Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-09-23

ken care TO prcscrvc) been Tor moment sus
pended; but, while the flames were raging in the
Session House of the Congress. the words OF the
PRESIDENT TO the people were these: 1.-The Govern
.'ment is Of your nakieg, We its atmnist ators,
are men ~ your choosing, md you firmly |
rely for the defence of and Of us" He relied nut
without good reason: they upheld both, and they
drove the ioc from their country in disgrace.
Aye" some one will say; "but the people OF Amc-
erica are different from, the people here. aud they
nave not such immense congregations of people. -
lucy are different: they well fed and well clad,
and lightly worked. nnd pay hardly any taxes at all
Inns Is all the difference, and this difference arises
solely from the circumstances that they have univer
sal suffrage, and that have not. And To great
congregations of people, NEW York, PHiLApELPHiA
and BALTiMoRE exceed in population any three pla-
ces IN England, London excepted. There are many
other places of great populations but never did any
one hear OF riots confusion, though the elections
are all annual for MAYoR, ALDERMEN, and other OIL
GERS la those cities, and though the suffrage is
here also universal.
might safely rest upon this argument Of expert
ence, especially as have never heard any at
tempt to show, why this species of suffrage should
lead to confusion, by which is generally meant con-
fusion In the act Of election. God knows we have
confusion enough at our elections. Seldom does
election take place, without troops being called in
assist what Is called the "civil power" What would
the Americans think of Dragons standing with drawn
swords TO protect the Freedom Of eection as was
the case at PRESTON, the last time Half the first
year OF every Parliament in spent i'm trials and
debates about contested elections. Corruption, bril-
perry; al sorts OF crimes and immoralties, of which
oeasty drunkenness is the least dgraceiu of the
sequences OF this as it is called, exercise othe cleo
tive franchise" In the whole of the Gliyfhree eur,
that universal suffrage has been exercised in Ame,i
ca not single complaint of undue election has been
made to the Congress; and should be glad TO hear
what reason there is for supposlng, that similar
cause would produce in England precisely contrary
effect. .N''
We are told of the difficulty of taking the election;
ol me great dithcuy OF ascertaning who had right
10 vote and who had not. Our Government found no
difficulty in ascertaining to shilling the amount Of
the ncohe oil every man in the kingdom has found
no difficulty IN ascertaining how many windows there
are III every house, how many dogs, horses srria-
Ses servants, shoprnen in every house and yanl in
every parish 1t has found difficulty i'm getting at
the names, age, state of health state limbs HEIGHT
ana bodily strength of every male person in every pa
rlsh: and could not so clever Government as hi,
50 aii-seelng and all-seurching Government, find
out the means of putting down the names of ali the
male persons IN every parish or district and hayin0
tneih on list to be given to the officer who is TO
tue electloR The thought itself is nonsense the
question is question TO pnt: the (;ovcrn,nor,
can do 1t If it viii; and it does not because il t,tl
not. what "confuSion," my Lord, could possbiv
and IN the same hours and the returns were made
up anu transmitted all at, about, the same time>
Ihe number OF voters would be great, that bribe-
~ and corruption would be impossible: the prize to
De contended Tor would not be what il now is: and
we should nave rioting at elections and no trials
and perjury afterwards To me, NOTHING apnenrs co
easy and so quiet as this mode OF election: have
never heard any argument to alter NV oniniops ro
sPccting 1t; and therefore, that opinion ren,ans Win,
II was twenty years ago; that is to say ever since
had far opportunity Of forming correct opinion
upon the subject.
now come to the second point; namely. yot;no h.,
odtto; and here there is much more to ne said IN oh
Jcctlon' II has been said, that the man who wishes
70 maze his opinion, who wishes to disguise the vote
% ne gives, is unworthy ofbeing entrusted with it,
me case has been put thus, and was once put so bv
hyseE that the ballot, secret voting Is wholly Nm
necessary II the voter be independents and that If no
De dependent, he must either tell BE IF he wish
10 vote contrary TO the desire of his employer or
on whom he is dependent or he must vote agreeable
10 the VIII OF such person. and that then the ballot -
OF no use; that, therefore, the ballot is dshonorohe
tni"g ana that all men should be excluded from vo
,'Ig' uniess the vote were given openly and avoweJ
y IL IS very curious, that these very reasons were
urged against the American practice by tho Ann
aABLf' IN his letters to JoHS ADAMS the second
aicricsh President at the time of forming the Anne
i.coh leoeral cons titution. The answer which Mr.
ADAMS gave was that the sin of living was in srcI
case much less than the sin of briberu and that he
sues Tue preservation Of tile people from the temna
perfect pence at elections . ~ '"yI "'
VOW, my Lord, with regard to the dishonoyobJ.n.ss
y, te 'nIng there is balotng for committees in the
rouse OF Commons; they vote by ballot in the French
legislative assemblies: in all the clubs md s;,H
and IN commercial assemblies and comnanies IT, ~
ing 70 generally by ballot; even the members ri ,bo
~ yyoI promoting Chrtsti1n Knolciedge are rbo
- "o,Iot' ana tohW because the parties ,,o,n,,
snould De Tree to follow their own incnntion. and ~
so DOING not expose themselves to the dispIeasre Of
e persons voted against, or that of their friends
Inc objects and tendency of the ballot in thnsc GO
Is TO ensure lnpartioty and to prevent and not ~
cause that "eoYIsion' of which your Lordship an.
pears 10 be apprehensive. The voting is nrett, o
~ universal at PTeston it is quite such will; lie nm
Just exclusion Of the poorest Of the poor. No man
tllat knows any thing about the matter and that mas
any regard Tor truth will deny, that if the VOTING had
oeen by ballot should have been chosen bv ? rna
JorIty OF ten to one Whole Streets where tho nee
pie had enthusiastically promised TO vote for mo ;r
permitted, poured forth detected creatures To- vote
against me- fthe voting lad been by ballot at Pres
Ton, the men who voted against mo might have Ecr,
70 their masters; but that would have been bet,er
than 10 lie TO their opn consciences and 10 o wb;ch
they did, when the dread Of staryaton drove ,bo, -,
VOTE against me. The law of last winter has now
, ''J CSthoilcs OF that town TO vote at cleo
lions; out That ~ useless IN such case ,yitbout tbo
oaIot Not only dare DOT the poor creatures. with
.ne hnowIeoge oil Their masters vote against those
masters WISH but starvation is their lot if inv "
fuse to vote according 10 that irish ''1J &c
" IS true, indeed, that the ballot would boco,o I