The Northern star, and constitutionalist. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1834-1837, 1834-10-16
NEW SERIES VOL, 1.--NO. II.

successors Of legislature which fixed,
: IN 1862, the qualifications of voters at
r forty pounds, can initiate, when they see
lit, their predecessor of l746, and change
the qualification to four hundred pounds,
as then established. Thus it is that a
( power "of the people," and greater than
D the people, has possessed itself OF their
most valuable political right, and con-
! verted the State into the mere creature
: Of its own nominal servants. But the
member from Newport has still another
difficulty unexplained. Is not his as
sertion, in the extrhct which has been
read, that the right Of suffrage is the
"origin" OF overy free government to-
tai and vital contradiction of the doctrine
maintained here by him to-day, that suf-
frage is the mere grant Of political socie-
Ity? l shall have more to say on the sub
ject Of that members consist ency before
1 get through.
The Address Of the Convention to pro-
mote the establishment Of State Consti-
tuition has been made subject 10 review
and comment before this House with
what propriety in the discussion Of the
amendment under consideration the
House will Judge. 1t will be proper to
note at this point little more distinctly
the true character of that members OPP
position 10 the Constitutional cause. Gun
it escape the discernment Of any person
lpresent that the attack which has been
made upon the friends of that cause was
intended as mask to the real object, and
intention of the man who made it : He
charges them with design to defeat the
formation Of Constitution. Does such
a charge come with a good grace from
: the author of the bill TO "amend tho Con-
: sthu.ional Charter" Of the State, or, in
other words, to enable US TO get on as
: much longer as we can without written
constitution Why was such bill intro
duccd into this liousei Was it not be-
cause a Constitutional Party had formed
I itself in this State, who are determined
that, SO far as in them lies, there shall
be found remedy for the political abuses
which now exist and that the end which
they seek, all others having failed. shall
: be accomplished by political means p
The member from Newport is very natu-
rally alarmed at this determination md
he has sought to defeat it by offering
such bill ns the present, bill which
proposes TO amend what must he made
anew, and which nsks the people to vote
separatelv on the amendments, so that a
few of them particularly one which may
relate TO the election Of Governor nfter
the first trial has failed) may be adopted,
with a strong provision relating to future
amendments, that shall effectually pre-
clnde any further mprovemeEts) and all
the rest defeated. Is not his object vis-
BILE and palpable enough through the thin
veil which he has attempted to cast o+er
it and amidst all the furious personal
defamation which he has poured out up
on the advocates Of Political Reform p
THAT member is one of the last men in
the House who should attempt to cast a
stono at his neighbor on account Of his
Imotiyc or his conduct The difficulty of
that member lies much deeper than any
defect in the arguments Of his opponents
though # quarter of the facts st iated BY
them dre true, and they are undisputcd,
the necessity Of On immediate and thor
ough Reform is conclusively proved
His difficulty | say lies deeper lie
clearly foresees the effect Of Reforma-
ton in this State he reads hand writing
on the wall and it announces too clearly
to be mislnterpreted the doom Of GER
tain class Of politicians, who when the
present unjust and oppressive system of
things goes down, go with it, and do not
rise again. 1t is this dread Of personal
|
cling with such desperate grasp,
strengthened by the energy Of sell pre-
servation, to the decaying remnants Of
the present fabric. Their influence per-
ishes upon the introduction Of justice and
equality into the distribution Of political
power. MIR Speaker, this State is gov
erned by a small majority, and that ma
iori,y are governed by the politicians to
whom l have alluded and The conse-
quence is that no party can or will 10 any
thing to improve the political institutions
Of the State. One great politician is OPP
posed to this measure another doubts OF
TINT this man wants one office, and that
another, and in the balancing Of intctests
and preludices which ensues, the pu lie
good is lost sight of, and we have gone
on year aiier,year complaining Of grevan-
ces in the body polite, till at length the
time seems to have come for the uppIcn-
ton of political remedy. The effect
which the mere mention Of il has had up
on nj least one member of this house is
proof enough that il ~ salu,ary, and that
il pereevered in will be cificacious and
complete. II is not for the honor Of the
State TO be Tor moment believed that
any threats or denunciations coming from
any individual belonging to tho class Of
persons who have been described will
"frighten" this House from their "propri-