Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-11-05
Special 10 the Gazette.

i/~ee- strength, the nations
V-TSa.e shake" The Doc
tors tax WAS: 1.-TWO cubits add hal
was the length Of II, and cubis and hal
the Ureadth OF II, and cubtt aud hal
the helsht Of 1t Exodus xvii: l. ii
said:
Look st 1.-The sacred chest Of the an
cients. Ii was about five feet long, ihrel
feet wide, snd three fee. high 1t wa!
within and out OF pure geld. o. the to,
Il It stood two angels facing each otheI
with outspread wigs. In thst sacreC
box WAS The Law, ard there we're il 1t 1
great man. precious stones. With the
box went the fate Of the nation. Csyriet
in front CT the host, the wsteTs of the
jordan parted. Divinely charged, costly
precious, mouentous oQx. No urholl
hands might lay hold Of Il. It was called
the ak Of tie covenant. But you viii
understand il was bcx, the most pre-
cious ooI OF the ages. Where ID ii now
Gone forever. NJ: crypt CT church o.
museum OF the world has fragment CT 1t
Blu. is not this nation Gods chosen
peopls? Hive we not passed Though the
Red Sea? Have We not been led win 6
pillar Of fire by night. Has this nation
no ark Of the covenant? Yes, the ballc'
box, the sacred chest OF the nation, the
ark OF the American covenant.
In it is the lsw, II it is the divine AM
the human will, in it is the fate Of the IA
lion. Carried in front of cur host agaiI
snd sgstn the wsters Of rational trouble
have parted. Mighty sikof the covenant
the American ballot-bGx! II is yer,
old box.
In Athens, long before toe art CT print
Ing, the people dropped pebbles into IL II
give expression to their sentiments. After
that, beans We're dropped into IL: wits
bean for the stfi,mstlVe, 6 blSck bean 70
the negsdye. After that, when they
wished 10 vote 2 man out OF citizenship
they would write his name upon shell
and drop that into the bU1.
O'ConleIl snd Grote snd Golden anc
Mscaulsy and Gladstone fought greG
battles in the Introduction of the
BALLOT BOXES IN ENGLAND,
and to-day il is one Ct the Businesses G
that nation. Il is one Of the come,
s|ses Ct our government. Il is Older
than the contribution. II 1t is oul
national sstety. Tell me what will be ths
fate Of the American bsliot-b0x, the ark
of American covenant, and l will tell yor
what will be the fste G; this 2ation. Give
the people orce year Or once in four
years an opportunity to express their po
litical sentiments, and you practically
avoid instruction sNd revolution.
Either give them the ballot or they will
take the sword. Without the ballot boz
there csn be no free Tepu 3lican institu.
tions, Milton visiting in Italy noticed
that on the sides Of Vesuvius gardeners
and farmers were OF work while the vel.
csno was in eruption, and he asked them
II they were cafe. "Tes," said the
farmers and the gardeners, "lt is safe;
al the danger is before the eruption,
then comes earthquake ana terror; but
Just as soon ss the volcano begins to pour
forth lava We all feel at rest" 1t is the
suppression of pollticsl sentiment, the
suppression Of public opinion, that mskes
moral earthquake and national earth.
quake. Let puolic opinion pour forth,
and that gives satisfaction, and thst gives
peace, sud tnat gives pernsnency to good
government. And yet, though the ballot
box Is the sacred chest eud the ark of the
American covenant, you know IS well as
know il has its sworn antagonists, and
propose this morning II Gods name,
and IS Christian patriot, to get before
you the names OF some OF the sworn
enemies Of this sacred chest, the ark OF
the American covenant, the ballot bex.
First, remark, ignorance Is s mighty
foe. y her IN nss being equal, the more
intelligence nan has the batter ne is
qualified to txsrcise the right Of Suffrage
You have been ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty
years studying
AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS,
you have csnvassed al the great ques-
tons ABOUT tariff and home Iule ,and all
the educational questions, and everythin e
in American politics you are well sc.
qua!nted with. You consider yourself
competent to cast vote in November,
and you are competent. You will take
your position IN the lire Of electors, you
will wait for your turn to come, the
Judge Of election will announce your
name, YOU will cast your vote and pass
out. Well done.
But right behind You there will come q
mSn who cannot spel the name of comp.
troller, or attorney or mayor. He cknnot
write, or Il he cSn write he uses email
"r' for the personal pronoun. He could
not tell on which side of the Allegheny
mountains Ohio is. Educated cansry
birds, educated horses know more than
he. BE will cast his vote and
it will balance your vote. His
ignorance Is as mighty As your
intelligence. Thst is not right
All men of fair mind will sckaowldgs that
tina. is not right. Until man can read
the Declaration Of Independence and the
Constitution Of the United States, and
calculate the interest on the American
debt, and know the difference between .
republican form Of government aud q
monarchy or despotism, he Is unfit to
exercise the right Of suffrage At any boil
Iot.box between Key Yves. and Alaska
In 1872, in Elglsnd, there were 2. $780,
coo children VINO ought to have been In
school. There were only 1.S5S,00o, in
other words sbout SO per cent; ana Of
the so per cent, not more
than 5 per cent, got sIy-
thing worthy the name OF an education.
Now, take the foreign ignorance and add
II to our
AMERICAN IGNORANCE,
and there will be IN November thousands
and thousands OF people who are no more
qualified TO exercise the right Of ST ffssge