Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-09-12
HERALD OF THE TIMES.

in the American Constitutional meaning
of the phrase, is a government created
by the people on the basis Of the equal
inalienable rights of man.
But the government OF Rhode Is
land is, in fact, corporate government
Of stockholders, Incorporated by the
charter of an Eng lish King, long before
our Revolution. ii is not the creation,
nor the adoption OF the majority Of the
free white citizens of the United States.
in that State, nor does it recognize the
equal inalenable rights Of man as its ba-
sis ; inasmuch, as over twO-ihirds of the
free white male adult population have
no vote in the election OF members Of
Congress, while the chartered stockhold-
crs Of the government possess monopo.
ly Of the elective franchise exclusively,
as regards the rest Of the people of the
State, and comparatively, as regards the
other States Of the Union. Her whole
vote at the last Presidential election was
5,G74, which divided by 9 gives 1887
for each Representative in Congress. S.
The whole vote OF New York at the
same election, was 305 ,358, which divi-
ded by 40 gives 1854 for each Of he'
members, being nearly 1000 votes MORE
for each single Representative than
Rhode Island casts for both of her mem
bers, and showing clearly monopoly OF
franchise, as clearly as her census when
compared with her election returns shows
that over two thirds Of her free white
people are, to oil inients and purposes
ALIpNs, and that the term, Citizen orthe
United Staies,' is, to them, mere emp
ty sound of no significance.
"ln the Senate Of the United States
she is on footing of equality with the
largest Of the States, and has equa!
rights and equal sovereign powers over
the destinies Of the nation, in which youI
memorialists are included. Yet her
aristocratic minority, the stockholders OF
her government, are opposed 10 equality
as respects the ii hts Of man, for they
virtually deny that he is endowed with
any natural rights by his crentor-they
virtually declare that the equal inaliena-
BILE rights of man arc only inherent in.
and derived from the posse ession Of real
estate. Under those circumst ances, her
four members in the Congress Of The
United States are the representatives. OF
the LANDED PROPERTY, and mol of the
PEorLE of Rhode Island.
Your memorialsts find nothing in
the Constitution, rs respects the qinif-
Gallons of voters for electors of Presidcn,
and Vice President Of the United States,
to conflict with the passage Of an act by
your honorable body, whereby citizens
Of the United States residing therein.
shall be allowed TO vote for the presidon-
tial electors. They therefore proy the
passage Of such an act, TO the end tha,
the designation Citisen Of the United
Siaies' shall be Of some import al least,
that it shall not be synonymous ,cith alien
in any State of the Union. They also
pray your honorable body to propose to
the several States, such amendments Of
the Constitution Of the United States as
will admit all free white citizens of the
United States, similarly circumsfnnced
as the unfranchised white people oi
Rhode Island, to vote for members o
Congress from the States wherein they
reside, SD that the voice of the majority
of the inhabitants Of Rhode Island, in
stead of chartered minority, shall be
heard, with the rest of their fellow citi-
zens, in the councils Of the nation in
which your memorialists, as well as the
people of all the States, are equally con-
cerned and have a common interest" -
Such, Freemrn of Rhode Island, is
the fiat Of New York locofocism! Such
is the petition which the agrarians Of
New York will send up to Congress!-
Such is the Interference OF the admins
traton party in the affairs of Rhode Is
land! We make no comment upon it,,
for il needs none. We only wish TO
present it, in its naked enormi,y, to the
landholders of Rhode Island. They
will rouse, to a man, in defence of their
institutions, it will be no party question
with US, but all parties and every man
will unite in opposition to faction which
is attempting, from foreign State, such
an audacious, such monstrous inter.
ference with our conc erns. Even those
who arc in favor Of some extension OI
suffrage, will never consent to this for
eign dctaiion: however much they may
desire change, they will not conse nj
to receive it, at the command Of New
York.
We have before told the democrats OF
Rhode Island, that the administration
has abandoned democracy and adopted
locofocoism, and in this attempt, we find
ampla confirmation Of the fact. And we
now call upon every landholder OF
Rhode Island, upon every man who re-
CARDS our venerable ard republican form
Of government, to save the State from
foreign interference, and to preserve his
political rights from the invasion Of loco.
tocoism.
| VERMoNT.--Old Yarmouth has disap-
pointed the hopes and expectations OF