The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-12 00:00:00

EVENING SUN

of Parliament ; subject, however, to the following con-
ditions :-
1. " That he be a native of these realms, or a fo-
reigner who has lived in this country upwards of two
years, and been naturalized.
2. " That he be twenty-one years of age.
3. " That he be not proved insane, when the lists, of
voters are revised.
4. " That he be not convicted of felony within Six
months from and after the passing of this Act.
5. " That his electoral rights be not suspended for
bribery at elections, or for personification, or for
forgery of election certificates ; according to the penal-
ties of this Act.
6. " That he shall have resided six months in the
town or district for which he votes, prior to the day of
election or registration."
This last proviso, as it respects residence; is not pre-
cisely inserted in this order of place in-the Charter, as
we think it should have been ; we have, however, in-
serted it here ourselves, in order to comment upon it in
due course. Indeed, it seems so intimately bound up
with the other conditions, that we apprehend the non-
insertion of it here originally must have been an oveseight.
To the first, third, fourth, and fifth conditions, as
,above, we agree at.once, and concur in their propriety ;
but to the second and sixth we have objections, and pro-
pose to superadd in both cases some few qualifying con-
ditions. We will begin with the second clause, " That
he (the elector) be twenty-one years of age." Instead
of this we propose that the clause should read thus :
" That he, (the elector), be at least twenty-five
years of age."
We do this for various reasons. First, in order to se-
cure a maturity of judgment on the part of the elector ;
secondly, on account of the increased chance that a man
by this time will have acquired a " local habitation and
a name ;" thirdly, on account of the defective state of
education in this country at present, which makes it ne-
cessary to superadd this additional guarantee ; and
fourthly, on account of the general fear among the
middle classes of the rashness, inexperience, and reck-
lessness of young men without family ties, settled habits,
or practical experience. In thus proposing to raise the
qualification-age for electors, we do not in the slightest
degree interfere with the principle of "equal rights,"
which we shall, as the free citizens of a free state, keep
steadily in view ; our main objects are to extend: the
franchise to an hitherto unprecedented eaten t, while at
the same time we hope to secure the support of the
middle classes by furnishing guarantees with which-the
Movement Party among them may be satisfied, and
which may induce thair general and effective support.
As this advanced qualification age may to some appear
new and startling, and to others arbitrary or- capricious,
we propose to show that, in conferring important poli-
tical power upon individuals, it has been the custom in
all Republican countries, from Athens downwards, to
insist upon guarantees, sometimes of age, sometimes of
property, and sometimes of both together, before they
instructed their citizens with offices of high trust or
responsibility. We propose, further, to show, that the
qualification age for electors has been various in various
States, both ancient and modern, and that it is at pre-
sent different in France and England, Holland and
Belgium.—ln ancient Rome no patrician or commoner
could hold any public office until he was twenty-four
or twenty-five years of age. The first office he could as-
pire to was that of Questor, or public treasurer. It fol-
lowed, of course, that he could not hold any higher or
more important office, until he had arrived at a still more
advanced age. A Senator was obliged to be 25 years of
age before he could take his seat. He must, further,
have previously borne some office in the Magistracy, and
be seised or possessed of an estate of not less than from
6,000!. to 7,0001. A Consul (an officer with almost
kingly power) was galiged to be 42 years of age. A
Dictator (or actual Emperor, pro tern.) must have first
served the office of Consul, and of course must have been
43 years old and upwards. Augustus made a law, that
no man should have the freedom of the city without a
previous examination into his merit and character.—ln
Athens, a citizen must be 30 years of age before he was
eligible as a member or .juror of the Helica, or Court of
Judges. Beyond thisa citizen must be 50 years of age be-
fore he had the privilege of haranguing in the Ecclesia, or
puplic assemblies, upon State affairs. All the officers of the
State and Magistracy were destined by Solon to be filled
from the first three classes of the -richer citizens—the
fourth, or poorest class, being ineligible to office, but
having the right of voting in the public assemblies.—
In Sparta, a citizen was not allowed to take any part in
public business until he was 30 years of age, and then
a man of ordinary station was thought forward and pre-
suming who intermeddled much with political affairs.
A Spartan was not eligible for election to the Senate
until he had passed his 60th year.—ln Venice (one of
the Republics of the middle ages), no nobleman could.
take his seat or vote in the Grand Council, till he had
attained the acre of 25 years.—ln Florence, a citizen, at
one time, tote eligible to any office in the Magistracy,
was obliged to be 30 years of age.--In Genoa, the nobi-
lity alone were capable of holding the chief offices in
the Republic. No person, either, could be elected Doge
until he was 50 years old, and had left off business 15
years before.—ln Holland, at the present time, no man
can be a member of the Lower House who is less than
forty years of see.—ln Belgium, a Senator must be, forty
years of age. and pay direct taxes to the amount of
1,000 florins, or 851. yearly. A member of the Cham-
ber, of Deputies must be twenty five years of age, and
pay direct taxes to the amount of 81. annually. He is
paid for his public services, while the Chambers are in
session, at the rate of 16/. per month. After the Revo-
lution in Belgium, a National Congress was assembled
at Brussels, to settle the Government, consisting of 200
Deputies, who were elected from the various provinces
by all tax-paying persons above 25 years of age.
