The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-11-02

he aseen,lancy of any religious party or
sect over the civil authority; ami thus for
ever preventing any partial Legislation,
to the injury of any denomination of Christ
ians. The Worcester Convention, in the
resolution, have with their usual llscrimina-
ton, declared that these vital principles of
religious and civil liberty ought to lie ex-
plunged from the constitution, and in their
haste to remove enc barrier to the free enjoy
ment Of Religious Freedom would tear away
the very pillars Gifts support.
The Address is designed to create an i'm. |
preston that the members from Suffolk act
ed under aristncratic influence to postpone |
the amendment. Now it is wei, known that
the very mover of the reference, and some
Of his colleagues, are warmly in its favor
1t is spoken of as an odious feature" in our
Constitution. 1t may not be desirable one
it may not be consonant to the spirit of
the times-hnt guarded as it is, | cannot
call that " odions'' which was given 10 us by
wise fathers, especially when by the OPERA
ton of our laws little practical evil can re-
suit from it.
The Address is designed TO create an i'm
preston that the friends of the State Adj
mlnlstration are opposed to the amendment.
! will present the facts. There were in
the last House of Representatives, 4S2 men,
bers. When the question upon the amend
ment was taken toward the close of the SEES
sion) only $50 members voted. OF these 272
members voted for the amendment. From
the votes given at the Senatorial Elections 1t
IS inferred that there were not more than
sixty Jackson members IN the House-aIlow
that there were seventy-admit for the Pur-
poses of illustration that every one OF the
seventy voted for the amendment, there Ie-
main upwards of ttro hundred friends Of me
Stale administration who voted for the
| measure, and yet the Worcester Conyen-
ton aspire to the honor of being the exclu-
sive friends of Religious Freedom! But the
| Jackson members did not all vote for the
amendment. Many ofthe most conspicuous
and most intelligent voted against It, am
not familiar with the political views oil very
large portion of members, but do know
that large proportion ofJackson members
voted in the negative. In the county OF Ply
mouth where majority ofthe representatives
friendly to the State Administration voted
! for the amendment, large portion 1t not
majority of the jackson members refed
| against it, and if the question had been
left to that county alone, the votes OF jack
son members would have defeated II There
|
amendment in the Legislature. who were at
the Worcester Convention, and the Address
| of that Convention declares in substance
that such members had voted fer an
I :'odious feature" in our Constitution. The
| members from Barnstable gave a constitu-
j tional majority in favor of the amendment,
and yet the only jackson Senatorial 1omin-
alton vet announced for the ensuing cleo
ton, 10 that of an individual in that very del
egation tcho roted against The amendment!
; The Jackson Convention at Worcester
unanimously branding every individual rs
odic1s," who voted against the amend
ment-the Senate as aristocratic which re-
ferred it to another session, and yet the first
senatorial nomination made by their satel-
lites is that of man to 60 into that very
"aris.ocratic" Senate and vote down their
principles! can pursue this topic no fur
Their. do not wish 10 point ont any more
Inconsistencies under this head, and will
merely declare, in closing this number, that
! believe the votes in the Legislature upon
the Bill of Rights were given honestly and
| independently no party or sectarian
feeling influenced the decision of either
branch of the Legislature-and that to en-
deavor to blend the subject Of Religion
with our Political Elections, on account of
any votes passed there, is unjustifiable, and
will cover those who attempt to do SO with
shame and disgrace. A CoUNTRYMAS.
"a Countryman" perceives by the last
Statesman, that his essays have disturbed
the equanimity of the editor of tina; paper,
and that his temper has been SO much ruff
fed by facts and figures, that he has been
thrown off his guard so as 10 substitute cpl
hat for fncfo MI rtIn FAra no
The week before last, that editor complain
ed, without ground, that his own party was
sometimes designated by disgraceful names
last week he falls into the same error
which he pointed out in others. In his pa
per ofthe first inst, be says the people want
: highland when "a Countryman" went in
10 details, such as were deemed to afford
light, the Statesman complains ofbeing sur
I feited with too much Of il. On the lst inst
the Statesman sneered at the Country man
for Rot believing that the consumer paid the
auction duiy-on the 6th he thinks it man be
paid by the producer. On the lat inst. the
Statesman recommended "Retrenrhment
and Reform" and when reminded of the
inconsistency of the Jackson party, preach
ing one thing and practising another, he
declines entering into an examination of
their own salaries" they know not" whcth-
er they are high or low, and insult the peo-
pie Of Massachusetts by telling them if they
are too high they cannot help 1t. The edi-
tor is also troubled with the fact that
S5444,S3 are annually given to deserving
Farmers and Mechanics" in premiums for
Improvements and inventions, through Ag-
ricatural Societies, and ridcules those So
cieties, while at the same time he processes
to know nothing about them. If the States
man will not take it unkindly, l will simply
state, that his assertion that the Gazette
promised in its second number to give its
views on Education in the third, is mot true
and further, in order to deprive the edi-
tor of the pleasure ofindulging in the mis-.
takes into which he has fallen, in conse-
quence Of the over cautious declaration Of
"a Countryman," that the farmer of Mas
saehusetts pays less tax on his land thun
the farmer ofthe other New England States,
he will now state, without that limitation,
that the farmer Of Massachusetts pays less
tax on all his property TO support his gov
eminent than tina farmer Of the other New
England States mentioned. The editor Of
the Statesman says that in the schedule
submitted to the Legislature BY the Treas
urer, of the expenditures Of this State, we
find an item of ffty-six dollars and seventy
eight cents to pay for carriages for the use