
tnat gives permanency to good govern
ment And yet, though the ballot box Ia the
sacred chest and the ark of the American
covenant, you know as well as / know n has
It's sworn antagonists, and / propose this
morning, IN Gods name and as a Christian
patriot, 10 set before you the names of sona
OF the sworn enemies OF this sacred chest ths
ark OF the American covenant, the ballot
box. ~
Firet 7 roro-t.
Other things being equal, the moro inteli.
gence a man has the better he is Qualified Ia
exercise the right OF suffrage You havs
been ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty years study
ing American institutions; YOU have can.
vassed all the great questions about tariff and
nome ruiea and all the educational Questions
and everything in Americen politics Won are
vel acquainted with. You consider your-
self competent to cast a vote next Tuesday.
and you are confident You will take vonr
position in the line of electors, YOU will wait
Tor your turn 70 come, the Judge of election
VIII announce your name, you win cast your
vote and pass out. Well done.
But right behind you there will coma =
man VINO cannot spell the name OF comm
troller, or attorney or mayor. He cannot
write OF II he can write he uses a small 'fn
Tor the personal pronoun He cotfd not tell
on which side OF the Allegheny mountaina
Ohio IS Educated canary birds Educated
horses know more than he. He will cast his
Vote ana II VIII balance your vote. His ig-
49, g. IOuN lHLDNNlKHnH4
That IS not right All men of fair mind will
acknowledge that that is not right. Until a
man can read the Declaration OF Indep4nd-
ence and the constitution of the United
States, and calculate the interest on the
American debt, and know the difference be-
tween a Republican form of government and
a monarchy or a despotism, he is unfit to ex-
srclse Ihe rlght OF suffrage at any ballot box
between Key West aud Alaska.
In 1872 In England there were 26OO O0O
cniaren VINO ought 70 have been in school.
There were only 1888, 900, in other worIs.
about 50 per cent, and OF the so uar cent Mt
more than ; per cent got anything worthy
the nano OF an education Now, take that
foreign ignorance and add It to QUO American
Ignorance, and there will be in November
thousands and thousands Of peopie who are
no more qualified TO exercise the right Of suf-
rage than TO lecture on astronomy. How
are these things to DO cOrrectedf BY laws az
compulsory education, well executed. I go
IN Tor a La" which after giving fair warning
Tor a few years. shall make Ignorance a
CRIME. There Is no excuse for Ignorance on
tnese SUBJECTS in this land. where the common
schools make knowledge as free as the fresh
ar OF heaven. ! would have a board OF ex-
animation seated beside the officers Of regis
tration, and let them decide whether the men
Hho come up to vote have any capacity 70
re ponarchS ia n land where we are all mon
arehs. One Of the most awful foes OF the
Anlerlcan ballot box to-day is popular ignor-
ance Educate the people, give them an op-
LNt1uty 70 Know ana understand what
they do. If they will not take the educa-
hon, deny them The vote.
Another powerful enemy OF this sacred
chest the ark Of the American covenant. the
nalot Dox, is spurious voting. in 1ssO. 10
DfcoAiiyn, there were a thousand names re-
corded 81 persons who had no residence hero.
anu pa there were a thousand ATTEMPTED
t~teuduient votes Ia the best city on the con
tihehh what may We expect in cities not 20
L~oftunatef What "a grand thing is the law OF
~FeglsHationi Without it elections IN this
country would be q farce. There must be a
scrutiny on this subject. The law must have
heenesb twist for the neck o repeaters Some
tnlng more than slight hns and short Inn
p~fs3onmeut IL As an attempt at the aasaas m.
etlon OF the Republic when a man attempts
20 put IN n spurious vote. In olden times
when mon laid unhOiy hands on the AK Of
the covenant they dropped down dead Wit
ness DKzah. And when men attempt 10 mt
nnnoly hands On the American ballot box.
Sne ark 81 the American covenant they de-
serve determination.
Anothef powerful fco Of ellis sacred chest
m Intimidation.
Corporations sometimes demand that their
emPioyes vote in this anil that yav. n IL
ahilINIiT done. Nf I'll nat wrnfffvrfw Ia 81.