Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-02-18
BY Mr.. GILES.
[Contiuued.l


Continued
The first exception taken TO tbe e.
noid limit OF the right of suffrage is Is
favor OF gentlemen of great estates ~ !,
personai, without any, in real proner,r
ihese gentlemen, it is said, are donr;vcj
OF then "Gtaraf rights, by this unjust er'
cinsioh. lhls exception is made for No,
oy, these gentlemen. A gentleman. worth
one or two hundred thousand doIlars
would be ashamed TO complain of tLs
hardship and injustice, ofbeing called
upon TO qualify himself TO vote bV inyes,
ing nifty quarters of those dollars in n.
purchase of a freehold. Whatever h.
Their mental qualifications, all gcntIs.
men OF THIS description, ought ofsfgEt 70
Oe executed. Ifthere were no other mode
OF exclusion, wise legislators. such gs
Scion or Ly curgus, would exclude fhem5v
name; because OF their disrespect of tIs
privilege. IL Is their own will 10 be e,.
ciuued Otherwise, they would ouaIE
themselves Tor avoiding the exclusion
IL Is beneved, however, that very few
syinpalnies are excited OH acc cunt of thf
class of society.
Let us now compare the merit of tb
substituted principle, with the old on,
~ 'i.""C III reasoning that Il
making exceptions 10 general rules In
fants, il is presumed, are intended r. !,
| excluded by the new rule. Row man,
young gentlemen, do we know bIesssj
with great natural endow menfs vb;cb al
much expence, have been inproved snd|
ernbellished by education. possessed too
fortunesreal and personal and becanss
they happened TO be only twentv vearS .
| ieven months, & twenty-nine days old srs
excluded from voting at eIectioi,s Inv tbe
new, as well as the old rule whilst the
BOBBY of clod hopper, with his 6Gvl
dirty acres. would, ACCORDING 10 bo6I
rules, be permitted TO vote AT the SANE
elections, merely because he happenedI
TO he born one day before these accom-.
plIshed young gentlemen or in otber
words of the law, had arrived 10 " full
| age" one day earlier2 What a hardship 4
how strange this preference How cruel,
the exclusion of the intelligent, accom-
plIshed young gentlemen How unjust
thusto deprive them oftheirnofuraI yjcIt.l
Ye friends of natural rights We lovers Of
unresiralned liberty; We searcheTs aftG
perfection: we call upon Won. 10 relax
the cruel restraint, or to disavow you1
principles and professions. IF vour the
ores and discoveries cannot administer
relief IN case like this, i'm what does
their value consist--aHd for whose beneI
fit can they be applied?
| Married women, it is presumed. are
also to be excluded. Now. we knox
many married women who have fen fines
the understanding Of their husbands, and
thousand times their merit; vet tht
silly, worthless husband, is allowed To-
vote. whilst the intelligent, meritorious
wife is excluded. In your approaches I'll
perfection, how canyon exclude these too.
low unjust such an exclusion ! What Al
disregard of merit How can Won beat
the cruel restraints ofthe antiquafed doeI
trIne OF cOverture (" another stubborn
| prejudice OF fifteen centuries sfandingI
acknowledged and used by British aud
| German Barons too.-Why not down.
with 1t, as we'll as The freehold rigbf Of
suffrage lfthese cases cannot find rel
llct III the new rule it would fIien SEEM
that exceptions 10 general rules canned
dIsprOye them; that executions rnuiN
yield to general rules that general rulfj
cannot yield to exceptions, nor be mad.I
for individual cases. II that were done
the character of the rnle itself wonldI
be changed. 1t would then become u
particular, and nota general rule. TbeseI
rules, then, can only be justified. upos
ne same principle, which iuslifies th'I
freehold right of suffrage Che tendenc
otali of them to produce general bcnr
ut to society; and upon this principbl
are all OF them completely justified.
.Ihe next exception to The freehold n
mt OF The right OF suffrage, is in favor
persons, who are desirous of possessing
bnt Rave not tic means Of acquiring /
freehold; and are thereby excluded fros
'he privilege Of voting. 1t is reads
admitted, that il the exclusion bears lar
on any class Of citizens, il is on this elias
but It IS not believed, that il has anvifl
furious tendency inpractice, even towa5
TINS class OF citizens audit is eonfderf
~ asserted, that no general rule can Il