New-York tribune., 1903-06-30

only S1S5; in South Carolina $237. ana in
Georgia $2S5i
Thus 1t is not because the States lack consti-
tutional powers, have failed to discharge
their duties. but simply because their financial
resources are utterly inadequate to meet the
enormous demands OF their negro citizens. Here
the South has collapsed, and it is distinctively
a financial, not constitutional breakdown.
Nor private aid or organized philanthropy
adequately supplement State resources The
problem is to educate eight million negro citizens
in the South. Private philanthropy is doing
noble work but affects directly only forty-one
thousand
How few even in this audience of scholars
realize the supreme gravity of this situationt
How few know there are more ilterates in the
South to-day than ever before A tidal wave
submerged Galveston and thrill of horror ran
throughout the land. Do you not behold huge
tidal wave of negro illiteracy gathering force
along the whole South Atlantic and Gulf coast,
slowly pushing its way inland, and submerging
not one city county only, but six SOW
ere1gn States, and threatening as many more!
On behalf of your white brothers of that sub
merged land, and of your sister States below
Mason and DiXonS line L would send out TO-
night such a clarion cry for national assistance
would thrill the conscience of the people and
startle the nation into measures of immediate
and permanent relief. And this brings us logl-
cally to the inquiry, What can and should the
nation do in the premises?
II. 1 advance the broad proposition that the
nation has both the power and the duty to edu-
cate every negro to perform every obligation OF
American citizenship. To prove this is the su-
preme function of my address. CharleS sum
ner urged that education be made the OASIS OF
reconstruction; but he urged it as war meas
Whatever is required, he SAID, 1or ma
tional safety is constitutional Not only may II
be done, but it must be done In the Nolu-
mnous discussions of national aid TO educatloh'
express authority was assumed or pasea on tie
General Welfare" clause. Each was 1aldClouS'
as the courts have uniformly determined as
we approach the constitutional1ty OF Feoetal
education let not deceive ourselves as 70 ltS
gravity What l propose has never been demon
strated There no eminent authorizes III
its support. 1t has never been JudlclaIly uetSt ,
right TO demand from me tonight its conclusive
demonstration, or I must abandon the PROPOSE
ton as a failure
POWER TO REGULATE FEDERAL ELEc-
TIONS.
a. The nation has power to enact uniform uniform
educational qualification for all Federal voters
under Article I, Section of the CONSTITUTION
sThe times places and manner of holding elec-
tions for senators and representatives, says
tba Constit11tion shall be prescribed in each
state by the legislature thereof, but congress
may at any time by law make or after SUCH
regulations" ,. .Lo;r
7 concede the power of States to regulate thelr
own elections Five States in the South ana nVe
in the rest of the country have already adopted
in+o their constitutions and election laws, ana
made A part of their manner or holdlhS eleC
tons" an educational quahhcatlon lor So t
aud Federal voters This is political act, vest
ed soIeIv within their legislative discretion
valid unquestionable and subject 10 no aPpeal'
Congress may exercise its power over eIec-
+ions said the Supreme Court, either wholly or
partially" 600 L. S, 363) 1T may auopt tie
election laws of the States entire. lncludng theil en-
educational qualifications, it may alter them by
eliminating the grandfather clause 1or IN
stance it may add to them, or In It's d1scretioh
enact an entirely and Independent educa-
tionaI qualification uniform throughout the
Union THE power of Congress over the SUI,
iect' said Mr.. Justice Bradley Is paramount
We NAV assume that one of the main objects
Of Article / Section f. was to promote unlrorna-
itv and prevent diversity of election ana SUI
frage laws in the different States If conflicts
Of Jurisdiction have compelled Congress to enact
uniform laws regulating commerce anu PIlotas,e
and patents and bankruptcy why not dI9o IN, III
form laws regulating Federal suffrage? Ihe
nuritv of the ballot is essential TO the safety
and good government of the Nation as the regu-
lation Of patents and pilots. An enllgnteheu
democracy is as requisite to national welfare as
,IfoT,o h. nlxrnntcv laws Contrariety of re-
etrictions is as embarrassing to suffrage as 10
Interstate commerce. And if Congress deter
mines that the conflicting election laws or the
different States an educational qualhcatloh IN
one a property qualification IN anotne5 anl5 anu III
none in a third. can be cured or improved nS d
uniform qualification of the suffrasf
It has unqualified power TO enact d fSuel dI o'aI
ute regulating the whole SUBJECT
POWER TO EDUCATE UNDER ART. L,
f21 The Nation has power to educate the ne
gro as a coroIlary to its power to enact UNI
form educational qualification IT IS coLoiiHiy rnii
lust as the Sherman, Trust Law is a coroltary
to the substantive power over interstate COM
1nerce and as power to govern the fhlllpplhea 10
ancilIary to the substantive power TO acquire
foreign territory Is not education a means
mainly ADAPTED to the end in view; as tnei
Justice Marshall puts it a Wheat, ,,nfil
is to preparing citizens for an educational quail
fcation? If not what means can possibly oe
more plainly adapted? Hence the power 10
prescribe an educational quallncaton ana Ile
power to educate in order to remove 1t are % both
necessary and integral parts of Federal cleo
tion law
POWER TO EDUCATE DMDER 2IISEI FOUR
TENTH AMENDMENT
~, The Nation has power to educate the ne
Tnent 1t is not an ordinary act of natural1za-
tion: at one stroke it citizenzed six mlIlloh eH-
slaves for a particular purpose and 10 remedy
a sneciaI evil 1t also authorizes special legls-
lation to meet the extraordinary emergency
Congress shall have power 1t says, 10 en-,
force this Article by appropriate leglslaIlon
ANY legislation is appropriate" to such an
amendment decided Mr.. Justice Strong; that
is adapted to carry out It's objects (Ioo u o;
346) Having converted this vast, ignorant, and
destitute horde into citizens, IT becomes the
bounden duty Of the nation to prepare tnenl 10 ior
citizenship The supreme welfare of the Re-
public demands it. And assuredly educat1on Is
an appropriate means-in fact, L MAINTAIN IL Is
the only means-of preparing the negro for clu-
zenship and carrying out the patriotic purposes
OF the Fourteenth Amendment.
POWER TO EDUCATE UNDER FIFTEENTH
AMENDMENT.
"a The nation has power to educate the ne
gro as a corollary to the Fifteenth Amendment;
or abridged by the United States or by the
States on account of race, color or previous con-
dition of servitude." Why forbid the nation TO
deny equal suffrage, if it has power to
DENY it? If its power to deny abridge'' suf-
frage in particular only is removed, its pow
or to promote and improve and regulate suffrage
IN every other way must remain. Hence from the
prohibition to disQualify voters for race or col
or Congress can imply power TO disqualify all
voters white and black, for all other causes in
Guiding illiteracy, and as correlatiVe thereto,
power to remove such iteracy by education.
POWER TO EDUCATE UNDER ORDINANCE
OF 1877.