Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-04-29

qualified f.eeholdcrs tvotHs on 'he present u -
! -, -. u .r,c.et .tiar and SGtIage) 10 eject Lon
nc,, IN meet ia Nove.:.:cr, lcil, and to frame
her IN hole or IN part, 10 De sapa'
.d 10 lie sane cce.idc's (v9in. on tie same bases
| for .hsi- I'D ,,laa or It J, c;cn' A.,
| - ,ssn.,;ion Was cacu.Ged 20 discourage TIE
friends OF LIBERAL extension 81 srn!asF' anu 20
alton son further applications to Tie GENERA
! ,sse,nllv What could be reasonably expected o.
vo, Io"cd for in iu:theIance OF those oh"cS' io'i
C,o,ysu,,on So constituted, or from their constituents
o. ,lc l1h dsY oi April, lc4l. the TRENDS o. 10
1..,. aud Geiosn assembled III mass at Providence
ssed l,e,r determination that no tnr;he
d,, ,,r attainment of those grea. objects could Ut
On ,b 1,b dnv of May, 1871, Mass Convention
tbc friends Of the cause was he!o a. Ne"Po'
This Convention appointed large C"H''i,.,e' INV a.
,rnc,cd Them to propose Consent'on OF Delegates L
80 Cns,i:n,ian 10 be submitted 20 the Peopie, ant
! ,;a,4 10 mo e, a.ain al Providence OH the DIN ca,
! Of July following. ,;, ,e,,
= b..l was reported providing THAT every "h'e ''I'
citizen oil tae L. : "Ve' twenty o''3 y@ -, -,
a, resided IA tis Sale two years and IN iie Town %
-, he is 10 vote six months preceding Tue tn'
Of y.pr and Who las PAID tax on rea! estate OF per
sona properv o year previous 10 the ,ine o. No'
IN, s,r he allowed vote in The choice al driega;e
r. ,b C,nyni,on % meet IN November, lc4l, Tor i''
nprnnse If forming Constitution, except persons IN
SAN under guardianship, and convcts his bii Wa
rel. c,cd b: large majority.
ra rejection OF this bill understood IN al! hands
n m,y all reasonable pres; ect that the General As
"a ,l would allow anY other class ot citizens, bui X
gel irfca.en, have any participation IN ''e 'o''h
mo or The adoption of Constitution. hat sue" :
as desired b. the non-lreehoiders, rHe
| rally. and approved Ny many iFethncrrs Is e''"en
from their petitions and other proceedings aifeaos
stated The Assembly could have had no doubt Oh
| his subject. -.
| On The 1.l dnv Of Jnly, 1871 the Newport das;
| Convention held their adjourned meeting at ff"'
Gencc formed on immense procession, h'a'u 81" -"
dress in the o;en fields too! INTO onsGeta"n 'he a'e
vote of the General Assembly, excluding al ioh'se
h. lters from any participation IN toEs''iu''o' NV
their Instructions 10 their committee 10 pro-
posi-. Peoples Convention 10 draft CONSTITUTION.
| This committee adopted and published TO the f'o
pie The proposition "tha; every American Iae en
twenty one wears Of ce and upwards, who has RESIDED
N this State as his home year preceding 'hr eiec
non %. drlena:cs s!a, vote for delegates to DRAFT
Constitution to lie lard before TIE People; and that
every thousand inhabitants shall Oe emitted 10 one &C.
legae.' ,..,
Convention was elected, in conformity with H. by thou
sln, OF votes tian cast Ter The oe''gaeS u
Inc Fteeheiarrs' Convention There beng IT. "pposi
ton N either case, the vote not So large as IL "ono
otherwise have been.
T:is Convention, called the People Convention met
IN October drafted Corstlution submitted It 10 Tie
P,cpc for the. examination, aud adjourned 10 meet
again il: November
In November they made some alterations in their
dat: completed II, and submitted II 10 the feopir i"r
tier adoption rel ccon, recommending them IN OK.
pre-, ,e II on tae snhec' al meetings duly pcsded
over hy raerntofs and clerks, Gad By writing tei:
names upon their tickets.
