Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-08-26
[W No. 594

al n Of whut possible Dt ncht would tIbt
property BE- 10 them. Such laws would be-
exactly tuniumount 10 a denial Of The right of
pussessIoD. or what more benefit can tho
right OF Independence, liberty, equality, and
the pursuit Of happiness be 10 him who - dc
prived Of oil participation IN the couneils"f
those who modify aud restrain them, tllnn
though he had them moi Pie might as wcll
be without them. lie is ia n worse condition
than the man Of wealth, TO whom the laws
guarantee the right Of property but forbid him
10 use IL. Thus The question recurs-liow
could a rcpubllc--a democracy--n govern
/ ment by cunsent-have been established IN
the first instance The reply is pldln SIM.
pie, aud uLQucstonabo. Each man must
have coiDe--each nan did come--wilb all
the property in which he had a personal ond
|, exclusive natural right. II consisted Of his
natural free agency, liberty. equality, indie.
pendence, and the pursuit Of happiness or
this property, aud Of these rights, each one
had precisely as much as any other one had.
These were TO be surrendered .og The con.
mon good, as far as The common good rcqnlr-
cd. When surrendered, they were To he
come common property, TO the cnilrc mas
Of which, no one had contributed more than
another.
! Now, to return Ia tie committees inhcrent
right o.. property who should deprive these
contributors Of rights To the common stock.
of The privilege OF voice IL lis n,anagemenIs
No on" though they might have the right
wrcSed from them by arbitrary power, both
justice aud nature declare that while iier
rights were surrendered 10 the body polite
for The common good, they were, every nan,
fully entitled, as equal holders of the jnnt
stock, to take port in it's management, Ia use
their ondeavors ihst il should be So approprl.
ated, aa thai tho grand legitimate object "f
government should be promotcd-thc welfare
and happiness Of the body IN general, and ct
each individual in particular. The very fact
therefore, that men possess by natuFp tho
rights we have named rs helpnging io them,
Is an irrctragable proof, aud we challenge
the world to gansay II, that the "absOtHN,
inherent right" Of suffrage, Is far more def
mite than ihat Of property; as without It "a
true elective government never GOULD have
been formed ia the original state Of Inan.--
We place high value on the laws which
guarantee aud sustain the ndventItious right
of property, as being highly benehcml ta
society but we consider the right OF iran-
chise more valuable, and far more definite
by natural laws, than written laws can eycr
make any adventurous right. lienoe, wa
consider that, 10 deny man the cxerfise OF
! the elective franchise, is more arbitrary aad
unjust, than 10 deprive him Of lhe rlsht pi
prgReg'y.
/ The main parts Of the Committees ri port,
or rather of lhe geBublshei extracts, are Ia,
ken up with arguing lllc point oie expedicncy,
and the proposition that our ancestors had
the right to form such government as they
have left Us. A. right is our object, hut iew
words are deemed necessary IN regard Ia cx
pedlrncy. fl is deemed cxpcdIcnt br the
committee, that the government should bG ~
the hands OF 'seupd men." Perhaps It T. So.
But il would have been quite as well tor laft
committee to have gone into some littlo ph,'
lusophcal dlsquistlon to enli 1hten the minds
Of their constituents as 10 what constitutes
"soi.nd WGa" and what nmoIn, ol land Is re-
quIslte TO create soundntss II mus, haya
been a very nice point for our ancestors ~
decide, aud possibly they may have trans
mItted The process To tue coIrIniniiiec, haw
many square feet, acres, or dRllars' worth,
make n man souid, how many would mas0
him sounde", aud how many would make him
SOundtSt: or by what rule of reduction de-
sccnding, he might come down from The su.
pCrlative degree Of soundncsS, to absolute
rotienness, as his broad acres gradually d.
minished to inches aud finally to q dImcn.
slonless void. The committee, however, cs-
chcwed philosophy, and every thing else nut
er parte wire. drawn and far. fetched argu-
mcnls. We would no, speak dsrcspcctlully
of andholders. In general, they are as usr-
fu n class Of citizens as any Others mud as
patriotic and intelligent. But we ayes ihst
they are not more so. The mechanic aud
the laborer, without foot OF land render Us
good service 10 the community as The land.
holder does contributes us much To public
and individual wealth, and as much Tor the
support Of the government. They are. Gs q
body, equally sober, intelligent, well inform,
ed, and patriotic and vii no, suffer con-
parson with the landho,aer, in any respect,
save that portion who possess no, on interest
in the soil. They lack, II j. true, one hun.
dyed aud thirty -four dollars worth of TINT
species OF soundmss, whatever ii may be,
which the committee would seem 10 consider
as the spontaneous growth Of piece Os
Rhode Island land on what description of
soil it may grow, or under what mode OF cul-
tlvalion, or whether in any State bnt this.
they did not condescend 10 tell. II is to bn
presumed, however that il was not expected
TO grow on all spots, nor under all modes of
cultivation, for the field must be worth oSr
HUNDRED AND TnIRTf rorR DOLLARs. Nor
is this all The commt,ee have told us, thai
every Un0 Hus llc lIHHt "
to bo a voter" This is not true. No man
can do il in Rhode Island Amer having
procured his freehold, and proved It's value
sufficient, he 10 40 more qualified than hs
was without il. This is only preliminary
step; and it depepds on the vote of the .fi,s.
n,en ahcrward, whether he shal ne Admitted
free, aud permitted 10 vote, or be rejected.
Hence il would seem that some apprehension
is entcrinined that oil sorts Of land, IN oil
hands, will not produce the requisite sound.
ness for u voter Is not such procedure sD
absolute mockery Of righ1 Aud IL Il not,
absolutely sickenlng To hear learned grave
Legislators talking Of such stuff as the test of
soundncss Awny, then, with your cxpedi.
ency. Nine times IN ten, II Is cant word
for craft, cunning and deception. aud undrI
which they clook themselves Give W right
the right which God conferred on hIs crea.
lures when be created them equal. To Pre-.
serve and sustain right, is always eSpedlHnt
with straigh;. forward honcs'y and overland.
cd jnslicc. Give us, lhen,lhc right WHICH God
conferred upon his creatures, aud which has
been wfsstcd from them by the hand of sr.
bnrary power, Ms dictated by the interest aud
ambiI,n OF lhc opprss9t. An ovsrciuu,
nan wbo loved money better than Justice,