The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-05-04
Random Shots.

law requires, as qualification for
second grade teachers certificate,
an understanding OF the Civics of
the United States and of Montana.
That means that the science Of civil
government is to be taught in our
common schools. 1t IS grand
step forward. Montana has no use
for old fogyism. 1t is time that
her schools should be lifted out of
the low level which they have oc>
cupied, and placed upon a higher
pedestal.
One Of the cardinal principles of
| our government is that of p >litical
equality. All men have precisely
| the same rights, regardless of race
or condition, but ali men are not
equally we'll equipped to exercise
| those rights. The ignorant voter
IS the abyss with which we are con
fronted. The prosperity of our
government is in direct proportfoa
to the intelligence of those who
WELD the ballot.
To educate our children in the
why and wherefore aud modus
operandi of the government is a
very necessary and useful thing.
| When they emerge from the public
| schools they should have a thorough
/ understanding of those principles
upon which our Institutions are
founded. They should have fair
idea of the various departments of
| government and how they are ad-
ministered. The public school
compasses the extent of the educa-
| tion of the majority. There are
| many who will have no other means
of learning civil government. The
state owes it to its children that
/ when they come 10 take the helm, 1t
! will not be In igRorance of their
duties.
One of the mistakes, and q we'll
| nigh fatal one, that was made in
the formation of our government,
| was in nc. making the right of
suffrage depend upon intelligence.
That every one who represents, or
| misrepresents, the human form
divine shonld be endowed with the
right of suffrage without regard to
qualification, is wrong. A child
under twenty one years OF age is a
minor. An illiterate man, no mat
ter what his age, is minor as re-
spects the domain of intellect. He
may be man of strong natural
sense but if he cannot read or write
he is easily imposed upon by the
unscrupulous demagogue.
If the illiterate vote did no harm
it might be allowed. But it is a
source of danger. If q voter does
not understand what he is doing be
may do that which is contrary to
his own wishes. Experience has
shown that ia those regions of the
! greatest illiteracy the demagogue
and political swindler has Aourished
as green bay tree.
| Besides this, it is not fair that
the vote of an i'iiterate man should
counterbalance that of one who is
grounded in the principles of gov
ernment and their administration.
We do not do that way in any other
business on earth. If you wish to
ascertain the contents of a hay
stack you do not take the mathe-
matician and the ignoramus as of
equal authority. If you have a
steer to be butchered you prefer
man to do the shooting who knows
something about the use of gun.
One would not think of employing
a man in any capacity, who under
stood his business, on the same
footing as one who did not. A
man cannot take a part in sailing a
ship unless he knows something
about the principles of navigation.
He should not be allowed to assist
in running.the goyernment,as every
voter does, unless he can read suf-
ficiently well to understand what
he is doing and the consequences
of his acts.
But we are told that because q
man is ignorant he should not be