The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-05-30
THE VYR G1MTAN.
LYNCnBuRG, NAY 50. l825.
To The friends ETA Conreaiioa,

we nave nnuceu Tue chndnci OF our on
poueuts, moi with ,irw IN excite xan To
an io'r,npefaic resistance 10 the y stem OF
nrpressinn which they srein Determined
Ia maintain, hut 10 show You that from
taur avn exritions alune have You any
thlng To hape or expect that from their
nagnanin,iiy on Justice yon need look for
noihlng-and consequently that, rs the
LnuduLu Committee ,,ou must
omhorjse Canyrntion in your original ca
patty, or you viii he doomed, through al
time. To crouch under the wrongs which
you have 81 long Suffered
Ii would seem unnecessary IN enter into
detail Ofthesr wrongs, IL the friends of
Convention but, Us some may read these
remarks, who are "hating between uwn
opinions = or Others who may have hereto
toie opposed a convention may be convlnc
cd that our complaints are louaded in
siiiel jus,ice, y, shall briefly notice few
! Of them. Aud,
Isl. The Right Of Suffrage When the
! present Constitution of Virginia WAS
framed, this country WAS about IN launch
on an ocean of unilied experimenting
! Ting, with Que hand, against its foreign
! opprtssors, and, with the other, against the
not less dangerous insidiousness Of domes
Tic traitors. Raising The standard of re-
volt against II government TO which il
| had SO long owed allegiance, and To which
II had always Paid the most uuquallli, d
homage, il was necessary 10 lessen the
chances of defeat in its great object, ly
rendering access 10 the Offices under the
rev regime As difficult as possible. With
this view the provision relating to freehold
] gt,Ifrs,pn . ,,,supIpI IN UD
! Then, it WAS necessary, that Il holder Of
Office should show some better r,ldencc Of
permanent attachment to aud interest in
thc soil, whose rights and lia,llirs he was
selected To protect and dsirnd, than thu
single circumstance nfrtSlaence; because
Instances daily occurred, and wire indeed
to have been nationally expected, OF many
individuals, whose interests dictated such
a course, or possibly who were swayed by
some other and better feeling, flying from
the storm which they Sd" approaching,
and taking shelter IN the ranks ct the Bri
fish armies, or in the bosom ot the mother
country These were principally mo
chants, and professional characters, who
had been born beyond sea, and whe had
never been able Ia shake oil their attach
ment To the British nation and crown--not
the sturdy yeomanfy the soil, who cultl
waited the lands, aud were b"uod to the
country of their birth by the ties oil interest,
to be sure, but by the still stronger let lIngs
Of birth, of kindred, and Of patriotism
.hoU, the case is different. The storm has
passed blythe object for nhiclour fathers
contendod is oblaintd--onf hbeIties are
/ fixed upon permanent toundalIon-or, II
there be any danger vi their Destruction,
| it will not arise from the undue auaClhnehl
! of any portion OF our ClliZtnS To loIel6n
land or government. How, then, can we
! exclude SCI large portion ol The citizens ol
| the state from an equal participation IN the
management of It's allars--in the making
| Of laws by which they are 10 be go'ernt d,
as the nOn-frechuldprs constitute ? DO we
fear thcir influence? How eau II be cxer
eised (even supposlng the extreme case
that they should ever obtain on ascendan
cy in the State Councils to the injury ct
tie State, or of any portion oil the people
The supposlti0n would be absurd, and II Is
known by they who indulge IN IT II be
uowarrauted by the plain dictates oil com
mon sense. Ii has always appeared TO US
to be 4 contradiction IN terms, to refuse to
a non freeholdrr the privilege of holding
any cnil offices, aud even of The right OF
voting for those Who do Gll them, whlic Ne
not only readily place the muskct al his
shoulder, but the sword 10y his side. We
place him IN the highly responsible station
of commander in chef Of our armies, where,
If he be not restrained by patriotism and
moral principle, he can do 50 much aud
sch rrcmediablr mischief, "h,lr WE dc"J
to him the righ, of holding the Comparative
u s,tlP, pl =. 4 . sentative
the people, where the most harm lac can
do, is to give ii bad votr-an cyl, which,
il we mistake not, is not entirely prevented
by combining our selections TO the free
holders. We shall say nothing here, about
the parity of reasoning which the Bhilsh
government, al the period ofour revolution,
and the anti COW entionsts now, employ
to bolster up system frausht with the
most glarins injustice. That VIII conc IA
under another head Of onr subject We
do, however. call upon the fieeholders, as
they value the principles which our com
moD ancestors purchased at such vast
p'ice, not TO become themselves IN turn the
instruments of oppress'on-to give to lher
fellow citizens, who, by accident ltof afel
dent occaslOnrd the introduction 81 me
freehold restriction into the consiliuil"nl
have been deprived olthe most inesilmabIf
pri,iI, 70 of freedmen, that share IN tile go
vernment To which they are entitled. IL they
listen to this appeal with indifference, and
Turn an adders ear To the complaints OF the
non frecholdcrs, can they expect them
TO throw themselves in the gap of dan
ger with the same alacrity which has
heretofore characterized them, If war
should again hover over the land GA The
other baud may they not expect the treat
mtnt which IA COURSE Of long injustice is
calculated to provoke They viii say
to their oppressors, in the words OF Shy
lock,
" Many time and Of.