Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-07

female SEX, and all children OF immature rea-
son, should be excluded from the elective fran
chise THAT is, that the majority of every socie-
ty ought to be denied this right;) not, surely be-
cause every woman is inferior in Intelligence
and virtue TO every man; not because no boz is
equal in capacity to any man of mature years;
nor yet because women and children are not
subject to the laws, or bound to contribute TO
tic support of government. The reason is that
experience hath convicted every Republic, and
indeed all who have specialized on the theory of
government, that ii is tcise and polite, to cx-
Clude women and children, as well as men de-
based by crime, from the elective franchises
though the disqualification of each of these elias
scs of citizens, rests on peculiar and distinct
reasons, wholly inapplcabie to the other.
The regulation of the right of suffrage, there
fore, is an affair of poiiiica! erpeiieacy aitoge-
ther. That some regulation, some limitation,
nay very extensive Limitation, is necessary
and just, all admit. And all must admit too,
that that regulation ought to be preferred which
Is the most likely, in its effect, to make the Ie-
gislativc body truly represent, and to that eu,l
DC elected by, the experience, the maturcd rea-
son, the good sense, the manly independence,
the mcorruptble virtue, and the great, prevail
ing, enduring interest of the commonwealth
The question, then, resolves itself into this /:
is the freehold qualification that general rcgu-
lation of the right OF suffrage, which is the best
calculated to accomplish this wise and lust
end?
1t is not perfect. II is Of the essence of all
regulations to be fixed and general and no re-
gulation could be framed by human wisdom, SO
perfect, as not to exclude some, who (if regard
could be had TO their particular charactcr)
ought to be admitted, and on the other baud, to
admit some who ought to be excluded. To OBJ
Ject against the present system, general mper-
lection of this kind is not 60 object 10 the free
hold qualification only, but to all regulation.
The true question is, whether the freehold quail
iiication be the preferable regulation
And on tins question, this INC citing must con-
tent itself with selecting out of the nuitifarous
views that present themselves, the most simple
and the most practical, and, therefore, in the
sense of this meeting, the most conclusive.
The freeholders of Virginia are not a body
of veal by landlords, inclined by interest or
temper, to Cypress those who are frecholdsrs.
They arc the Hfoman;y of tie country; the oil
fodial owners, and independent cultivators, of
the soil, for their own benefit; nei her inflated
by the pride of cXorbitant wealth, nor depress-
ed or tortured by the distresses all discontents
of extreme pc, erty; that body of men, which
constitutes the strength Of every country, and
the foundation on which every comm 1nwealti,
must be erected; who arc the most removed
from corruption, or temptation to corruption,
and the most incapable OF any combination Tor
purposes of mischief; who cannot betray the
public liberty or interests, wis.Iout bctraying
their own: in whom. in this our Republic every
great permanent interest centres, and who
bear almost the whole weight of ali public
burthcns.
Now, either the admission of those who are
not freeholdcrs, to the elective franchise, would
produce some change i'll the general character
and spirit of our Legislation, or it would pro-
duce none.
lift would produce none, where is the neces-
sity or expe,liencv, what is the object, what
would be the practical eject, OF the proposed
rcforn' This meeting carmots, suspect the friends
OF reform. OF the folly ofdesiring reform for the
mere sake ofnayeliy or change. without design
or expectation OF any practical consequences
whatsoever.
/Dutitthc prOpo chang ew olld work chance
kntle generalclIaractor and Esprit OF on. Lccs!a-
tion, observation-disclosures, the great landed interes,
this commonwealth allits ramcations, seri-
Iyously consider the consequences. So long as the
ffceholdcrs compose the constituent of the re-
preventative and Legislative body, we may all
rest in perfect security that no laws will be de-
signedly enacted, no system of measures adop-
ted, none certainly will be endured, pernicious
to their own interests; and, by inevitable con-
sequence, none pcrnicious to the interests of a.
ny other class ofcitzens: for it is impossible to
conceive law that would be injurious to those
who are not landho!ders, which would not at.
feet the landhoders themselves, in an equal if
not in greater degree. Suppose a general
capitation tax should be imposed flor exanple;l
such an imposition would bear as heavy, indeed
far more heavily on the landholders, 1.-THE fathers
OF families and the owners of slaves than on
| those who are not landhoIders. But if the ro-
y-rr hall 10, l. -
materially influenced by those who are not free
holders, laws may be enacted, which will vital
ly affect the landholdcrs, and the landed inter-
est, without touching the particular interests
of those who enact them. They may impose
the heaviest taxation on lands, and las those
rarely hold many slaves who are not Iandhol-
ders) Oh slaves too, on all manner of farming
stock, and on the graziers cattle, to their own
entire exemption, and to the grieyous oopres.
sion Of the landholdcrs.
This meeting doth really apprehcnd, that this
desire of abrogating, the freehold qualification,
las no prctencc has been heard of any practical
grievance, oppression or inconvenience, seen.
ielt, or apprehended, from this regulation of the
right OF suffrage, is to be imputed chiefly to the
contagIon OF the example of our sister states all
around us. And we are much mistaken in our
estimate of political causes and effects, if the
present condition of ut least one state in the u
Mon, does not exhibit an experimental iIustra-
ton OF the business of the view above taken OF
the subject aTldif, in some other states, the abo-
lition of freehold qualification, honestly design
ed to cxalt the poor to political level with the
rich, has not resulted in enhancing the weight
aud influence of oveTgrown wealth, and especi
ally Of the monied interest; the action of which
IN elections, must always, in greater or lesser
degree, be attended with corruption.--We for
pear to enter INTO an examination of the facts
since we would aRxously avoid all jndecornn
towards other states, and would not even refc,
to their institutions, except for the essential pur