The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-03-22

December 1st, 1908, that is, all per-
sons now under twelve years of age,
must learn to read and write before
they can vote.
?. The qualification is not exces-
sive. 1t requires of voter only the
ability to read and write. There is
no examination in arithmetic, geog
raphy, grammar and the like. Moth
ing is demanded but the ability to
read and write. Surely it would be
bettor for every man that he should
be able to read and write, and better
for North Carolina that not one Of her
citizens should be unable to read and
write. Boys who cannot now read
and write, if older than twelve, are
exempted from the requirements; if
under twelve they will have at least
nine years to learn in. Our present
school facilities are not very good,
but they are sufficient to teach every
bov in North Carolina to read and
write within the next nine wears.
2. The educational qualification will
stimulate boys to 90 to school, will
stimulate teachers to do better teach
ing, will stimulate political parties to
promote education, will stimulate the
State to enlarge and multiply school
facilities. will give education its proper
place as the foundation for suffrage,
and will set up in public life for the
youth of our generation nObler and
a loftier ideal of life.
3. The promotion of education will
be promotion Of material prosperity.
1t will develop skilled labor. 1t will
train the hand and the brain to work
together, and through them will de-
velop the unlimited natural resources
of North Carolina. 1t will supply
| native talent, trained and educated in
skilled labor, for the proper utiliza-
| tion of our timber, minerals, cotton,
| tobacco and other raw material, and
the profitable employment of our
water power, fisheries, soil, climate
and other natural resources. Let us
educate our boys, and we shall cease
to be hewcrs of wood and drawers Of
water for other States. We shall
cease to produce only raw material,
whose profits are enjoyed by other
States with better trained and better
educated wOrkmen. We shall become
State of educated laborers, skilled
workmen, enjoying the profits of our
own resources. and working up the
raw material of other peoples, whose
lack of skill and lack of education
| will make them our servants.
t. Education will mean more hap
| piness and more knowledge in each
household, better order in each COM
munity, improved health, comfort and
| morality throughout the State. 1t
| will cause more general diffusion OF
knowledge and a more active intelli-
gence among all classes of our people
and in all lines of industrial activity.
Farm boys will read more and learn
more. Mechanics will keep abreast
of the worlds progress in their lines.
The whole mass of the people will be
lifted up and strengthened for the
ceaseless struggle of life. Popular
government will daily become strong
er instead of weaker. Popular de-
mands for reforms will be based upon
intelligent comprehension Of evils to
be reformed, and will be made with a
power that will defy resistance.
5. Even the negro recognizes the
advisability of an educational qualiti-
cation. He knows that it is best fol
even negro boys to learn to read and
write. There are some who maintain
that the negro will outstrip the white
! boy in the race for education and viii
outnumber him at the polls; that ar
educational qualification will ulti
mately disfranchise more whites than
negroes. This fear is not confirmed
by statistics. The percentage of ne
gro children enrolled in school to
school population is not so large a:
the percentage Of white children, mol
is the percentage of negro attendance
ut schools as large as the percentage
of white attendance. 1t is an insul
to white children and to the white
race to say that the white boy will
not learn to read and write as eagerly
and as quickly as the negro boy. |
education shall fit the negro to vote
it will be cause for rejoicing, but i
education shall not fit him to vote
the white race will again protect it
self against negro suffrage. Th
North Carolina white boy needs edu
cation, not to compete with the Negro
bov, but to compete with the educated
boy in Massachusetts and Connect
cut. These two great States are max
ing more money from cotton (althougl
they do not raise an ounce of cotton
than North Carolina. Massachusett
has the largest average of wealth pc
capita of all the States in the Union
1t has accumulated this wealth b.
educated labor.
The educational qualification i'm
posed upon the boys becoming of az
after 1908 in the proposed amend
ment requires only minimum o
education, to-wit: reading and writ
ing. 1t thus deprives no one of a
opportunity to become voter. Bu
while the requirement is small, it
moral effect will be tremendous.
creates an educational ideal, an
starts a popular movement that mus
and will produce most wholesome re
suits. 1t VIII arouse popular interes
in education and will strengthen an
develop our whole educational sys
TEN. 1t will not only guard and pre-
tect the ballot, but will accomplis
more for the moral. social and materis
elevation of our people than any othe
agency that can be devised. Ever
. teacher, every preacher, every INTEL
gent man who desires the prosperit
: OF the State, who knows that popula
r happiness and prosperity no less tha
popular government, depend upon IL
: telligence, who believe that educatio
. is not a machine but strong Wit:
+ force. must support this amendmen
Every man who believes the negro
; be capable of any improvement. wh
, recognizes the fact that negro suffrag
I has been a failure and detriment
: both races. who desires the negro
= have a fair chance to tit himself ft
the ballot, and who wishes peace an