Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1836-10-27
" BUREN'S FREE NEGRO VOTE
No

| In my Isl No | undertook TO show from
the journal Of the New York Convention
The grounds upon which llr. Van Buren, and
his party in that bully, coniended for giving
TO free negroes The right OF suffrage
fst. That not TO give il 10 them, would he
violation of the declaration of indePend-
nnce.
2nd That il would he violation of the
constitution of the u. STATES.
Bird. That taxation and the right of votins
should ga hand and hand.
| l will now proceed TO notice, briefly, the
most popular ground Of defence Of this mos,
odious vote OF MIR. Van Buren's for giving
10 free negroes the right of suffrage
IL is this, that this was a northern affair,
affecting only the state in which free negroes
| are permitted TO vote, and that those states in
which such right is not given To free me-
g:oes are not and cannot he affected thereby
With the uniformed and unreAecting
portion of the community, this argument
has had its weight, but il is more specious
than solid, and beg such 10 look al il for
one moment. -
DO not the free negroes in N. York vote
| Tor members of the legislature? No one will
! deny but that they do.-Do not then these
members elected in part by the votes OF free
| negroes elect members 10 represent the State
The constitution Of the U. States shows that
they dot follows, then, that the free ne
gros Of n. York, have precisely the same
| weight in the election OF United States SEN
| ators, az the free white men OF Virginia haze,
Again.-Do rot The free negroes OF New
York vote for members of Congress in n
York? no one can deny that they do-then
| The vote of free negro in New York, has
just as much weight in the election of mem.
bers OF Congress, as the vote of the free
white man in Virginia.
Lastly.-Does not the free negro Of New
York. vote for Presidenl and Vice President
Of the U. Sta'esl certainly he does, his vote
counts just as much as the vote OF any free
white man in the y. States in the election ni
Presiden, and Vice President Il must be
obvious then 10 the plainest capacity, tina, il
| is not true, that the giving the right Of suf
iragc 10 tho free negroes Of New York, is
merely northern matter, but that il affects
equally the south and the north, the east and
the west, in regard 10 our national govern
| mcnt.
| And who think you free white men uf Vir-
ginia, will the Tree negroes Of =. York vote
for, for President and Vice President OF the
U. States at the approaching election? No
one doubts but that every man Of them. will
vote Tor Martin Van Buren,, the man who
|
right 10 vote, and for Richard NJ johnson
who has shown that he gives preference to
blacks over whites.-Can il be possible that
the noble, high minded sons OF Virginia,
will cast their votes iGI0 the same scale with
the free negroes OF n. York in order TO make
Martin Van Buren, president, and Richard
Al. Johnson, vice president? Is not the re-
Election that the free negroes Of New York
have as great a voice in the election Of Pre-.
sihent and Vice President as you have, suh
GENTLY Illuminating TO you? without your
joining in with them IN the chorus Of Van
Buren, aud Johnson?
Fieemen of yirginia-the same reason
which would en;iile the free negro Of New
York 10 have tke right of suffrage in that
state, would eRtitie him to have it in Virgin
| ia, and IL MIR. Van Buren, was honest in The
opinion and vote he gave in NJ York on bis
question, you do virtually by voting TO Gle
yate him 10 The highest Office in your gift,
approve and sanction The principle oil the
right Of free negroes 10 vote in Virginia; yea
you do more. you are opening the door TO e.
wills, which no man, who loves his country,
but must shudder at GONE IF them will in
my next number point out.