The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-02-25

the expense Of the Individual. The mail
service and the Government printing
presses in the preparation of the en-
yelopes are the free gift of the Govern
ment.
I is asked, why should the people be
forced to pay for Ehe distribution of
enormous quantities of campaign litera-
ture in the Interest of partisan success?
POPULAR POLITICAL EDUCATION.
Strictly speaking, tho Government of
the United States is a governments. by
politicak parties of which the voters are
the comporent parts. 1t is prerequisite
to Intelligent government in which the
peoDle have share that they should be
qualified by education to exercise their
franchise intelfgently upon all questions
which comprise the Issues OF political
parties as to national policies. Under
centralized government, where the legls-
lation emanates from the head OF the
State, and where the people reserve
merely the right of concurrence. it is
perhaps not SO essential that the least
possible restriction should be placed upon
the opportunity for political investigation
as under Cur/form of government. But
the nearer we approach the ideal OF
Democratic form of government, the
greater the need Of popular political edu>
cation and the inalienable opportunity
for intelligent investigation as TO all Ques-
tons of public policy.
The assault on the ranking privilege
is predicated to a great extent upon an
erroneous conception of the nature OF the
literature which is distributed by cam
paign managers Prejudice would be
quickly removed in most instances If
careful examination were made OF the
matter selected. No campaign editor.
with so much as half an eye to the ef-
feet he desires to produce. will waste
time in selecting from the Record what
lacks the Inherent power of carrying
conviction. merely because it presents It
self in the guise of 4 resonant speech by
prominent member of Congress 1auda-
tory of his party, his party's measures
or his partys administration. Cam
paiGns turn upon logic and reason. The
successful campa ign document is the one
that appeals in the strongest manner to
the intelligence of the voter. 1t must
have the principles Of truth, it must have
facts and the unassailable quality of
thentic inspiration. 1t must be beyond
the reach Of arbitrary criticism.
There is this, advantage in a congress
sional discussion OF momentous questions
that the speaker, unlike the writer on
economic questions. is constantly under
the eye of his political opponents and nee
essarily restricted-if he be man COM
ndHulnS tHe attention ana respect oI ms
party-to limits Of fact that cannot read
lily be successfully assailed.
Take, for example, Coins Financial
School, and Representative McCleary's
speech on the financial question in 1896.
Both exerted marked influence in the
campaigns of that year. Coins argu-
ment emanated from the literary work
shop, with numerous fmperfections. that
were successfully controvertcd. while the
N5,.1s l.,
through the ordeal of political debate
in Congress, possessed the tineness OF the
furnace-test, so to speak, and proved by
far the most effective document.
If the political intelligence Of the peo-
pie is the safeguard of a self-governing
nation, the Government owes it as All in
direct duty to its citizens to afford them
tho means Of obtaining this education.
The principle is recognized in the sup
port given the public schools But an
elementary education IS no moro js:s-
portant to the perpetuation of our form
of+3overnment than political education
erdowing the voter with the ability to
exercise his full powers Of reason and
understanding in determining the ques-
tons in which his political welfare is
bound up.
Libraries Of books on political economy
are restricted to the larger cities. The
means of obtaining desirable works on
important national questions are not read
lily in the reach of all. The mass of the
people are shut Out from the privilege of
forming an Intelligent judgment in re-
gard to the policies their ballots are eN-
pected to decide. The Thanking privilege.
applied to all kinds Of nublic documents.
alone forms an inexpensive source Of pop
ular information, and enables each voter
who desires TO familiarize himself with
The questions which he IS expected to de-
eide, to gain that information which 9TH
erwise could be obtained only from ex-
pensive books.