Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-08-19
WHOLE No. 500

say that on lie subject eulDodiru ~ his n port
on an sXlensIon OF suiiroge, lie seeln' fb
have EeeN spncwhst bluJcJ by m'J,o'o",
and an UUdup attachment To old customs.
His report lhc.pIpre, we are constrained !"
review without refoSepep 10 the man, aud ~
a document, not his, but Of q ran,n,ttef, NJ
such, We shall treat IL freely.
The "cstracts" from the Report conineneo
with the following romarkable passage. at
tremendous import aud which subsequent
ry"nlS would almost lHdnce opc ~ ~
was prophecies
The Con,npticG ase confident thai they
G!lall express the seniimculs Of The lI"usc,
when they uiiirm, that the right oi sutf'agc,
~ u Is the origin and basis of every iric,
elective government, 70 - u TIC p"fnliir hni
exclusive prcrogauve Of the people; nna
Cannot, without infringing that prcrogntlv".
be subjected to any other control ilian that
81 the people themselvss. Representa-
lIyes 4l lAe paoplc, chosen tor ,hc ogdlhHrs
purposes oi leglslatlOn, could assume cor;
troll oyer this right Ia limit, cur,ail, or eS
tend 1t, at will they might, On the one hard.
dIsfranchIse any portion they plcasvd ai
their own electors might deiri'o thom ~
the power ever to remove them and ih'is
reduce 'hc goyernmen, 10 pcrnanen! ana:
tocrGcY,'
Does Hat suph language rs ihe above siHp-
tie the readnr, when 1t paints out ~ such u
plain and irresistible manner the daDgersto
be appreheUdcd from cntrusting Tho right
of suffrage, the origin aud basis OF etgry
free, eIrclyc governmeni." with the "repru-
seE'atyes oi the peoHic, chosen l9r ordinary
purposes" To amend, remodel, or aha,yair,
NJ their pieasurof How cuad that Conn'l'
leo have said more to pon, out tho GlsrNifii
to be npprehcndcd from such a ,rus', aud The
Necessity Of having the will Vi the people
clearly expressed ~ such n manner that thsr
representatives would not dare 10 oversize
II Yet, will It be believed, that ,!'a lthsas
Island General asseahlY alWeyJ have,
without any instructions from the peoiTG,
since the commence men, Of the colonial go
vcrnmcut under the Charter OF Charles A.,
exercised the same prerogatvc, 40 assume q
control oyer the right OF suffrage, lixnS,
changing, and aanpllpy, quaIltcaii0Hs u
their PLEASURE, DISTINGUISHING whom They
pleased, aud admitting Vi 'reemen NhoW lh"l
pleased aud finally, ~ cap the elIphx, ~
Two recent Instances, petpctuating, dUtiny
their own pleasure, IN Que instance ~ reality,
and IN the other by anticipation only, an en-
tire Senate, aud Governor, WHOM lhc pep
pie had ilpl sluclrd
Such are tie iacis N Tho case, IA ihc leg
lSlativc records will amply show. The cpni-
mltlco who framed the Report knew, aud the
Assembly winch adopted Il kgew, that tho
very mischeis appreheufrd were almost "a
nually praetccd, mat the ''representaives "
the people chosen for ordinary purposes,' aa
exercise the pregogatYe 0i lhp people over
the eleeilye ipnfhse-ihst they ever i.HA
excrc.sed i knew they sill would c&rrfa
il, as they have since done al three scyrr3l
times at least ;-and yet, after having, ~ iiio
language above quoted, poinredly e"ndrm'"d
such course, they took ground against The
proposal to have u written eQnslpllIGn IL
prevent such abuses OF PoYrE IN lEttru.
After q sncGr at the non-irechoIGcr', and
o hlnt about monarchy, &c, which We viii
not stop TO notice, the paragraph Concludes
wih--"A state IN winch the elective Iran
rhsr can be thus controlled by any RaErf
bot Of The people, cannot, with any truth, bo
called republican. II Is nothing 10 Say that
legislature, chosen by the people, wlli, rs
10 be presumed act with discretion aud with
view 10 The interests OF the peope. ~
mgy aD absolute monarch rHIe wisely, aud
devote himself 10 the welfare Of tlle state
bat they are not free pcopIs who hold pleir
rights at ihc discretion VI Others, opo 9r
more,'
\ the p0wers above named or ,Widea,
are ~ The hands Of The General Assembly.
They are exercised BY ihat body; they ever
have bcCn. There Is neither written law,
nor recorded precedent, sgninst II. Ein-.
phatlcully, then, the government oi KhoGe
Island 10 not republican,, from the comlniurr's
own showing and yet they scout the noIiu.
of having u constitution To take these anti
republican powers, ard thls dangerous dis
crctlon, out OF Legislature hapls, The lcgis-
ature adopt the report, and retain their dan.
gcruus powers and discretion. Yet np strong
er argument could be urged by the most ell
thusiasic advocate OF a constitution, than
What tBe coipnlitlce thenscycs pruned, 10
quoted above,
What follows, is d curious paradox n'oso
properly, expert sophlstry.
The Committee says, "Fbe principle would
remain the same, whether there be written
constitutions or not. The rights OF the pcp-
pie are no, dcrlyed from constitutions, nor
are they to be encropchci upon because The
people may not thlnk II Necessary tp s,rInpt
To guard them by H,cans NJ spch lgsifunenls
winch, after all, very lpdlllcrentiy effect ,"c
object for which they arc Intended. Tbcy
are, Oh the contrary, by Iulsc or ioiccd ron-
slrucllons, always perverted to JnS'ily the nss
sumption OF dangerous powers wDIeG ihg
people never Inc ani TO grant"
What "princlple would remain the same?
The principle that the right vi irunehnsc
should never be entrusted 10 the keeping ot
the representatives OF the people, chosen for
ordinary purposes" lest, 10 serve their own
purposes either of ambition or tho Inst Of
power, or both, they sboud so change sp,
alter the tenure from time to time, as To cs-
toblsh an arlslocrocy 10 pcrpetuale their own
rule, or, on ihc contrary, To remove all guards.
and run lnto the extreme ot Dnarchy. Such
are the evils, one or the other Vi which the
committee aud the Legislature appeared W
icGr, gs lbs result vi entrustlbg the clc cliyn
iranchlse ~ the keeping of representatives
"chosen for ordinary purposes" wubogt ~
structions from the people. fei ns abosa
said, II wDs then, ever had been, and slill ie-
mains, notorious Tact, that precisely Sucli
- lie system and pracll.p ~ Hb0de lsend,
The prucple lqld down hy the comInlusp II
n corcct ore. l'bs 7gll Of suffrage Is Tie
iuId,mentpl basis, aud the only political safe
guard Of free, elective, representative goy>
ernment. From the fear that rcprcspnin-
tIves "chosen Tor o'dlnaiy purposes" should
subvcn the government To- promote selfish
objects, that right should not be deposited
with them. As the subject legilinsl,ly Do.
luggs 10 tho people themselves, 80 N the 10.