Telegram-herald., 1888-11-05
BALLOT OR SWORD
O. TsLNAsEs sUNoAY DISCOURSE
IA. B.l8ss BSEss "a TIE Aaeisats fEs
Easagsss.aes 81 ths Bales - Gov
srzasas-Fhs oFszta ~
- s4lssL

rE(TELfs- 80. Z ~-AA -4c Al-4'-r "a
els Ihl3 uzorn.Ag. tAs hsT 7. - wiz
Ialuaxs u. b sKp0ul1ed solls pas-
szgss Il ScrIgtlsrs sscUE 41cieuE Po.4-l-s.
he gave on the hyalns
ana n nc Lord. 4sz1s. s@aksl
P,4s - - slssss1-. -.le a.-ll9ns sake
The doctof text <zs- Two cubits
AID hA1 sas -bs length u g. and =
cunas ana q half the breadth q X. zcI :
euou ard cu1lt and = h4I tie helg1s
Il it."-Exodas Kxxvn. lie s2id
IOox Al THE sacred chest 0s lie an
cisn2. It ~as about Eve feet long, tAfes
fsSG vide snd three fees hIgh. Il Vas
within and ous q pure gold On the top
OF Il stosd tuo Angels facing eaeh other
with ouEApre4i - llgs- II that sacred
box was tie law. an1 there were ia It a
great many precious stOues. Nlfh tAaE
box went tie fate of the uAnon. Carried
ln froat og the host tie waters 81 tho
Jordan parted. Dlunslv charged, costly,
precioas, naouenT0Ns box. no unholY
hands might l4y hold u Il. Il was
called The aTk Of the covenant Eut
you VII understand lt was a box. tie
most precious box of the ages. Where
Is II n0wf Gone forever Not a crypt
II church or museum Of the world has a
fragment Of Il.
But u not this nation Gods chosen
peoples Have we not passed through
tho Red seal Have We not been led with
a pillar of Ere Sy night Has this na-
ton no ark Of the Covenant Yes. the
ballot box, the sacred chest Of the nation,
the AKA OF the American covenant.
In Il Is the law, IL it Is the divine and
the human VIII. IN It Is the fate Of the
nation Carried in front os our host
again and again the waters Of national
trouble have parted Mighty ark Of the
covenant, the American ballot boxl Il
is a very old box
O'ConneIl and Grote and Cobden and
Macaulay and Gladstone fought great
battles IN the introduction Of the ballot
boxes IN England, and today it Is one Of
/ the fastnesses OF that nation. II Is enc
Of the corner stones Of our government.
| It Is older than tho constitution In it is
our national safety. Tell me what VIII
be the fate OF the American ballot box,
the ark of the American covenant, and
VIII tell you what viii be the fate Of this
nation. Give the people once a year, or
| once IN four years, an opportunity TO cx-
| press their political sentiments, and you
practically avoid insuTrection and revo-
! luton
Either give them the ballot or they
viii take the sword. Without the ballo.
box there can b no free republican in
stitutions. Milton visiting IN Italy no
Il 4 reF
deners and farmers were at work while
the volcano was II eruption, and he
| asked them if they were safe. Yes, "
said the farmers and the garueners, III
| IS safe; all the danger Is before the erup-
! ton; then comes earthquake and terror.
but Just as soon as the volcano begins %
| pour forth lava we all feel at rest" It
Is the suppression Of political sentiment,
tie suppression of public opinion. that
makes moral earthquake and national
earthquake. Let. public opinion pour
forth, and that gives satisfaction, and that
gives peace. ard that gives permauency
to good government. And yet, though
the ballot box is the sacred chest and the
ark Of the American covenant, you know
as well As know it has its sworn antago-
nisss, and l propose this morning in
| Gods name and as a Christian patriot to
set before you the names of some Of the
sworn enemies of this sacred chest, the
| ark OF the American covenant, the ballot
box.
| FIRST, 1 remark, igforance is mighty
foe. Other things being equal, the more
intelligence a man has the better he L
| qualified 10 exercise the right Of suffrage.
You have been ten, fifteen, twenty. thirty
years studying American institutions,
you have canvassed all the great ques
tions about tariff and home rule and al
the educational questions, and everything
in Americans politics you are well 40
quainted with. You consider yourself
competsnt to cast vote next Tuesday
and you ara competent. You Will takc
your position In the line OF electors, yoJ
VIII wait for your turn to come. thG
Judge OF election viii announce youl
name. you will cast your vote and pas
out. Well done
! But right behind you there viii come
man who cannot spell the name OF comp
troue-. OF attorney. or mayor. lie can
not write, OF If ho can write he uses
small - for the peTsoral pVonOun- H'
could not tel on which slde OF the Ale
glleny mountains Ohio Is Educate,
canary birds, educated horses know NOR
than he. Hc ~i1 cast his vote and i
vii balance your vote. His ignorance j
as mighty Is your intelligence. That i
not right. AL men q far mind Nj
sckrow,edre that that IS not right
! Until a man can read the Declaration @
Tndependence aad the Conesitusi0n If th
United States. and calculate the interes
on the American debt. and know the dif
ference between a republican form O
government ard n monarchy or desp0t
ism. he is unlt to exercise the right G
suffrage at any ballot box between ke-
West and Alaska.
In 1874, il England. there were Q 600.
coo children who ought 70 have been j.
school There were only l.33a. coo. i
other words about so per cent. ard G
the - per cent. not racre than pe
cent. got anything worthy the name q
a. education Now. take that foreirr
ignorance and add i - cur America
Ignorance. and there VII be IL Novsm
Der taoussns.s and thousands q. .peopl
vsho are no more qualified to exercise "a
; rirhf of suffrare than "a iecturs q
, astrouou7. How srs these things 20 q
corrected2 By laws Ct compulsory siu
cation wei executed. g in for = lsT
rhich. after giving fair warning fcT
few years. shall maze ignorance a crime
There IS no excuse for ignorance cn TRES
subjects in this Iand. where TIE con
mon schools make Fnowiedza AZ r.
+ "a the fresh ar - heaven.
/ .r-..Is L. q E..c-l ~ l.----...-....-