The Arkansas advocate., 1836-05-27


 aliens, must no longer be excluded. but ti.s 1 'era of good feeling De commenced in eaf nests
 hIr. Livingston said: "sir, WE are stans ] ing upon the foundations of society. TEr clements of government are scattefed arodnd us. All our tights are buried; aed from the shoots that spring from ihcir grags we arc to weave bower that shall oversh4. dow and protect our liberties. Our pro- ceedings will pass in review before the pow. CT that elected Us, and t will be fer the Feo- p'e, to decide whether the blacks are eleVa ted upon ground that we cannot reach Sir, we, all of us, entered into the govern msnt subject to the implied condition, tas our constitution was liable to revision unF alteration, and that the blacks. in this part. cular, have vested rights, exempt from lt8 power of abrldgemcrt or alteration, whikh the whites have not, have yet 10 learn.
 Mr. Jay, (see pnge 2ol,) in concluding his speech, said, in reply, Il have yet 10 no tice the arguments of the gentleman ffofr saratoga, (Col. toung.) They were ayo3s edly addressed, not to our reason bni to 0a5 preladices-and so foreibly have they bege urged, that feel persuaded they huve hae more influence on the committee than ail that had been said beside on this occasioals l Though repeated in various forms, theY may he all summed in ihis---lhat we a.s. accustomed to look upon black men .wiih contempt; that we will not eat with then. that VIC will not sit with them; that we vii not serve with them in the militia CT on tha lrrles, or Ill any manfer associate vii them; and thence ii Is concluded that the ought not 10 vote with Us. How, Sir, ca that argument be answered by reason whie6 dues not profess 10 De founded on reason Why do We feel reluctant 10 associate wit black mani There IS no reluctance A Europe, or III any country in which slavefg IS unknown. II arises from an associatios. of ideas. Slavery and black skin always present themselves together to our minds But with the diminuion of slavery lhe pre. jus!ce is already diminished, and when sia- s&y shall be 10 longer known among Us, t will perhaps disappear. Bbt sir, what solt of argument is this? will not cat with yen nor associate with ysu, because you are black therefore l VIII disfranchise you. l despise you, not because you are vicious, but merely because have an insuparabie prejudice against you-tlereforo 1 will con demn you and your innocent posterity to live forever as aliens il your natiye land. hlF, Chairman, do trust that this comuiit4 tee will not cousent to violate alt those prin- ciples upon which our free institutions afe founded, er to contradict ell the professions which we so profascIy make concerning the natural equality of all men. merely to grati- fy odous, and hope temporary prejudiees. Nor wii they endeavor 10 remove siigas inconvenience, by so peEileua q retaesl sgsa the establishment of q large, perpetual. degraded, and discontented caste in the midst of our popula!ion.o
 These extracts will serve 10 show tho grounds on which the question was argued and decided. Nothing from Van Buren in reply 10 all this cant about equality between the whites and blacks. Did lie recognise the oqualityg Judge, people of Virginia, for yoursctges.
 Immediately on the termination of thees last remarks, (see page 202,) the question on striking out the word tohtte, was taken by ayes and noes, and decided in the affirne4 atiye--Ayes 63, Noes 59-a majority of only four; MT. Van Buren voting in the af- firmative.
 General Root then observed (sae sare page) "that he thought the report of the Committee was in some respects objcc- tionable. There was danger of extcnding the right of suffrage too far. IL was nov extended 10 negroes, or in the polite lan- guage of the day, to colored reople. II was, in his opinion, inexpedient to admit strollng voters.--Vith view to prevent it, and to compel those to contribute to tho support of the goyernrlent in which they claim 10 participate, and whose protection they receive, he would now move 10 strike out all that part of the first section of the report, which follows the word ssyears.o and to insert in lieu thereof an amendment, the principle of which he had previously suggested" The amendment was then read.
 A provision was subsequently, offered by 'he committee, see page 329, liiuiiing tie free negro suiiaage to those who had free hold estate worth $25o, obviously for tie purpose of preventing the strolling colofed gentlemen from coming over from other States and voting, such as OUT runaway slaves from Virginia.
 This subject being again under eonsifes- alton, tsee page s64) lur. Birlseye moved to amend Inc first line of the sec. which read, every male citizen of the age of sl ,-;,,s;, L.s nrtina aiiar the word .eres.at.n the word .free,o which was lest Mr. Briggs then moved io amend in the sag,e rjat.., hv ius erfirlr ina xvcrd .s