Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-05-25
DOMESTIC.
Remarks Of Republican Of 1913, in ans1er to
Mr.. Leish's proposed Substitute, Continued.
No. =

! Mr.. Leish's proposed Substitute, Continued.
No. 2.
TO the Editors IF The Enquirer.
Gentlemen: will NOW proceed, as conciseIv
as can, TO assign my reasons for ADVOCATING.
the call OF convention, not to destroy bu to
amend the constitution of Virginia. in duinr
tins, shall eDdeavour, incidentally, to obyiate.
the most important objections in MIR. Leipl,,s
anticipated Substitute.
Ii is, conceive, abundantIy manifest that a
convention, having the benefit of all the liol,t
which is shed upon this subject by tile constiiu-
lions OF the other states, and awaiting itself Of all
the information that may be obtained of their
practical operation, would be enabled 10 select.
from among their provisions, much that is good,
and IN all human probability, by rejecting what
Ii bad, would make for US, constitution more
nearly approaching to perfection, than any
which has hitherto appeared.
For the purpose OF accomplishing this great
work, the right IF Suffrage, Gin the first piace,)
ought to be EXTENDED gerry generally, though not
universally.
The friends of reform can never DC guilty of
the absurdity Of contcnding, that this important
social right (Which certainly, like all other So
cial rights, may and shall be regulated, accor-
ding 10 the dictates of reason and good scnse)
can with propriety be exte ndcd 10 persons inca
pable, in the nature of things, Of exercising it
with understanding ,-to persons whose age, ser
troll of otiiers,-or to persons rendered unwor-
thy to vote by conviction of infamous offences.
| The only question then is, what is the true
rue Of political capetiiency on this subject s-It
Is the maxim OF a republican government, that
all the citizens of the commonwealth arc entitled
to the enjoyment of equal rights, except in cases
where necessity torbids 1T or rc,.y cogent reasons
10 the contrary exist The possibility, or even
| p,obDiity, that bad use n,cy be made of a
,.ght, Is not sufficient reason for Withholding it
| altogether. The true rule therefore, appears 10
be hat furnished by our Bill of Rights viz,
VI that elections ofmembers to serve As repre-
sentatlves of the people in assembly, ought to
be free, and that all men, hauiag sufficient chi
. dctce Of permanent common interest tcitt and
4" attachment to the comn1niiy, have right of
(" suffrage, and cannot be tarcd or deprived Of
60 their property for public uses without their
own consent, or that of their representatives SO
6 elected, nor bound by any laW to ,cll;ch then
I" haze notin Ike manner asscnted, for the pub
g tic good.n
A person who considers the terms of this rule
atientively, may naturally ask The following
question:: Can any good reason be given for
EeXcindipg from the right of suffrage, any free
i9iite male citizen OF this commonwealth, eyed
| twcnty-one years, or upwards who has resided
within the county lii which he offers to vote, a
year, or more, next preceding the election, has
| PAID the stdte and unity fares, and performed
military duty, if not exempted by law from'pcr-
forinlnSsit such person not having forfeited tho
privileges OF an clector, by conviction of any
4 crime 1T simply seems, at sight. not incon-
sIstcnt with the golden rule above mentioned, to
permit all suchpcrsons to enjoy the inestimable
/ right ofvoting for those by wllom they are tured:
fllayiDg some participation in enacting the law
BY which the liberty and property of ecery man
III the community, may be effected.-It docs APP
pear reasonable, that natives Of our country, or
emigrants into it from our sister states who have
shewn, by settling and residing among us, a de-
hberatc intention to take up here their perma-
nent abodc,-who de- end upon honest labor for
! support,-who assist in dcfraying the expenses
ofour government, arc enrolled in its militia.
and compelled to fight rs batties,-whose lille
az (which they toish to enjoy under the protcc-
ion of free government, us dear and valuable
to them, though they cannot afford to throw a.
way money IN purchasing freehold estate in
land which perhaps, they can neither lease nor
cultivate to advantage, should be considered as
having sufficient evidence Of permanent COM
mon interest with, and attachment to the COM
munty," TO eDtitlc them to the right of suffrage.
But we are told, in the Substitute, that, by
restricting the right suffrage to f,cehoidcrs, the
trainers OF the Bill flights, who were also the
authors of the constitution, gave their own con-
temporaneous exposition of the meaning ofthose
"important words, call men having svGcicnt cpi-
''dencc Of permanent common INTEREST," &c.
showing plainly that in their opinion f,-cehoylers
only answered 10 this dcscription.--That such
appears to have been their opinion, | do not
deny but, unless the authority of great men
shall be regarded in preference to sound a,e1,-
n,e1t, ii is not of to be admitted that snch
exposition, Though contemporaneous,) ,cas
correct. On the contrary, it appears to INC that
tho principle laiI down in the Bill of Ripysfs.
IS correct; that the exposition given in the con-
sttutioil is departure from that principle, being
/ in fact inconsistent with il and tIercr,re
ought to be condemned as such.-ISut sorrc OK
cilsc for this apparent error is TO be furnished bv
the important fact that, in the year 1870, the
wbte citizens of Virginia, were almost univcr-
| sally eeholders.-Lands were cheap: mcchan-
Ics and manufactures few; nearly all the
| goods consumed in the colony, having, until
| then, been imported from Great Britain, end
| t:;e mercantile class being generally foreigners
the members Of the convention, were Themselves
| elected by the laudlo!1crs, and therefore, very
] naturally, contemplated no other mode Of eJes:-
! tio1.--I'ut, in the lapse of time, great changes
have occurred in all these respects and there
| fore. correspondent change in tl.e ri. Int of
suffrage, would now be highly reasonable.
Not only is the extension of this right do
nandej by The principle of justiee, but 6y er,e-
d.caSy, aiso.- would eradicate from orr CO.
iilcal system, one at least ofthe causes by which
| respectable mechanics and useful white Iabour.
eTs, MT icing freetolders, arc DISCOURAGED FRI, -
migrating in Virginia, or driven, by disaust
iropa her sosOn 10 that efothcr sstee, yylo.ci O..