In France, before the Revolution of July, an elector
was obliged to be thirty years of age. After that event.
in 1831, the qualification age was reduced to twenty-five
years, where it now remains. There is further, a property
qualification of 200 francs required with an elector. At
the same time, 1831, the qualification for a Deputy was
reduced from 40 to 30 years of age; and the property
qualification from 1,000 to 500 francs.' No Peer can sit
or vote in the French Chambers until he is 25 years of age.
In England, the tenure of the franchise is arbitrary
and various; generally it is a property qualification, but
the lowest qualification is that of a freeman, who is en-
titled to vote Dar Members of Boroughs when he has at-
tained his 21st year.
In America (partially copied, of course, from English
institutions), the electoral qualification is 21 years of
age, and six months' residence,. This latter proviso is,
however, shamefully violated by both parties.
In the general Government of America a Representa-
tive must be 25 years old, a Senator 30, the President
35, and the Vice-President 35.—1 n the State of Maine,
a senator must be 25 years old; and the Governor 30.
In the State of ?Massachusetts, a Senator must be possessed
in his own right, of. a freehold within the commonwealth,
of the value of 3001: at least, or possessed of personal
estate to the value of 6001. at least, or of both, to the
amount of the same sum ; and must have been an in-
habitant of the commonwealth for the space of fiveyears
immediately preceding his election. The Governor must
have been an inhabitant of this commonwealth for seven
years preceding, and must be possessed in his own right
of a freehold within the commonwealth of 1,0001., and
must declare himself' of the Christian religion.—ln New
Hampshire, a Senator must be possessed of a freehold
estate, in his own right, of the value of 2001., lying
within the State: he must be 30 years of age, and an
inhabitant of the State for seven preceding years. A
Representative must have been an inhabitant of the
State for two years, and must have an estate within the
district of the value of 1001.; one half of which, must be
a freehold in his own right. The Governor must be
thirty years of age, must have been an inhabitant of
the State for seven years preceding, and must have an
estate of the value of 5001.; one half of which must be a
freehold in his own right. A Councillor, of whom there
must be six, for advising the Governor in the executive
part of the Government, must have an estate of the
value of 300/. within the State; 30c/. or more of which
must be freehold in his:own right the must be thirty
years old, and an inhabitant of the State for seven years
preceding.—ln the State of New. York, the Governor
must be a freeholder, and thirty years old. AU electors
must have paid. # tax to the State or county, assessed
upon their real or personal property, or must have per-
formed military duty in the militia of the • State.—
Pennsylvania. A Senator must be twenty-five years
old, and an inhabitant of the State four years before
his election. The Governor must be at least thirty years
of age, and have been a citizen and inhabitant of the State
seven years before election, The electors must have
paid a State or eouuty tax, and have resided in the State
two years before the election.
All the other States of the. American confederacy haiTe
similar varying provisions respecting the qualification-
age of heir Representatives and Governors, as will be
seen on reading the note enumereting the whole at the
bdttom of the column.*
It thus appears that in the most democrat,ic,„country of
the world, the collective wisdom of its sages and politicians
have devised numerous guarantees of age and property
as security forp;the•conduct, patriotism, and capacity of
their publiomsen. .We wish .sincerely, for the sake of
human. nature and public liberty, that they had devised
some such guarantee for the probity of their electors ;
then their institutions, both in theory and in practice,
might have been the pride and wonder of the world.
Our last and concluding example in favour of an ad-
vance& qualification age, for offices ,of trust and respon-
sibility (and the franchise is a trust of grave and serious
responsibility), is the evidence of the approbation of the
Deity himself, in the only government especially insti-
tuted under his immediate superintendence—we mean
the theocracy of the Jews. Here, it was ordained by
the original appointment of Moses, that the Levites—
who were priests, scribes, lawyers, &c.—were not to be
allowed to enter upon their sacred and peculiar duties
till they were2s or 30 years of age, and were to be dis-
charged from their performance at 50. As it is written
in the Book. of. Numbers, ch. 4, ver. 3, they Were " to
do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation "
" from thirty years old and upwards ;" and in the Bth
chapter,it is said, that " from twenty and five years old
and upwards, they shall go into wait upon the service of
the tabernacle of the congregation."
Thus it seems, from almost immemorial custom and
prescription, that the wisdom of all ages and nations, in
which there has been any portion of freedom, has always
provided various' guarantees for public security ; that
is not only sanctioned by precedent and high
this mature qualification age, which we propose as an
amendment,
antiquity—not
only adopted by the first and most civilised
nations of the old world—not only confirmed by the
practices of the free states of, the middle ages—not only
ratified by the example of most of the comparatively free
nations of Continental Europe—not only acted upon by
S-Y-14":` 7 Republican Aineiica—but that it has, as far as Jewish
example can apply, the express and approving counte-
nance of the Divinity himself. We trust, therefore, that.
we shall not be considered as capricious or unreasonable
in propesing this alteration.
The only reason or authority for the present qualifica-
, lion age in this country is that of custom and prescrip-
.
tion ; but if we were to inquire further, and to ask why