Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-19

TFeHcN principles might be
o"t c1'l~nsc then, destruction " II means robt a
suffrage exercised by all the free men of con,nnn
~. ana precisely TO this extent the right exer
cis"d IN the colony of Virginia from the year 1921 til
.ns year 1865. The ordinance of 1921 secured the
right OF suffrage to all the free inhabtants of the
colony. And defy the gentleman from Chesterfield
with Ill his constitutional lore to show by refer
ence to The Legislative history of the colony that il
was taken away or even assaed, before the passage
OF the act of 1856 In that year an &C, was passed
declaring, "that all housekecpers, whether freehold
"ers leaseholders, otherwise tenants should only
"6e capable to elect Burgesses. Provided that this
word housekeepcrs, repealed in this act extend no
further than To one person a family
And here, Sir, We have, prescntei'to MS tho crr;
Gus discrepancy between the statement made by the
gentleman from Chesterfield and the real facts OF
.ne case: ana not discrepancy, only. bnt absolute
contrariey His statement is that universal suffrage
originated in England with The military IA pit a,crs''
IN the time of Cromwell, md was thence nd NJ thar
period, transplanted into Virginia, where it was
before unknown The f,rt is that it had existed i'm
the colony from the earliest period of its Legislative
h'sfo;y, and was first dssaied in the time of the
.agita;ers" and OF Cromwell, who, in 1866, was of
ne height oil his power anu the sovereign of Virgin
!a thus, Sir, these crazy 'agtaters,H these Emo
Sh republican enusasics, destroyed, instead of in
Producing, universal suffrage. They were the frs.
10 introduce nationality into the heretofore irration.
al regulation of the right of suffrage. say ration
tntty, Sir, because | am advocate for universal
suit age -God forbid that ever should be-
The oct of 1855 repealed, however i'm The fol-
lowing year. Tho repralinr act declares. IN I'M,
quaint language oft age, "thnt 1t is conceived to
that any persons shall pay equal taxes, and vet
nave n" votes in elections; and that so much Of
the net for choosing Burgesscs he repealed as
excludes freeman from vutes"-(2)
WI the exception of this interval OF wear univer-
sal suffrage prevailed in Virginia from 1921 till 1870.
In the year last mentioned an net WAS passed dc
ciarng that 'nonc but frechoiders and hou:clecpcrs
who oaiy are werabc to the public for their le-
Sh
"uon of any burgesses," (3.) This limitation of the
right OF SUIT age unpiatable To the cnloniss
and was set forth as me of the grievances BY which
the popular isurrecon If 1876, was justified. Gu
II popular insrrertUn, hccIuse the phrase is ,nor.
agreeable TO my republican notions thun the word
HTeoeIhon,N used by the gentleman from Chester
ilcld Hebetlion, sir then what were The men IF
l776, hnt rebels against tho Royal authority. Ma
than'el Bacon WAS rebel, who perhaps wanted onlva
wider theatre OF action and more prozsc,cd span of
existence tn be the Washington Of his age lie rose
III arms against OPPRESSION and democratic legisa-
tnrc,"r one under his CONTROL while il rrdrass,d many
real grievances, repealed the limarn of sutTrarc
imposed IN 1870 Has democratic code was repealed in
ITS turn, IN 1917 and two regiments of British soldiers
were sent by his ra's gracious Majesty King Charles
IL whose government the gentleman from Chester
Held calls by way OF distinction "thc lawful govern
Inent, to dlss inmate III the Colony NOR, c,rrec.
nof'ons concerning civil and political liberty This
worthless tyIant--the most worthless that ever filed
the Throne OF England-did not condesccnd 10 ask
Il
the very mouths of his cannon and at the very no,
OF his bayonets Legislative cstablshn he free
hoH limitation IF the right Of suffrage in IfrSinia
lie ordered his governor in his prva;e letter of in
structons under his royal hand, $50 take care thai
the members of the Assembly should thereafter he
elected by frcehoiders only" (4) And thus Sir tbe
freehold limitation of the right Of suffrage became
inc tao 81 prg'nn:-~and gu it has remained to the
present day modified TO be sure, from time to limo
10y sbsevien COLONIAL assemblies regard to the ousn,v
Gma necessary to confer .e right hot still The eead
non And with these slight notifications remains The law
and the Constitution Of Virginia. t. the present day /, was
IN 1917 them aid not in i77 That this hoastch regulation
moi Virginia II dictated by tyran, thrust down
the throa,s oic people of Virginia point of the avo,e
called ON TO veneraeo bow down worship as the scs,
ana pest OF all The institutions formed 1876 sagra ana.
great safeguard OF property and the palladium oar liberties
Sir have said that the Constitution Virginia. as il re-
ms great ana vita provision maiured completed
IN 1877 The Convention of 1875 ound established and
ma'ued and they left untouched And WHY did hey leave
authoE Or were they. true republicans they unoues
,lnnaby were partial to arstocaiic distinctions and privi-
dared not oucit II had deep root and could NOT he
torn up with safety while clements Of dcod were
already at work. and threatened add horrors OF cirH
TO the dangers of foreign
Moreover the poisonous plant, astocrncy, had grown up
ana tourrsed under the shadow of the Of ro1uy
privileged class bad been created only by establishment
exclusive political privileges but by grants OF land
as well political asocracy It was like ali privileged
classes tenacious its exclusive privileges, and like all wealthy
pIouu Oi It's wealth class this
authors of the Bill Of Rights genuine AMI bold republicans a.
they were did non hre TO in the heat of pu,
Ieqstion all the wealth and all the country
end" ~ - "
They said, with rnoarlu md senen,inis bravi,y rhe
right of suffrage shall rem1iu present exercised"
This sir is TIL history ofhc rise AM progress aud TN
happy' OF the present stale Of me right of suffrage Virginia
~ See Hening's Statutes at Large, vol l, page 4l2
~ Sec Henns's Statutes Large, vol L. PAGE lob The
repeating Precede the repealed in the pagag ellen
ins Statutes at Large" i'll consequence of mistake in the
NJ D "not discovered IL tiInef
~ See Jennings Statutes at Large, vol 2, page $50
~ see HennSs Statutes at Large vol 2, page 425.
Mr.. LEIGH said thai the gentleman from Freder-
ick needed not to inform him that he had not learned
the history Of Virginia from the note to the revised
Code HIS object had been merely to put the Com
miitee in possession of the facts which were there
stated. The gentleman had not only studied out of
different system of law, but also out Of different
system of general history or he would not have said
that Bacons instruction, which grew out of phi
vase feud, was stand III defence of the rights of