The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1829-01-15

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IN Tertiary and population. Ellxsbcih C,y and
three adjoining counties. The whoe western
Trrri,ory was neal given sway and Ken
lucky was som alter made al independent
state
As might have been expected. less Of the ele
n1eni< Of arsioefacy will be found ia the consii-
futions ofthe other sfaNs than 10 Vngiu'a The
states of CONNECTICUT add Rhode Island lived I'M
der the pure demoerscies created by tHrir char
iers u may be SAID gfsyely, that with the ex.
ceplion IT Virginia, ihr old fhirirrn eoionies a.
dnniea their constitutions on the principles
of perfect sq,aluy of rights IN AL per-
sons. aud of political pos.r. pritifeges and
c1paeiii6s in all free white male cit zrus twenty
onr wears Of age liable 90 The payment Of taxes
aud TO the performance of military duty, unless
under military sabsfdinafion OF some other du.
IA ce, md no, rendered infamous b, the com.
mission of some crime The following are the
exceptions to this gen raj outline. as accurately
n. can from recollection state them In
Massachusetts, a property qualification is reqdi.
red Of the voter, ola freehold estate Of three
pound. aDnuel value, or sixty pounds in person
nj estate aud the senatorial districts 10 he laid
Of according ie the taxes assessed ln New
Hampshire, the Senatorial districts are laid off
IN the same nranner. aud The Senator must lac
fierholder warn ECO. The suffrage is uo.
versa, snd 40 is thai in hassac husrtis by their
late amendments In New York, the Senate
was formerly the representative of property 10
crrts.in degree. The new Constitution Of thai
stat removes that distinction altogether aud
the suffrage is made Universal IN Nv Jers y,
a Senator must p ,ssess ffreholi, worth 4 1000
"A Representative freehold worth 10 aud
the voter ono worth coo, proclamation moncy
do II, I know the value. but have unders, rod
these qualifications, practically amount to 10th
ing n DE Iaware aud ~ Mary land the Rspiesen.
taflyn must be the same Tue voter must have
ESQ ia chatiles winch, Ly subsequent amend
ments h. pes.n reduced 10 morning.. In North
Carolina. The Senate. mud the electors Of Sena
tor must he ireei' olders. south Carolina,
members aud votelsgre qualified by the mers
poSsesson Ut taxaalc prepory. aud The asses
,ncnt aad paynieni ol taxes. A representative
must own lAnds of he value uf Gi5o, or $40
acres aud ten segroes, aud n Senator rnusi have
freehold worth 600. By an amendment
made 1903 tbs Senate Is conposn Il thus: l.e2d
prrt ofthr population sends u member, aus thr
people, paving la2d part oi the taxes. send ano.
thcr--so that he Senate represents persons AID
property by equal numbers Nv thu Corslitu-
ton oi Georges adopted in 1893 senators mu,t
possess certain freehold qualification aud the
representation is divided among the people, e.
u ,aiy numbering all the whites, aud three ift!is
of all people Of SoloT
BY this review, which may he imperfect in
some degree, we see thai Ia the old thirteen
States, qualifications IA property were required
~ som. lew cases ia The eiecor aud that III -four
instances alone, tile SQUAT represented the pio-
prrtv separately considered, a. well as the per
SUI Of the citizen Ia two cases, the uualiGca-
ion Of being Youth small sum in property, was
trquired of m election of Senator, an no, OF
n Representative. Within few years. three NJ
the old States to the eastward have amended
,hrir Constitutions. ~ one OF them, New York
Al distinction, arr neatly done away IL Mass
sachusets. all tina, rer,a,ns Is the representation
in the Senate according 10 raxes-whi'e IN the
new systems of Connecticut, Maine aud ', +
mont not an nistocratlr feature remains. In
Ionth aroina and Gcor sin alone. has a contra
~ curse been pursued In her late amend
,n"nts, South Caroina has est ,bshed n mixed
.preseniaton OF persons and property and
GPurgh has carried iuio her enumeration of n.
hnbitants, three 6'hs OF all people OF color,
whether slaves OF not.
With the exception Of the two last mentonpd
5 aIes wherever ar amendment has been made
il has been 10 lop oil SOM arlstOcratic feature.
But, nothing ican 81 decslvely prove the grow
ing determination of the American propir, Ia
establish their government upon the purr ami
equal principles of equal personal aud politiral
rights as their conduct tn the admission OF new
States inlo thu u"ion, and the course pursued
by each new state, ~ the formation offs own
Constitution.
The American People nevcr brous hit their o.
pnpns 10 bean unitediy aud practically on tn
subject under discussion, until they passed h,
first act 10 enable the pcorlc OF IA ter,uory IN
form Con tuition. In the first Of these acts.
MS we'll as in each successive one, the right OF
suffrage was free aud such is nearly the
light OF suffrage IN each new state. Ther leg
Slatve houses arc homogen 18th each other
and with the electors. This is even the case
with Alabama and Louisiana. where he would
least have expected !, aud tnls notm outstanding
their neighOi hood Of Georgia and south caro-
ina The tru h is, the odionS distinctions toun-
dod on the possession OF W alth, are condemned
as tntolerablc by the body of the American PEG
pie aud bow much more odious III the attempt
made by the iriends Of his bill, attempt
10 isfIanchise "A free man OF "A portion OF his
political rights, because he does not possess
siorc
Wealth, a best Is but nccting thing,
ARE to-day aud gone Tomorrow. But. the
practice representing property, where pro-
petty has been represented, was more rdt ma
tnan the present effort. Other States look
ed 10 property generally whereas III,
, framers OF tins bill regard slave property "a
lone
hive already shcwn that solid locate,
we'll defined arisioCIaCy, existed at the period o
the revolution, and iii - the Convention OF l716
preserved that arsiocracy rs far As possible
The author of the act OF descents. and of the Ia"
destroying estates tail used Ia say that by those
measures he had destroyed the arstocralic par
! " IN bis state. Perhaps he was right HIS
| l.,,I 4 h,a II
the ,ree, but the tree itself dies slowly. he
members cling IT, their power rs as ~ the r"i
lug passion susng in death. They resist every
innovation and by this na'ne charac;eri eve
nv measure OF n liberal nature. In that spirit
they resisted the establishment OF Primar,
Schools--Some of them maintaining that IL
instruct the poor child, was TO increase hi. mis-
cry by adding imaginary To his real wants, a Po
sion which mi ht he true, II It could he asserted
that he who is born poor, must necessarily re
main SO.
Shall we be asked why Georgia and Soul