Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-03-24

and the whiterequiring no freehold qualification from
the white but denying the right of suffrage the free
negro unless he was seized aud possessed in his own
right of freehold of the value OF $3.50 clear of
an 'nc"morancss. When the report up for consi
deraton, MR. Briggs I" moved To amend in the same
place, by inserting the woid white lie said that il
had been substantially decided by the Convention that
property was not the standard OF qualification 10. vote
O course ought not 20 be so respect 10 me blacks
any than TO the ,ohies. He therefore opposed
TO te proviso, and wished to insert this provision in It's
stead. "
Chancellor Kent opposed the motion of the
gentleman from Schobarie and in favor Of the proyso
reported by the committee He had already ex,ressed
his sentiments this subject and he should not trouble
the committee with repetition of them. Ii was true
that the blacks respects degraded portion
OF the community, but he unwilling to see them dis
iranchiscd and the door elernally barred against
The proviso would not cut them of from all hope and
might IN some degree, alleviate the wrongs done
them teoad hace tendency TO make them indusiri-
oss and tragat 'oiM The prospect Of participating IN the
Mr. Van Buren, in favor of the plan proposed by
the select committee, and opposed the amendment
sn. ia'"ause was opposed To me motiou he
was prepared to vote for the provso which the commit
tee had reported because he considered compro-
mse Of conflicting opinions. he also thought held out
Inducements to That unfortunate class Of population To
become industrious and catuatte members Of conn.-
nuy
Mr. Briggs motion faed-and then the LIST clause of
ia to2 S''eN -
The precise (about the blacks reourno of bep, o,o
Jreehotd) came upMr Bacon said that he objected
to this mode of excluding the black population from yot
ing, BECAUSE in the first place, attempt do
OF doing for chose not to do directly
course which he thought every way unworthy OF us The
reenoid quahcation Is, II applies nearly all
o'acAs, prdcficdt exclusion, and this srigh, ought
to be done directly
MIR Eastwood said he in favor of letting in
black oagdconds to vote, but felt liberal than the
select committees he therefore moved strike out $3.50
and insert 500 Lost, and then the Proriso agreed to-
* TO 81, (Mr Van Buren, being in the affirmative
Ihs restriction on the free negro was still objected
to-NIr Platt moved TO expungcit He said ann not
disposed sir, knght.erant in favor of The nen
of at,ca
and indispensable; and tins proyso involves principle
which, upon reflection, cannot concede compro.
mise AS matter of expediency -" Let attain this
OBJECT OF exclusions by fixing such OF
qnahcauon as would not only exclude the great bod
oil tree men OF color, but also large portion Of gno.
rant and depraved white men, who are as unfit to eyer
clse the power of voting the men of colour -
know that with rare exceptions they have the
means OF purchasing freehold and IL wouS - unwor-
Thy of this grave Convention do indiyee an act OF
injustice, which we unwilling openly avow. The
real object is to exclude the oppressed and degraded
sons of Africa &c
Mr. Van Buren, said he had voted against total and
unqualified exclusion for he would not draw revenue
rom tnem, and yet deny to them the right of suffrage
But THIS proviso met his appreciation. They were ex-
emped from taxation until they had qualified themselves
TO vote The right denied, exclude any por-
ton OF the community who will exercise the right
OF suffrage in its purity This held inducements 70 In
dHstry, and could receioe his support"
MIR. Young considered the precise as the result OF
compromise
" Chancellor Kent explained He said that slavery
existed IN this State al the time Of the Revolution and
yet 1t was not recognized in the constitution. There
was no such thing known in the constitution of the
hofd,ng States with the exception of Connecticut as n
denial 70 The 6acs Of those electoral prrileges at ,cere
enjoyed by the ,ohites
The motion strike out the proriso was then lost "a
tou-Van Buren,, Young, Livingston, &C. voting to-
gether against stikng out the proviso-and Davis Jaw
Ae Th, CLlarke, Spencer, &c, on the other side:
ne shape which 1t ultimately assumed in the Consti.
tuition, is as follows:
.a have b I,s G0 male citizen Of the Of
and for the last six month, ssden, Of
eedng the election, paid county assessed upon
being and ppS % % &c from
Or bo Tnp that year military duty in Tho militia this
& sSs 81 ho being . fireman 10 city, village
one who shall years next preceding
town or county ~he q b mS OS o one S
h%s T nad sS Hf hs s; peril tied Sba1
vote the o or s5 et %siSdsg 60 shall be
%e1e G1 oil Officers that now or hereafter be- by
election an Be ii and "aa O one year next preceding
too hundred GScs ali debts and M
Sn sad s% have been actually rated and paid
and G direct taNeion unless he shall be seized
such are the changes which the right of suffrage has
undergone IN N lork-wilh the reasons for the same
and the votes of Mr.. Van Buren, as drawn from the
Journals of the Conventon-We have given as fair and
full Synopsis as we could-but will not soop to
gryy as the Whigman has DONE by the certificate OF ii
wings We ask no one to vouch for us-Tlcre is the
RECORD ,tsei-if we have misquoted it, let correct US
rs que 70 me cause OF Truth, 10 state the following
addtt0nat facts We have seen Judge mt stating that
IN az me on-sarehoidng States Connecticut excepted
the Tree negroes have the right as the whites
New YORK IS now Of course another exception. BIT
TINS equality prevailed in of the sauekoding Saes
emsetOes For instance in the late Constitution Of NORTH
Carolina, the expression 9H freemcn of the ore of d
years. &c land shall have paid public taxes sc had
an equal right to vote in his county for member Of The
House OF Commons. 1t with great dificultv tbs
equally was done away in the late Convention of North
Carolina. Some of their strongest Whos such as Co
veInors Branch and SWAIN &C. srove against disfInn
chsng the free Degrocsand believe stickled to the
last Tor giving them the right of suffrage on their own
ing about 800 of property.
In the late Constitution of Tennessee tbev vva,e ois
upon the same teDet loiM the tohie
REMARKS.
Ist ltthus appears, that under the former Constitution
ofNew York the free negro and the white man were on
The same tootng-and this is the omission we COM
plain of in the Synopsis Of the Whigs.
I'd That the proviso the freehold was done wov
as to the whites but retained the free neqro-bat
thougn they have both the right of voting, certain
conditions, yet that the conditions are essentially dis
tincrequiriDg for the free negro clear freehold of
noto required of the whiteswhile tile whites have at
least five modes of obtaining the right of voting which
are entirely barred TO the free negroes
30. That this proviso not exacted as the Whio
aesters say, solely and obviously for the purpose Of
preventing the solling coored gentlemen from coming
over from other States and voting, such as our runaway
saves rom Virginia but for various and much STRONGER
reasons, as appears from the above speeches. such as
unwillngness IN divest them altogether of the rights
with which they had been vested since the foundation
OF The Consuton-tbe desire to make them industri.
ous economical and moraand the desire TO make tax
ton and representation 90 hand in hand. And this in
another omission Of which complain in the Whip
certifiers.
9TH. That though Mr. Van Buren, did vote for giving