Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-12-21
TIE EDUCATIONAL DUALIFICA.

In response to the newly arisen discus
sion OF the expediency OF making AN
educational qualification a requisite TO
voting, the House Committee on Elec-
lions, OF the South Carolina Legislature
has recommended an amendment to the
Constitution OF that Stale so as to pr vide
for one. In that State it would, accord
ing to the census, disfranchise about one
white man to fonr blacks. Why the
Southern press. or any other press, should
waste time in discussing an impracticabe
proposition is something we cannot I'M
derstand. We venture to say that there
is not State in the South that could
adopt such al amendment to its constitu-
tion if it were submitted to its people.
The illiterates of both colors ia the South
ern States hold the balance Of power on
such vote as that, and are not likely to
vote to disfranchise themselves, aud the
Democratic party, for one, will never ad-
vocate any law by which the poorest and
most llliterate white man may lose hls
right to vote. 1t does not follow 10 the
0O0Vi3 WACIC3 OdlCoSh PoVOApy sSHO Oo0S"-
tlonal advantages have been 80 few and 81
limited. that because man cannot read
and write he may not be "a wise and shrewd
judge of public affairs with an cplnion
worth having on them. The time for the
educational qualification has only eXisteo
once in the South, and that opportunity
has passed away. When the Repu olicat
party committed the now conceded folly
Of following the enfranehisement of the
ignorant slave by giving HIN the ballot, it
ought also to have provided for that email
cIpated slave an educational qualification
to limit his use OF the ballot. the pro
iectlng of that amount of dense lgnor-
aEce, imptegnaied with all the psi idices
of a people who had been held Ia slavery,
was political monstrosltY that astonlsh
ed the civilized world. L. was done agaihs'
the opinion of some of the WistsJ men oi
the party, but the politicians. yet flushed
with the war fever Calculated thai
every negro set free would be :
publican voter. The time for an educd-
5ioual qualification on suffrage WIS then.
AID it ought to have been placed alone Oh
the newly freed slave. SIMPLY because b,
alone needed it. 1t would have saved TIT
far Southern States much suf-rlng and
money had it been doLe then, and 1t wouIo
have in some degree saved the reputation
of the Republican party for wisdom.
But the proposition now comes too late.
The ballot cannot be taken from those who
have it. All that Can be done now is To
meet the grave situation which confronts
the whole country by reason of the ilitef-
ate vote, by greater effort TO educate it.
This journal has always been an earnes
advocate of National aid to State educa
ton, and il has been 30 In view Of To.
great peril that overhangs the Republic
from that illiterate vote. Que has only Il
remember what wild anarchical move
vemeuts are advocated by the illiterate
foreigners who come to this country, to
understand what hell it would be if d
greater body OF the population were as ig-
uurant of tbs spirit Of our institutions as
hese foreigners are. And it is only pupu
! laI education that prevents this ignorance.