The northern star and freemen's advocate., 1842-04-14
REPORT
W MR. CRAmER, on ertcnding tle Elec
tice Franchise TO the colored poNalotion


We have perused this report with some
care and attention, and are astonished,
that paper of,his nature, emanating from
The pen of gentleman, well known as
possessing talents of the first order, and as
distinguished civilian, lawyer and phi
lanthropist, should have given to the world
the stale hackneyed opinions Of those men,
who have gone before him, without one
iota of reason upon which TO ground his
premises, or draw therefrom any clear and
definite conclusions. The subject is not
regarded in proper light, either as to the
request Of The petitioners, or the ultimate
consequences of that request, on their fu-
ture condition and prosperity, or its ef-
feet on the body polite. 1t was wholly
unnecessary in the author Of this elaborate
Report TO travel back, and give history
ofthe old constitution, as to what it was
in relation to the rights Of the colored
population Of this state, or of what ii is at
the present period Of our history lfhe
had considered the lapse Of time which
has occurred between the operation of the
one, and the effects of The other, and the
changes that have taken place in the char
acter of our people, he would have found
that the march of improvement required
further ameioration of our political condi-
ton, for according to his own declara-
tions "the advancement of the world in
the arts of peace requires small progress to
invest them with political equality"
From the whole tenor Of this document
any man of reason, and especially the un-
fortunate beings for whose prosperity and
rise in the world we are straining every
nerve, and that in a way not to conflict
with the feelings or interests of the white
population, can sec, that the prejudlces
ofthe latter are carried back TO a period
coeval with the creation Of man. Not
content with peryerting the true meaning
Of that noble monument of human wis
dom, the Declaration Of independence,
breathing as it does spirit of equality to
ALL MEN, without any conditions, not
only as to the "color Oh intellectual or
physical character Of man." but expressly
declaring that for these reasons "govern-
ments were instituted amongst men," we
find in the course of series ofmysterlous
and vague reasonings that the intellectual
faculties of the black are not as capable OF
Improvement as those of the white, or
their physical powers as gigantic; and
therefore in their organization" they
never can rise to eminence or distinction
in the civilized or political world, and yet
even after all, Mr. Cramer seems TO adopt
the language of the poet,
Honor and fame from no condition rise,
Act well your part, there all the honor hes'
and strange inconsistency and absurdlty
As an overthrow to the whole train of rea-
soning he has adopted, exclaims " Like
water. mind will find its level, and that
level is tha, of equality" There are many
contradictions, in terms, throughout this
labored effort to get rid of the applications
and intrasions, we presume, OF the colored
population that are astonishing; for in
stance, in one place the writer tells them
they are totally unqualified to exercise the
privileges of the elective franchise :" as
mass" thus putting damper upon their