Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-05-27

derived.
Thus our ancestors, the purchasers
popfIeiCrs, and settlers ot the State, up
; on their arrival here, 10y their own aC
, mcorporalcd themselves inlo a body pol
/ iI,ic elected al iist their Judge and FL
. ders ard afterwards their Governor
and assistants, and other officers The
al the same lime adopted u resolntlo
that" none should be received as inhaL
hnnts or ircemen but by consent Of IN
body A.: and by unanimous agreement, oi
dained aud declared their government I
bea democracie /; on populT gopern
meat That IS 10 sag" (uslng thelr ow
language, at is ~ He power Of The Bod
Of Freemen, orderly assembled, or he ma
Jor part of them, 10 make or eonsiiiu,
Just ioss By which they wiH be Scguinied
and 10 dspuie, from among hemseire
such ministers as shall see Mem lnMjuH
erecuied bciiveen man and MN" An,
~ others came 10 joln them, and by per
mission purchased lands, they from time
to time, admitted to the elective fran
chlse, such of them as ''upOn orderly pre-
seniaiion rere )oaad meet jor Me se,pice Of
ihe body, and no jaSt exception agaiis
hem.' Such as proved themselves un
worthy they suspended or discharged
aud again reinsiated such Of them d,
CAV, proof oG better conduct and none
but those regularly admitted frcemen
were allowed Ia take any part in the at
fairs OF government although it appears
from the separate lists kept OF ireemen
aud of Inhabitants, that there were many
oi the latter not admitted.
These were the acts of the Freemen- -
propretors Of Rhode Island Aud in The
year sixteen hundred aud furly- seven,
the town Of Providence and Warwick
came into union with them, aud agreed
to the model Of gopernpem thus establish
ed. ln sixteen hundred aud sixty-iwo-
three, The united bod dy styling themselves
"he purchasers and free inhedicnis OF
Rhode Island and Provide ice Piania-
lions, seized and possessed by purchase and
conSem ot he naiires 10 Meu FIJI content,
9 all us lands, islands, ,irers, harboms
and roads," collected and brought into
the form Of constitution, the principal
ordinances oi government they had be.
fore, from tune 10 time adapted, and OBJ
tanned lis confirmation from the mother
country. And under this compact, they
lived aud prosprred aud their descend
ants have continued to prosper, rs free
state, to the present day.
In sixteen hundred sixtv five, they n
gain turned their attention TO The qualifi-
cations Ol lreemen and IN pursuance of
Iher constitution, or charter, enacted
- that oil men Of competent estates, and
,ipii cOnre,S alton, and obedicnt TO the cirii
shai be admitted Geemen, up
N hoir desire therein, dccircd 10 The |
General .7ssembly ; uther by Themselves, /
eth sufficient testimony ofMor fitness and
qualifications as shait by the General As 4
'emLiy be deemed satisfactory or If, b.
he chiet cGfcers oi The to,ca on iorns mhcre
hey lire, they be proposed and Declared as
Joresnid and Mm none shall hare ad-
MISSION 10 ro'e jor public oGicers or dcpu
'es or enjoy any pririicge Of trccmcn ;
mil odmH.d 6g Mc General Assemblg, (
IS aforesaid, and their namcs rccorded Il. |
he general records of The Colony." In
cventeen hundred twenty gust one I
century ago they enacted that the free
,old qualification should be the value of
wo hundred p"unGs, or ten pounds annu-
ii rent and IN seventeen hundred forty .
wo, adopted further provisions to pre- |,
'cnt frauds on the law In seventeen
iundred forty-fve, they passed The fol- 4
owing act, VIZ. Whereas, the manner
1 admitting lrecmcn, in tins colony, is so
iy, and their qualifications, as To their 4
states, so very low, that many persons
re admitted who are possessed Of little
no property and II being greatly to /,
e feared that bribery and corruption
ave, (by the encouragement Of evil
'lnded persons, aud by reason Of such
ecessltous persons being admitted free
ZEN, spread themselves IN this govern
'cnt, TO the great scandal thereof so
iat the election Of public officers hath II
cen greatly Influenced thereby and "a
ie law already made hath been alto
ether Intellectual to prevent The same
g 1t therefore enacted that no person
hatsoever shall be allowed 10 vote or
ct as freeman ~ any town meeting in
us Colony, or at any general election,
Ut such only who, at the time of such
eir ting or Foiing as reemen, are re-
y and truly possessed OF lands, tene-
cnis, or eIcdItanients, to the full value
four hundred pounds, or which shall
mt for twenty pounds per annum being
cir own fee estate or the eldest son
such lreeholder." I
Such are the ordinances which our an {
stors thought necessary TO preserve Z
c rights and liberties OF themselves and G
eIr posperliy by preserving the elec- q
'e franchise in the hands Of the sound G
rt oi the COMMUNICATIVE freehold in '
'bitan,s of the State. Had they not i
,ht to adopt these provisions /? And =
we not their dcsccndants, and those j
1om they have associated with them in Il
to those provisions, equally e
,ht TO preserve and adhere To- them G
r, is It, indeed, true, that other indiyd- =
Is, (whereycr they come from) who e
We never qualified themselves to eAer- u
'e The .clectlve franchise, and not To Il
'scss II, have vet right 10 complain L
i they are DISTINGUISHED and treated
slaves because the institutions ofthe u
I