Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-08-26
REVIEW Of The Report on tie subject Of
an extension Of Suffrage, made several
years ago TO The General Assembly y''---
from the Providence Journal.
fcoNCLuDED FROM our LAST.

| man has an "absolute inherent right" TO oil
the property he may accumulate by his owl
honest efforts. But land he cannot Great,
by his labors, and must, II he obtain II o
all, obtuin II by force, grant or purchase.
he stands in need Of The fruits of other men
\ lsbors, he can exchange his own for them o.
|, individual property; but land Is the common
|. property. lie therefore appr"prlates shar
to his own use; perhaps more than his shure
or perhaps less. BY aud y,tbey become val
liable as property. .property,to particular por
ton of which he can lay no other clOlin that
the right by occupancy. Others wish 10 occu
py the same. What Is to be done? There Il
no law-there Is neither dehritlon nor rccog
milton of right. Anarchy prevails. The
only way by which TO remedy the difficulty
ls, TO form the disconnected Uiusscs iGto O
society, that they may Incorporate themselves
into u body polite, and voluntarily SUBJ
ject themselves 10 laws, rules and regulations,
with a view 10 promote the peace and hap.
plncss Of the whole. ny such combinations,
not perhaps always originating in such o
cause, have governments been framed. And
10 government, and to government alone, can
be raced The origin aud guaranty OF the right OF
property. 1t is entirely artificial and conven.
form, nor as originating IN any other source.
Thus, m ancient times, cOnquerlng nation
appropriated the lands Of the conquered to
themselves; and they were divided out IN
general assemblies of The people, n share be-
ing allotted to each, aud his possession being
secured to hIm by general consent, and held
only during the pleasure Of the people, Thus
also with The lands in England; the common
Y L. a.. hn,
mere vassnls or slaves, the lands were divided
among the baronial lO-ds; and oil the security
they had for their possessions was the will
Und pleasure Of the king. Since that period,
the right of property has been defined by law
and by law only; and yet, as we have already
stated, no natural right TO the soil is recog
nizcd Ia England, the only rgh, being that al
possession under the crown; the old bnronlai
tenure modified. TO show that we do not
set forth u w-fanglcd doctrine in this par
ticulnr, we would beg leave 10 refer to able
political writer's; and, us specimen, we ofri
BWidmd9ri, who sums up the subject III q
few words. lie declares that, originally, all
men had u nalura! right in the earth and Its
productions; and that the personal exclusive
po9sesslnn vi property was advenlltlons and
artificial; aud that 80 far from being natural
right, il required thai natural right should be
restrained and modified by common consent
in order that the right OF property mght bt
recognized ard sustained.
But now OF tie right Of suffrage, whicl
the committee, 10 their legislative report
deemed a vagory Of the magInatlan. The
first great and important question: That pfes
ents itself, is, how were mankind situated at
first !? The simple and inlroyerllbe reply 10,
us free agents, created such by God, and en-
dowcd with the desire, aud with the faculty
to seek for happlncss;-Under such clrcum.
stances, men were placed on The ealth, each
one equal with each other one, and having
each an equality OF interest in the ear,h anc
its productions, and in human happiness
Will tho surviving members OF the commit
tee will any other person, point out to us a
property qualification IN any one OF ;hat free
and independent mass, which could by possl-
tlIty give him iha right 10 control another
one, and to deprive him Of free agency, his
liberty, and his independence? Who were
the sound OneS," with one hundred and
thrly.fuur dollars worth of land, IN that mass,
about whom The committee make so many
nourishes? Alas there were none such
the soil had not been parcelIcd QUIT was
held IN commGE--no Gns held, or could by
right hold, all inch Of II. Why Because
there was no government; consequently there
were no laws. Therefore there was no right
of property established. And hence no one
could on that score, claim and exercise the
power over another equally free and indcpen.
dent as himself. What was 10 be done ? a
government was to tc Igrmcd; for it was
found that, without one, men abused their
natural liberty by doing that which is Con-
trary TO natural rght-yZ: BY inillctmg in.
jury on Others instead of being content with
their own happiness. But how could gov
ernmcnt be established, with powers adequate
to the purpose Of controlling the body by the
operation Of laws and edicis Z There could
be but two methods; one, by force the other
by common consent. Probably few if any
Of the believers in the doctrines stated by the
committee, will admit TINT government cs.
tablishcd by force and arms, or by cunning,
art,fce, or fraud, to subject men 10 the opera
lion OF arbitrary power, ls republican, Just, or
according 10 the laws 81 nalGrc's God. 10
go into that subject therefore is not necos-
sary at this time. How then could goyegG-
mcnt DO instituted on different basis
Behold then q mass Of men, each one a
free moral agent, at liberty, like each other
one, TO pursue happiness ~ his own way,
und acknowledging no superior but his God,
and none richer than himself Where IL the
man among them not at liberty to act P
What is The question TO be discussed? Not
merely the right Of possession of heap Of
gold, or a few dirty acres. Mo-. is ques-
ton far more important than either of these.
1t ID one which involves the political free o.
gcncy, the natural independence, and the
liberty, not of the mass ~ the aggregate
Inerely, but Of euch individual III particular;
for as far Us he subInits 10 the operations ol
government and laws, he 70 ia surrender NJ
these us an offering to the public good. Aud
are not these his natural rights Did not
God bestow them on him iol his good las
any one tho right 10 wrest them from HIM
or To demand their surrender without equlvn.
lent? VIII the committee, or the advocates
Of their doctrines, pretend that free agency,
liboriy, indcpt ndcnce, equality, and the pur.
suit OF happiness, are not inhsrcnL Unborn.
natural rights Will they pretend that,
these are not infinitely more valuable and
deor than SILVER OF gold, houses aud lands!
why then do they undertake. to say that ncn
may be Justly deprived OF thcsc, while the
right orproperly, winch they call inherent,
hot which II not 80, aud which exists only
m The law Of uyancc aud ambition, 10 invlOla.
bic?
But We shall be told Il is not the above
- l..sNs .faNI