Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1811-08-26

vote aEaltfst hrs interest. Here then ID the
| sbonna bic principle not only admitted but
proposed as tile basis of law, which is 20
be passed 10 benefit and shield the poor
| Nan, that there is a natural and perpetual
warfare between bis civil and political lie
lerests and those of bis richer neighbors
Thisis most execrabe doctrine, and one
which We maintain has no foundalios IN
iuuth.
| liza man has. strictly speaking no prcper.
| ~, be can have no interest whatever IA laws
which relate TO property and Governor
Gerry, deeply AZ he descends into absurd
cant, will not pretend that the poor man has
| any reason to fear that the rich would take
away his life. 10 This class therefore no
| such interest AS his excellency supposes
could be found He must have alluded 10
those vsho have some property, 10 be affec-
ted by Legislation. Now we DEFY the most
| able cgsuIst In existence 20 sheW wherein
| any part of our laws either now in force, Oh
| that could be made, while of general ma
I, ture, as our laws must be, are not as essen
| tial to The security Of the man offs small pro-
| per,y as Of the most affiuent, or wherein
| they can benefit the one and not benefit the
other. Ten thousand facts will occur TO
every readers mind, in proof OF this posi-
I ton, HI poor man is cheated, robbed or
any way tefrauded of dollar. he has re-
course TO the very same principls OF justice
| TO the yery same law respecting bis rift,
! as his felIow.citizen Whose wealth IS I'M
bounded. Laws relate TO rights and the ey.
ldence by which they are 10 DC asceTtaIned,
nor TO specihck sums. Being always and
necessarily general, the very law which Sc
cures one IN his rightiul clam to a million
| dollars, secures another under similar cir
cumstances Of aggression, in his right to a
hundred. | ,nust have the very same rule
| 10 protect ny little that another has and lie
can want no other, 10 protect his fortune.
How then can this fictitious, insidious line
! be drawn between lha interests Of the rich
and the poor : In the present state ofsoci-
| ely, in any government of general laws, il IS
not only dangerous out false and base
suggestion, and with respect 10 any thing
that regards the political or civil rights
Of an individual, whether in our relation TO
the Union, TO state, or Fozpa, 1t is equally
| fAlacious.
To III this seasoning Governor Gerry, and
| the clan xyilese instrument be IS, could be
no stranger. IL is founded on truths SO well
! known, that the poorest man, with a good
cause actually appeals confidently TO the
umpire of tue laws as the richest. We see
Il in every days experience. But 20 Al.
swer nefsrious purposes, 10 enlist on his
| side and thai OF his partisans, the fears s.,
the lealousies and The prejudices OF the
poor, Governor Gerry explicitly, and The
law by implication, array one part Of The
community against the other, and offer the
m.nunlties of coBcesiment 10 the poor, If
they wilifact, as il IS pretended, for their
oggn interest, agslnst tie wishes and inter-
est fthe wealthy.
But besides the advantages expected
from this hypocriticsl and uniounded pre-
tence, this attack on the harmony and hap.
piness OF society, other effects still more
pernicious than rousing and chsrishing he
prejudices Of The uniformed, may arise
from this law and undoubtedly were prin-
cipal object with its projectors. To pro.
mote fraudulent practices ia voting is the
evident design-what party are expected
to avail themselves OF tie grand privilege
of concealment, guarded as 1t is by the ter
rors OF penalty, is TO be inferred from OBJ
serving with what party it originated, and
by whose votes It became law: In hon
est times, il was thought desirable 10 mvs-
tiply the means ofpreyentlng impositions IN
elections. Checks were instituted, and
fines in some cases imposed On those who
should be detected ID giving more than sin
| gle ballots. Bul now villain may fold as
| many as Can be retained wi.hIn any payer,
which be may choose to present as kis vote !;
! he deposits il, and whatever suspicious aye
! entertained, 10 man musz touch IT, Let
tile Moderator or Seiectmen dare 10 exam
Inc whether there is fraud, and they violate
the iaw-for every instance, they forfeit 10
| the town the sumo twenty dollars
Honest men of the stale of Massachusetts
you see what iniquity j. contemplated for
your first spring elections. How this I'M
qWty is to be etiectuslly defeated is not ca
silly conceived. Il is anques .ionably anici-
| pated that town officers whose choice may
be ELECTED BY Illegal votes, toistsd in under
| the cover ot this cheat -encnuraging law,
| VIII spare 70 czertlons, IL turn, to naaage
| your state elections TO their minds, and 10
the advantage OF those who passed this in
| genIous acl IN their favour. Double yoAr
| waicht0iness. At the box, viiany is shiet-
| ded ION detection, bat observe the reyious
management OF the suspicious Drag AZ
many OF the culprits to pubick Disgrace as
| possible . you may yet make the authors oil
this unprslcipiled project repent the day,
| shey led liseir instruments INTO TEN ptatien
LRcpercy.l
Il has been pretended BY some that Eois ;