The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-02-15


that any white men in the last cleo
tion voted the Democratic ticket be-
cause of any promise made in behalf
of negro sutfrage.-F. M. Simmons.
UNLETTERED WHITE MAN PRO-
TECTED.
Unlettered men are not treated like
outlaws. They as often as other men
exhibit in their lives the qualities of
honesty, virtue and patriotism; and
very frequently in ordinary business
and in practical wisdom they far ex-
Gel the mere student whose life has
been immersed in books. Let us
take an example of such men; and we
will take it at random, without any
special care in making selection,
providing only that he shall be an
average man of his class. AS is well
known, he is honest, industrious,
faithful to his work, keenly alive to
his rights and determined to main
tain them. Visit his home, and you
will see happy family growing up
around him; his wife cheerfully and
faithfully performing her part as his
helpmate, sharing his joys and light
cning the burden of his sorrows; and
his children walking in the footsteps
OF their parents, preparing for lives
of virtue and usefulness in their day
and generation. Children reared
under the daily influence of such
homes and tiresides, though their lot
be cast in poverty and hardship, have
an inheritance more precious than
gold. When such a man as l have
described has voted for thirty years
he has probably heard great many
public discussions, in which the
speakers have earnestly set forth the
arguments for and against the meas
ures to be decided by the results of
popular elections. Naturally he would
also make them the subject of fire.
quent conversations with friends and
neighbors. There is no difficulty in
obtaining full information regarding
public affairs, anywhere in North
Carolina. What would be the result?
Certainly that he would have all the
means necessary for an intelligent
decision of the questions submitted to
the public judgment. There can be
no doubt about his wish to decide
rightly and honestly. As little doubt
can there be about his capacity to do
so. Who then can be SO bold as to
allege that he is not worthy to be a
voter? Who would assert that he
would use the elective franchise so as
to endanger the public welfare? His
sons, brought up under his eye,
would be apt to inherit the virtues of
the father, and they in turn would
transmit them to their sons. The
hereditary descent of the domestic
virtue, and of love of country. may
be readily traced in numerous and
familiar instances. 1t may be asked
whether the training in the stern dis
cipline of adversity, as has been des-
cribed, would not strengthen and ele-
vate character more than the small
amount of education required to read
and write a few sentences in the Eng
lish language. 1t is difficult to sup
pose that any one would answer this
question in the negative. But if there
be any such person, let me refer him
to living examples everywhere around
him. 1t was said of valiant Ameri-
can officer of our Revolutionary War
that he could neither read nor write.
Yet he successfully led his men in
many desperate enterprise, and on
many bloody battlefield his daring
deeds won unstinted fame and glory.
His cheering presence was an as
sured presage of victory for friends,
and defeat and disaster to foes. Who
will say that such man was not
worthy to vote? There is no brighter
page in history than that which
records the struggle of a few hundred
Swiss peasants against thousands of
the bravest and best disciplined SOL
diers of Europe. These poor men, un-
learned in books, loved their free
dom, and in defense of it fearlesslv
fought against odds thought to be ir-
resistible. Their triumph was mar
vellous and the world resounded with
their praise. Will any one dare say
that they should lose the right to
govern their country which they
loved and served so we'll? How could
they have any part in its government
unless they yoted?-Hon. VIM. Shep-
| ard BRYAN, of Baltimore.