The Northern star, and farmers' and mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1830-1834, 1833-06-01

1t appears to us that the Spsaker of the
House, who held the Memorial in his
hand, feared to inform the House wha,
the object Of the petilion was. You,
Comnllte also have been given to under
stand, that the Speaker was d, while Oh
his way to Newport in the steam boat,
that he must do all he could to prevent
having any thing SAID on Free Suffrage
IN the House this session. and his tuio,
told him If he did SO, the present excite
ment on the subject would soon die away.
This may account for the eglect the good
citizens Vt Warren have experienced.
But they are not alone; aud II there is an,
consolation In that proyerb, that Nliser,
loves company, they VIII not be enlirei,
without comfort. This is the way menu
rialists on Free Suffrage have always
been treated, by the AanOra5le Genera
Assembly, Tor twenty or thirty years pas, !,
and this Is the way the powers that be
VIII always treat Us, as long as we follow
the Quaker doctrine ol passive obedience
and non-resIstance. ~ ational kepubli-
cans may tell ofiheir hatred OF proscr,pt-
ion, as practiced by Jacksonians and An
tl-masons Jackson-men may boast oil
theic being the only democratic party, and
I'll .ackson being the iavorite otthe COM
mon people: Anlimasons may below for
years about secret societies and exclusive
privileges: but let either Of those parties
have Tie power in Rhode Island, and they
will lear and hate the discussion on Free
Suffrage as much as the Royal Family in
England did the torch OF Guy Fawkcs;
and Tor the same reason, because it would
blow all their pretensIons to exclusive
privileges sky high aud the parties We
have named would then be obliged to be,
in realty, what they now only preIend to
be-. hepu5hcans.'
AS for pe,itioning the Generl Assem-
bly, ugain, we might as VIII petition En-
gine Company No. 2. Both would throw
a vast quantity Of cold water, ard in a
very short time the Engine Company to
extingnish fire, und the General Assem-
bly, to extinguish the flame of Liberty.
Let the Warren people petition, il they
like the sport, but as long as the State
withholds our rights, we don't think they
will get much military or other service
out of6s. There is an implied contract
between the State, and the citizens. 1
the government withholds right from the
citizens, the citizen has right to with
hold services. IT an American citizen
does military or engine duty, or pays q
tax, he has right to vote, and he is a
fool to do the one without the other is al
lowed him.
In Massachusetts the State acts on that
principle for if a nun does mt pay his
tax he cannot vote. And why has not a
citizen of Rhode Island right. to refuse
the execution of his part Of the contract,
till the State performs her part towards
the citizen. 1t is an old saying but a true
one, "a man is fool to do something for
nothing
If the twelve thousand slaves in Rhode
Island ever obtain their freedom, it must
be accomplished by themselves, and no,
by others. .No,o they have but few
friends let them once gain their liberty,
and friends, yea, sunshine friends, viii
sufea them with kindness. The very
demagogues who noW call them 'pagYunis
and renegades,' will court them for their
s,ceet voices, as did Coriolanus of olden
time, and then their base and fawnin6
flattery, would be as disgusting and con
temptible, as their abuse now ~.
Ia conclusion, we would remark tha,
no people can have better cause than
ours, or palmer one. We could spread
out arguments in its favor that would
cover the State from Woonsocket to Block
Island, aud from West Greenwich 10
Fall River |; but Of what avail would it be-
when the five thousand aristocrats sa,
they have us in their power, and Intend
to keep us so! This is the only argumen,
they offer, and we think il no more than
fair that we should answer this, first. Let
them try the experiment, whether FIVE
thousand men can put twelve thousand in
jail for not being their willing slaves. l.,
the FIVE thousand succeed, the case should
certainly be reported for the Journal OF
Arts and Sciences, together with the fac,
that Rhode-lsland is the only republican
government on the face Of the globe, and
our noble Representatives from this town
would no doubt volunteer to mako out the
report.
Your Committee recommend that Il
Committee be chosen to draw up Bill OF
Rights, aud to state explicitly 10 the in
habtan,s Of Rhode-island, and TO the
whole world, that we are determined TO
have the Massachusetts mode OF suffrage
(or some mode equally Ibcrai) adopted in
this State, at ALL uAzARDs and we will
no longer submit TO tho unjust Statute
which deprives us Of our rights, and COM
pels us to forego all tho advantages secur-
ed to Us by the revolutionary and last war
that wo are under no obligations TO obey
any government which does not 'dci1p'
Us i,ssi posrcr from the consent # The gorer~