Their rccom,ae nda,ons were strictly complied w,h
The FrcehpGers Convention met IN November, loil
and adjourned to February liih l-:2, without conc!ud
mo on all the parts of Their Constitution They pub
shed it with portions al il marked rs propositions
,.,rely They retained the landed q"ai'lca'ion io'
yn.inr and the privileges OF !reenen 10 ali who were
o.St sons Of ireemc", with the addition OF section
admitting those also 10 vote Who %ere osscsstd al per
soaai property TO the 81 see, and vino should
e assessed and pay thereon but exclucng odes.
IN future.
This proposed extension was, in tact, limitation oil
the number entitled To vote
Tn. doiurs olt!s Conscntion thus Gar certainly gave
no proms. oil position lis part 10 meet The WISHES
an Tie SUI Ct of suffrage o those HON they admf d
10 he la-,e and respectable portion Of the People, and
WON thew aj:n,,e to have expressed Their WI! tig,
n ugh iajersauy and esay, By voting for the leo-
pr's Constitution
The Peoples Convention again met January l2,h.
lS., Thcy received aud conmed the v9fs FOR aid
against tiier proposed CONSTITUTIONS aud declared the
,rle number Of votes gwen III b. American male c.
teens o full are aGd permanent residence or home IN
THIS State IN favor q: tie adoption OF this Constitution
t. be Is ga btin- majority q. the *h"ie number OF
american male citizens o! full age and permanent resi-
O.
cared that Of the whole number o! voters, l3,94i,
1850 were legally qualified lrcemen
truon tins result, the Convention proclaimed ms
Constitution b. the paramount. .aS OF the Stale, ana
recommended the early nomination 81 officers unGer H.
They also communicated the above result together with
a cory of ,hc Constitution, To the Governor OF THIS
State WHO laid both before the General Assembly
taen in session A motion in the General Assembly to
rccoru!za ,ir P-opic Constitution rs the paramount
law, vas rejected by u large majority.
The Assembly, however, passed an act lal van per
sons who shall bc qualified 20 vote under the provisions
of such Constitution the freeholders Convention
NAV orn shall be qua fed 10 vote upon tie question
Of hc adoption Of said Constitution.
A State Convention, chosenby the electors under the
Pcopc's Constitution, assembled at Providence IN e.
bruary lS.2, Nominated general district and county
officers for els c,ion Monday April j., Isle, and APP
pointed a committee with authority 10 fill any vacan
cips which uigi, occur These proceedings and noIn-
nations were ali published IN the newspapers
The Frecholiars' Convention met aGaIn February
i,h 1912 as adjourned; and submitted II 10 all antho
nd 1, vote under II, 10 be voted e.. the 2., ga
and I'D DAYS or March, lSi., This Constitution final
r. extended suirc.e yond freeho!drrs and their old
cs sons to oie. citizens of full age; but required
permanent residence Ia the state ot ireeho!Gers and
eldest sons Of bu, enc year, and permanent resi-
dence of The other citizens of teco years 1t also re-
red o evcrr natnaized fore gner residence in The
State Of three years and freehold qualification oi Il,
least 1854. the constituency nnder The Freeh"ders
Constitution vas several thousands less lan tat es
tanl:shed BY tire Peoples Constitution. The vote on
mis- Constitution was a tremendous struggle The ex
Tended suffrage confirmed in it, though arowedly IN
serted as eiatnous concession 70 the people, and not
as right, procnrcd Tor it The votes OF many, who had
voted CIR the Penp's Constitutions and the extreme
inequality o representation in both Houses PrFp@na'ed
by = giving the sqnrsr population Of tie So"'herc par
At the STATE amounting 20 less than oUc-i1ird OF tie
vbo, r7pu!a; on the eycTcning control 81 The whole
state $50 pr cured iur il the votes OF hundreds, IN
shat pat Of the State who had voted Cor the People,
Con.iitu,jon Bat tie friends Of the Peoples C"mst
tuition, VIII, were EXCLUDED b. additional residence
r,or'red IN The Frccicje-s Constitution, genera 3
voted against the inter, account Of It's unequal
nresenta,ion aud many otter ars'oc.atc features, Is
well as because hey thought Constitution enough
Tor one State TO he number OF $685. making ma oy
against It ct
Tie f,anr-al Assembly met by adjournment March
i2s, 49, counted The votes on the freehulders Con
sl,;u,ion and d cared The result above stated The
lousr of Representatives refused, ty large malnres
To pass either cf the following bills, introduced hy d