The Northern star, and constitutionalist. [volume] (Warren, R.I.) 1834-1837, 1835-12-19
{" First Impressions or Pen
cilings by the Way,

FARMERS or RHODE ISLAND! v hich do
you consider the most safe mode Of government
ono administered as our State government now is,
in which man who is not worth farthing in the
world, aye, the veriest pauper in tho land-and
moreover, the convicted felon-csn be marched
up to the polls by tho knowing ones. and there
vote away your rights, with the utmost GOODNESS
imaginable. by merely having in his pocket. a
DEED, describing I" certain lot or parcel Of
Land. valued a, ono hundred and thirty four dol
lasi Or would you prefer government. based
on a Written Consiiiution, liberal 10 it's pro-
visions, wherein the fraudulent transfer Of land,
the dishonest expedient OF too many politicians Of
the present day, would be entirely abolished, by
allowing those Of our citizens 10 vote, and those
only, who PAY certain tax on real or personal
property, the value Of either description. constiIu-
ling voter. to be strictly defined by law.
The Constitutional Party do not ask you to nd-
NIT foreigners. paupers, convicted feors, (as il
now the cass) to the high privilege Of voting, by
any means they ask the admission Of such Of our
fellow citizens as are known to he interested in
the welfare Of the State, and who bona fde PAY
into the Treasury their proportion Of the public
expenses.
They would have the elective franchise more
strictly guarded. in every respect, than j, now il
or can be expected to be, under the existing laws
Every voter would be marked and numbered
on resulur list, to be kept by the Town Clerk
and always open to the inspection Of the citizeni
generally 80 that it il not at oil probable tha
there would be any uuder-hand voting carried on
without prompt detection and punishment Of ,h,
offender.
/ In these times Of" bargains and corruptions, >
&C., 90 callous have some people become, tha
persons holding deeds Of the description afore
mentioned, publicly boast oft and il you attemp
10 eAPossuIate with them for voting by virtue o
such claim, would not hest, ate to ridieule tn,
idea Of its infringing the rights Of others fer, poo
creatures, probably not one half Of them know how
to estimate the value Of the boon. which they
NwrongfuIly enjoy, and never will. until deprivet
thereof by some untoward circumstances.
! By provision in the Constitution Of the UNI
TED STATES, (Art. iv. Sect. ~ every State il
the Union 10 guaranteed a REPUBLICAN, form o
government. And is there or has there ever beer
Republican Constitution 10 Rhode tIsland
any person will answer in the affirmative, ane
prove his position TO be correct, l will, immed
ately, without further ado, "give il up" fully
convinced that do not comprehend the Language
used by our sires.-what indefneabIe idea thew
meant 10 convey to the mind, when they spoke o,
wrote ofDEMocRAcY. Of
| The non-freehoiders ~ well as freeholders, il
the days Of our glorious revolutionary war, Tough
together, side by side, in that con,es. for the pro
lection Of those Rights and Privileges to which i
was than supposed ALL men were EQUALLY
entitled "by the grace Of God"
But after much hardship and privs,ion the vic,o
ry had at length been won by the united exertion
! oftbese natural freemen, and in due course O
time permanent constitution for the confederac,
mutually agreed upon and settled by the :. higl
contracting par,ies," il was, apparently, oil o
a sndden" sscertained that the landhoIders O
this State were the only true democrats in IN,
realm |! and this class (the lsndholders) havin,
always held the reins Of government, under tb,
old regime, il was thought by tCfsfhemssIUes
II the profandisy ofihel collective wisdom, sba
THEY. BY right Of sncien, possession, were ,h.
ooly proper. ss well rs safe depository Of polisi-
cal power under she new order Of things, which
a. noticed above, had arisen after the old Charte'
Of King Charles the second had been rejected and
made estrsly null and void by our rebellion a.
gains, the mother country and consequently eve