Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-11-26


nr.sent qualification brings 10 the polls only
,hose. or nearly those. WIN are interested in
the community, he was opposed 10 excluding
any of those who at present enjoy i.-Bis
urooo.ition was designed TO extend the freehold
sufFrnpe lie enumerated the persons To
.hom he would extend it-treferf'ng TO his
resolution I aud assis ning the reasons for lis
separ- provisions.
He commended. that II was no objection 10
che freehold qualification being derived from
r,oIand II gentlemen think that lis being
E,glisb il the reason why we should renonnce
:, are we prepared to give w the very repre-
sao,at,ye Government under which we live be
cause we also derived ii from England Are
,,e IN give I'D also Jury ujal-ihe Common
Law Are veto abandon the literature of
Eneland-or are we 10 let out tho English
blood which runs ~ our veins
But gentlemen said. this freehold restriction
had been imposed on Us by Charles The Id
,hat /. seouodrel King" as he has been Justly
called But do gentlemen believe, that Charles
bimself imposed it-for, he had nothing else 10
a, but 10 study his own pleasures and the
,,sans or ,ndugins Them Was il mol owing
IN the Board of Plantations Or, are gentle
men vet 10 learn that under the best monhrchs
some of the grraiest strides are made in oppo.
.nion 10 librriy-and that unter The worst
,p.,archs. some ofihe guards OF liberty have
H,heas Corpus ctiiseif was adopted IN the
reisn ofthis tyrant Charles
lr Leigh coniended however, that the
bnes,,on VAS not 10 be decided by history, but
unoo principle. Gentlemen appealed to natu-
val riyht: but can there be greater contradic
ton thar 10 say that man owns The right OF vo-
ting IN state oil nature, when the very right
itself pre-supposes state OF society, aud Of
civilized society too, before il can be exercised.
.,trbt tan yh m
S,as derived from the Gpd OF nature, when the
very first operation of this natural principle is
10 exclude from the right all the females, being
at least one half OF the socleiy--and after you
have done this, yon proceed 10 exclude one haif
of the male sex, by cutting of all the minors
when L IS TACT that by our own census the
minors under 10 years OF age only constitute
one bali of the male sex-and alter you have
thus got to one-faur,h OF the society, you have
10 reduce that number by striking out all the
panpers and others
Air l. admitted that the freehold suffrage
had some lmnerEeciions-that il frequently
admitted to the right of suffrage the worthless
freeholder who happened 10 own % acres of
land while the more worthy neighbor might
he excluded-but was hi, any ohj Cton 10 The
scheme DOES not such an effect result from
che adoption Of al general rules lhe tree.
hold qualification of the right OF stuff age, he
u,
imperfrct is not the system Of gentlemen
imnerlecto lie attempted TO point out such
defects in tn IL propostions--he asked il every
one did not haow the independent md pure
character OF the freehold, Does any one know
that a b,ibe has ever Approached oue oi them
lie said he had mixed ymuch with them 3, but
never did he know OF corruption among the
freehoders OF Virena--oimpe they are. hum
Die in appearance, unassuinIng IN manners but
to h.Il,
tAeir integrity, aud then, We affirmed, ihnir
true ater would be- discovered-and no
people upon the earth would be found less LA
bile 10 corruption. file pronounced ananlma-
ted eulogium upon the Freehoiders
He commended that the rule for the exclusion
Of women from the polls, WAS itself Imperfect
that ii excIues many wome v who are qualified
20 exercise the right of suf' age, with strong
minds, AID pa sing by the gcn,ler virtues, ca
bowed with courage even suihc'ent to dann'
many men-He examined in the same way.
1he effect OF he qua!Gt atm Of age. attempt
iHg ts show that a general rule, it excluded
Inanv persons who were tully Iuali 10 es-
ercse tue right of suffrage, and admitted many
nren who were moi so-nany Old men, who had
fallen into do,age-and he concluded. that no
general rule can be laid down. which is not
subject 10 exceptions aud imperfections-but
that as some general rule should be adopted
quately test the at, aChment and interest the
voter 10 the country-And he contended that
no qualifcai ion safe in this respect as
the right offreahold.
lie contended. that the freehold test has this
peculiar advantage; thai eve voter should
feel for the general interest of The Staie-as
well as for the local in erests Of the county
where he resides, that every cnunty has an in
teres of Its own, that Chesterfield, for instance,
ltas IT, &.
Co, Amelia or Dinwiddip and who has due
seuse of these peculiar interests, except The man
who OWNS part of its soil lis il the mere cir.
cum.tauce OF being born there, that attaches
him 10 his county? In reply 20 This suggestion
he asked how many persons ,elt ih's sentiment
how many were in the habit OF abandoning
their native counties, and emigratlng even 10
the most distant States.
lie contended that the freshold qlalifcalo
was IN the reach OF every man, who would
work for his living there was not a foot
ofand in this widely extended State, which
was tei up by the laws, and might not he a
lienated and which the poorest man might not
purchase by the fruits ofhs labor. lie con-
tended that there were few counties, in " lc
freehold might not be purchased for S25 -
Aud shall we be told by the gentleman from
Monongaha Mr.. Wilson that men leave the
state because they cannot buy a freehold
when the very expense OF moving 10 another
State is much greater than the purchase OF the
land Aud this system has been held up IN
the most odous colors. as an ercLulite system
WHEN II is easy 10 purchase the qualification
and which he believed was So little valued
shat no mau would buy freehold for the pur
pose of obtaining vote. Some persons may
buy freehold for the sake Of representing
The people but how few were those VIII,
bought II for the sake of a vote.
do ii tn 49,.
against this freehold qaa fcation Of suffrage
Al is called aristocratic For his own part h,
cared not for such epithets-he deSpised thea
but ne would ask whether Patrick Henr.