Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-08

Pennsylvania was entitled 10 preference. and
when the line was run, bounding Pennsylvania
west, that remained an organized county, now the
greater part Of Brooke which was vet the com. ~
Ioi fohegeny, and by act of 1853, that county
was added to Ohio, on the express grosnd that /,
was too small 10 exist as a separate county: and
ms az a Tune when il eq"aled in territory and
PoPu'Auoh Eiizabeth City s. thr adjoining coun-
ucs. The whole western territory was next Civ
en- away, and kentucky was soon after made an
| independent State.
rs might have been expected. less of the Gle.
mems OF aristocracy will be found in the copstt.
lions oil the other states than in Virginia The
states Of Connecticut and Rhode Island liye un
der pure deinocracies created by their charters
IL may be said gravely, that with the exception
OF Virginia, the old thirteen colonies adopted their
constitutions OH the principles of perfect euu li,y
OF ,1ghfs in all persons, and of political pourer
privileges and capacities, in all free white male
ci'izens twenty years of age, liable to the
payment Of taxes, and to the performance of mill;
tary duty, unless under military subordination or
some other DURANGO, and not rendered infamous
ny The commission OF some crime. The following
are the exceptions TO this general outline, as ac-
curaieiy as can, from recollection, state lhem:-
III MASSACHUSETTS, a property qualification is re =
CURED of the voter, OF freehold estate of three
pounds annual value, or sixty pounds in personal
estate, and the senatorial districts 10 be laid off
cording to the taxes assessed. In New Hamp-
snre' lne senatorial districts are laid off in the
same manner and the Senator must be free
holder worth E200. The suffrage is universal.
and so is that in Massachusetts by their late a.
me moments. In New York, the Senate was for
merry 'he representative OF property to certain
degree The new Constitution of that state re :
moves that distinction altogether and the suffrage
Is. made universal. In New JERSEY n Senator
must possess freehold worth 6 IO00-a Repre-.
sentative freehold worth E50O; and the, voter
one worth ESQ, proclamation money I do not
know the value, but have understood these quail
hcations, prac icaliy amount to nothing In
delaware, and in Maryland, the Repres n
tative, must be the same. The voter must have
lou IN chattels, which, by subsequent amend
ments,has been reduced TO nothing. In N. Carroll
ma, the Senate, and the electors of Senators unust
! be ireehoders. In South Carolina members
ana voters are qualified by the mere posses
sion OF taxable property and the assessment and
payment oil taxes. a representative must own
lands oil the value of Ei50, or 500 acres and ten
negroes, and a Senator must have a fre.hold
worth t3OO. BY an amendment made in 1903.
the Senate is COMPOSED thus: .62d part of the
| population sends member, and the people nav
ing i-62d part Of the taxes, send ano,her-so tina,
the Senate represents persons ani property by
equal numbers BY tho Constitution of Georgia
adoptea IN i'SS, Senators must possess a certain
ireenoid qualification, and the representation is
divided among the people, equally numbering all
the whites, and three tihs Of all people of color
by this review, which may be imperfect in
some oegree, we see that in the old thirteen
c'a'es' qcahhcations in property were required
| IN seine few cases in the eectoi; and that in four
instances, alone, the Senate represented the pro
perry separately considered, as well as the person
Oh me ciuzen. In two cases, the qualification of
helng worth a small sum in property was reouired
OF an eiector OF Senator, and no; of a Represen-
tauve. Within a few years, three of the old States
TO the eastward have amended their Constitutions
In one OF them, New York, all distinctions are
nearly done away. In Massachusetts, all that re-
mans, Is the representation in the Senate accord
ing 10 taXes-wiiie in the new systems of Com
nccticut, Maine and Vermont, not an aristccratic
feature remains: In South Carolina and Georgia
a'ohe' mas contrary course been pursued In
ncr late amendments, South Carolina has estab-
Lshed mixed representation of persons and pro
perry; and Georgia has carried into her enumera-
lion OF inhabitants three -is of all people of CO.
lor, whether slaves or not.
with the exception of the two last mentioned
states, wherever amendment has been made
IL mas been to lop off some arstocratic feature
but, nothing can decisively prove the growing
determination OF The American People, to estab.
iish their governments upon the rure and eoual
principles of equal personal and political rights
as their condpct in the admission of new States
INTO the Union, and the course pursued by each
new State In The formation of its own Constitution
The American People never brought their n
pnions to hear uniteGiy and practically on the
SUBJECT under discussion, until they passed ,ba
irst act 10 enable the people of territory TO form
constitution. In the first of these acts as well
as IN each successive one, the right of suffrage
was Tree and equal; and such r., nearly, the right
OF suffrage i'll each new State. Their legislative
houses are homogeneous with each other and with
the electors. This is even the ease with Alabama
ana LOUISIANA, where we would least have expect
ca III ana tins, notwithstanding The neighborhood
OF Georgia and South Carolina. The truth il tho
odlous distinctions founded on the possession nj
"eaitb, are condemned ntoeiable by the BODY
OF the American People; and how much more
ouious Is The attempt made by the friends of this
bii,-an attempt TO disfranchise free man of a
portion OF his political lights, because he does moi
possess SYare3 ''o'
wealth, at best, is but fleeng things here
to-day and gone tomorrow. But, the practice of
representing property, where property has been
represented, was more rational than the present
efort Other States looked 10 property generally.
whereas, the trainers of this bill reward sIsys
property alone.
Rare already sbewn, that solid located we'll
uehned arisiocracy, existed al the pericd of the
revolution, and that the Conventions of 1916
preserved that aristocracy as far possible. The
dh'oor oil The act OF deseents, and of the law de-
stroying estates tail, used TO say, that by those
measures. he had destroyed the aristocratic party
In his state. Perhaps he was right His mea
may nave laid the to the root OF the tree
but the tree itself dies slowly The members
cling 10 their power IA 10 the ruling passion s,ron
IN death They resist every innovation; and by
ulis name, characterize every easure of liberal
nature In that spirit, they resisted the establish
nent oil PRIMARY Schools--soine of them main
'as ..ndt 10 instruct Tie poor child, was TO in
crease his misery, by adding imaginary TO his re-
al wants. position which might be true, if il
coud De asserted, that he who is born poor, must
necessarily remain So
=, Shall we be asked why Georgia and South
Carona nave assumed the grounds they have as
suheu' ferhaps the times OF these assun, ations
connected with existing circumstances. MIGHT
furnish the answer. Old Georgia was nearly ali
settled, and throughout that state nearly the same
IN ierests existed That state in I79Swss asserting
us iiie 70 vast unsettled domain, like Western
virginia once was; and the people Of the settled
fhair q