The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-15
$50 Many Men So Many Minds"

Editor Morning News: If mankind
could agree upon one subject, and bend
effort in one direction looking to i'm
proved conditions, something like a
miracle might be witnessed!
But we cannot find the path which
leads to peace, so we blunder along
losing much of the sweetness of life;
compelling ourselves to stop short of
our desires. At the last meeting of the
Saturday Night Club the question dis
cussed was: Resolved, That the Hit
crate voter should be disfranchised."
One would think that there was but
one possible decision, that the affirm
alive was obviously. and really true:
yet without the exception of the affirm
alive leader, and his assistant, every
speaker upheld the side of the Hitter
ate: there was little of arguments but a
world of pity for the unfortunate man
who had not time to acquire the
knowledge of how to read and write;
and the prevailing sentiment seemed
to be that the college professor and not
the ignorant voter, was the menace
and danger TO sound government Yet
every speaker evidenced by his manner
that he had not enjoyed the advantage
of illiteracy, but was hampered by a
college training; it was rather funny,
/ failed to comprehend the aim or the
drift.
The inducement of the ballot should
tend to press upon a man the need of
education. We now require that the
voter shall be one and twenty; native
born, not a pronounced idiot, or yet a
woman; with these positive and mega
tive qualities he may vote, even though
he is too lazy to acquire the rudiments
of an education.
Where ignorance is bliss,
'Twere folly to be wise"
Yet I must believe that greater harm
comes from the ignorant voter than
from the seeming vagaries of the over
learned college professor.
A negro prisoner who is in Jail in
Alabama appeals to the philanthropic
sentiment of Northern friends in a let
ter to The Outlook. 1t sets forth the
hardships of prison life and asks for
aid. The editor writes in reply many
sensible things, among others eX-
presses opinion that the contrast be-
tween life in Jail. and out of Jail. for
the poor man in the South, is not
greater than at the North; and inciden-
tally suggests that one may escape the
inconvenience of such confinement by
observing the law.
1t is a hopeful sign of progress that
people North are more fully realizing
tndt we Oh the Ooutn are SLOWLY WOTk-
ing out difficult problems not perhaps
in the best possible way but certainly
that distinct progress is making, and
more will result. / am accustomed to
accept the editorials of the News as
sound. and always along the line of ad-
vanced thought, but feel that in the
matter of capital punishment there is
room for us to honestly differ. For
the present method of taking life for
life is but the repetition of the ancient
idea of vengeance; IL discards all hope
of reform. and consigns criminal to
endless torment in a world to come
for It is true that the most earnest ad-
vocate Of hanging clings tenaciously to
the belief in endless retribution in the
world beyond.
Yet the spirit of humanitarianism
has greatly modified our creed. and
with II has come change in practice; so
that a man may advocate the substitu-
ton of life Imprisonment for the death
penalty, and subject himself to no