The Northern star, and constitutionalist. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1834-1837, 1834-10-04
RHODE ISLAND LEGISLATURE.
JUNE SESSION-NEWPORT.
Debate o" the Bill for calling Conpen-
fton to amend the Constitutional Charter
Of this State.

Iton 10 amend the Constitutional Charter
h Of this State.
CONTINUED.
Mr.. HAzARD-
l will now call your attention to one
|pther topic-the doctrine Of this gentle
man with regard to the exclusion Of non
|ifeeholders from voting.
AT page As he says, "The expenses
of the general government, ns we well
know, are paid without any resort to di-
rect taxation. The non-treeholders pay
their full proportion 10 government in the
shape Of duties, and yet they have no
part in national affairs, because those on
ly can vote for representatives to Con-
gress, who are voters for members Of the
most popular branch Of the State Legis-
lature, and those voters are exclusively
the owners of the soil. This injustice is
SO probable, that we think j; must extort
the confession Of all who give it mo-
ment's attention." Now ii this il not
universal sufrage, pray to know what
is. Every man who eats, drinks, or
wears, pajs dutiable tax, therefore all
such, upoI the doctrine OF this gentleman,
ought to " allowed to vote. But is there
any reason why man who pays six pence
duty to Congress should be allowed to
vote in tie election of State Officers. AT
page 81, the gentleman says, "What
then islhe object Of ony property quail
ficatior at all for voter The only just
object is to raise presumption of his
honestI and Intelligence. Now, l rerl-
ly do npt understand that to be the only
object. / understand it to be 10 obtain
evidence Of his having some interest in the
affairs pf this State, and Of his having q
permanent residence here. Those per-
sons wlo possess the qualifications which
the law now requi res, may be presumed
to have rather moro intelligence, and be
better qualified to vote, than those who
have NJ property at all. The gentleman
then gees on, and says" We propose
such a qualification as will raise, in our
condition of society, the presumption Of
honesty and intelligence, and if certain
minimum, or smallest sum, were fixed, SO
that every man who chooses to pay lex
on not less than - dollars should be-
come a voter" Now, sir, if under
stand it, it is this, that every man who
chooses to pay a tax on o certain mini
mum, or whatever The lowest sum may
be, and then goes to the treasurer or col
lector and pays that tax, he is n freeman
to all intents aud purposes. So under
stand that proposition, and is there any
gentlemen here who understand il diffor-
emily Our tax in Newport is about 80
cents upon 500. In the town of Mid
detown do not believe il is ten cents on
500. Then man there, who is not
worth ten cents in the world, has right
10 vote, upon this new system, and thus
it is proposed to raise presumption of
his honesty IN this way. How is this
payment of a certain tax evidence of his
honesty or virtue? In our days, a right
to vote is oltentimes 500. What has
come Of the millions Of dollars Of the de-
ficiency in the Post Office Department,
and Of the contributions Of office holders
under the US. government, there forced
loans in aid of the election ? Now this
is to be the qualification, that those peo-
pie who pay this tax, may pay it without
being taxed, because if left to pay tax
assessed upon them it would remain as it
did before. have shown, as l engaged
to show, that the object Of these gentle
men was universal suffrage. The system
they propose goes beyond that Of any 9TH
or States in the Union, with regard to its
universally. Mr. Rush, of Pennsylva-
mia, states IN his letter to some Of this
party, that the right Of voting in that
State is as near as it can be TO universal
suffrage. And what is the qualification
in PENNSYLVANIA Two years residence
in the State, and the payment OF a State
tax, assessed at least six months before
election. And SO il is in New York.
Nothing more is required in Massachu-
sets, and the New England States gen.
orally. Suppose we adopt this quaGfica-
tion here. During the time the fortif-
cations Of this harbor nre erecting, we
have hundreds Of lrishmen employed
here. They are now building a large
Catholic Chapel in this town, capable Of
holding two thousand persons. They
would all he entitled to come in and vote,
at our elections, upon the qualifications
proposed. Nothing preserves Massa-
chusetts and those other places in New
England where that system is adopted,
from the disorderly and rotous elections
Of New York, but the peaceable, quiet
character Of the people. And, notwith-
there are no riots among them,
must we not naturally suppose that vast
proportion Of the voters are carried to
the polls by bribery. The gentleman
seems to think, that all who are opposed
to this mode of qualification are in favor
of imposing hardship upon the mschan-
les. This pamphlet contains a PROPOSE
tion SO PalPably calculated to ingra,iase