Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1840-07-04
From the Spirit of 76.
TERRITORIAL FREEHOLD QUALlFI-
CATION

Amongst the numerous bugbcars got up by the
Van Buren, leaders with which to frighten the
community, none has been relied upon more than
the charge that General HARRISON while Governor
Of the Indiana territory, approved law requiring
a freehold qualification Tor voters. We fully ex
planned, sometime since. the nature of this law,
and the necessity which arose for its PASSAGE and
if the Van Buren, editors had been honest enough
to have published the preamble which precedes
the garbled section which they quote, that alone
would have set the matter at TEST. But forgeres,
garbled extracts, and ISLANDERS are now chiefly re-
lied upon by such men to sustain their sinking
cause; and to be consistent they gave to the world
the law of 1907, without the preamble which
states expressly that the law was passed for the
purpose Of explaining the meaning Of the act Of
Congress OF 1900 for the Government of the In.
diana territory, which required freehold Of fifty
acres Of land as qualification for voters, Robert
Dale Owen, who makes some pretensions as an
honorable politician, had the meanness to get up
in presence Of an assemblage OF intelligent men,
and read the section OF the law precisely in the
manner in which it had appeared in the Van Blu.
rem papers. lie knew very well that neither the
Territorial legislature nor Governor Harrison had
the right to require any such provision; he knew
full we'll the object Of the law, had the whole Of
it before him, and could have read the preamble
as we'll as not; and he should have left the con-
temptble business Of initiating loco. foco news.
paper to such creatures as William ]. Peaslee,
whose calibre is Of the right mould, and whose
character could not be affected by any additional
dirty work which might be imposed on him.
Some Of the Van buren, editors too, finding
they were detected in their frauds have since as
serted that the Territorial Legislator, were not
bound by the ordinance and act Of Congress, but
had the privilege of granting universal suffrage.
Such editors, if they make the assertion through
ignorance, are certainly very capable Of enlighten
ing the public; if through hnapcry, they ought
certainly to expect that every thing they say will
be believed. Such men are either fools or knaves,
and they may take either horn of the dilemma
they choose
But our object is to show that Congress was
not satisfied with the liberal construction put up
on the ordinance by the Territorial Legislature OF
1907, and in order to settle the question they pas,
scd the following law, which may be found on
page 81, Laws Of the United States, vol. 9.
An act extending The right Of suffrage in the
Indiana Territory.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre-
senatves of the United States of America, in Con-
grsss assembled, That every free white male pers
in the Indiana territory above the age OF twenty one
resident IN the said territory, year next prece
ding election of representatives, and who has
legal or equitable title TO TRACT OF LAND OF TIL
QUANTITY OF FIFTY ACRES, or who may become the
purchaser from the United States of TRACT OF
LAND OF TIE QUANTITY OF FIFTY ACRES, or who
holds in his own right town lot Of the value o.
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, shall be entitled It
vote for representatives to the general assembly OF
the said territory
]. B. VARNUM
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
GEO. CLINTON,
Vice-President of the United States,
and President OF the Senate.
February 26, 1908.
APPROVED,
TIL. JEFFERSON.
Here then is the repetition of the freehold quail
ifcation. By whom this required! by Gen
Harrison or by Congress! BY whom was this FIFTY
DOLLAR and HUNDRED DOLLAR law APPROVED! by
Gen. Harrison or by THOMAS JEFFERSON!-
We think that our Secretary OF State should nov
get himself into better business than copying ole
Territorial Laws and affiXing the big seal, to be
al "a; Sta nd