New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-05-27
The InfrancIsiscd Rhode 1sIandefs'
To the Editor If The T,tbUse'

|
In yo.r leading article Of Tuesday the 2i;h you
say
THE authority exercised hy Government over Minors
who form majority OF POFua'lun-s not based upon
any express their part 70 The laws to when y
are held amenable. - Of the same authority exercised "'tl
Women Here then. find sthe outset that tb'
OF losc held amenabe authority have had and no" a'e
| no hand in dlfecagit"
Now hold that Women and Minors are a.
fully Represented in this State are their husbands
and fathers | have no interest distinct from That
of nv wife and children l therefore represent
them faith fuHy--iar more faithfully than myself
| nave ever been represented by our oiice-hodtrs
| In Rhode Leland. and in the aristocraclcs OF me
/ Old World the case j. very different. There The
powers of Government are welded 10y an exclusive
class, whose yccuHi0ry interest 1t Is to plumber
| and cnslavc their subjects
There i. another point in the Rhode Island case
of which YOU lose sight. The People o that State
| were called to amend or alter an ertsftHg
| Constitution, for they had none 10 amend. In
casting oil the authority of England, our fathers
necessarily nulifed all the laws and grants cina-
Mating from that power The PtoPLE, 1t = true,
dccrced that manv OF the royal laws and grants
should continue in ioicc; but thi. fact only shows
| thnt such grants they did MI recnact became
| void OF this latter class was kmg Charles
| Charter to the Rhode Island Land Company.
You appear to think that Gov. King pauy are
quite willing to eNtend the Right of Suffrage 10 the
jcople at large, and to give them leave to form
| Constitution. ! can only say that formerly, when
the people humbly pett0ned Tor legislative ac'Ion
| in the premises, they were told that u they oid
| no like To live under and pay taxes TO govern
| mont responsible 20 the andhoders only, they
might leave the State; and that the proposed Com
,tituion recently framed under the auspices OF The
| IL al los hau q
voters full power elect malortyin both branch
rs of the legislature; that is, one thousand voters
| in the net townships were to elect greater mum.
Der of representatives than two or three Thousand
voters in The anita ristocratc towns. The Land
| holders ConventiaA proposed that the town oi
| Smiihhcld. with population OF EN Thousand
shoald elect one Senator. while another town WIN
a population Of abou, EIGHT Thousand should send
| rWOu This is the closest approximation To an
Extension of tho Il ght of Suffrage that the Land
holders have vet made. They are willing that AL
,hould vote. on condition that over two-ihndS OF
The pcoples vote. shall pass for nothing when they
| come to the canvass. YANKEE LAh"KER-
| C- We readily give place to the foregoing
| though we cannot h.w it can be regarded Us IN
any sense correction Of our own article, which II
seems intended to controvert. The writer indeed
| says that Women and Minor. are virtually repre-
,entcd in this State--which may or may not br
true. without affecting our argument-but ho" are
they represcnted Where is their instrument vest
inc in the Male Adult. the guardianship OF their
! RIGHTS and Interests the exclusive possession "i
Political power Let see the seal on the bond
! I. il immutablc or rovocahlc and 1t the latter
how Suppose the Women and Children should
| tomorrow call \ Convention. form new 'onsu-
tuition. extending TO themselves tse hght oil SUI
frarc. and then vote lis adoption 10y majority ''
the whole Population: would this Instrument
therefor, become peacefully and by inherent force
The Sunreme Law of the Land. and our Courts aud
Administrations be bound 10 obey 1t a such We
will admit. if desired that this state OF facts would
og.rd q valid reason why the Right OF Suffrage
oucL, n he extended in that direction but the
question in point Is, Would their act legally ei'
feet it
Oar critic must mo-, expect to carry his point b,
hare assertions. He states that it Is the interest
If the Rhode Island Frceholder- TO Plusdcr and
enslave the non-votng class, while Women IN
,pr State are abundan,ly and faithfully represented
We DENY both positions and appeal To notorious
facts Examine the laws of Rhode Island IN then
hearing on all classes--obsere that Ohce' are
fewer. Salaries lower, Justice reader and cheaper
there than with Us; and then turn to Ger Laws
ves,inr all the Property Of Wife in a Husband
without remedy against his brutality. protsacy and
.quandcr:ng; then look where the laws osgh Il
be to protect female innocence and artes'ne,.
from the wilcs of the Observation-Disclosures and black
est Of villains Sc. too the utter indifference at
our criminal law, To the purity and sacredne,s of
the Marriage tie. that great safeguard and buwarl
IF Society against impending and infinite evil.
We contend thar the evil. experienced by the non
Frccholdcrs of Rhode Island from denial Of Po-
E,;cal power bear no comparison 10 those under
| which Woman In. ever exisied.-Bui all This j..
aside from the question
W. have no patience with the bubble OF oui
correspondent tia, Rhode Island had no eridiRe
Constitution. \ Constitution i not necessarily q
particular piece Of parchmer'-clse no hHman be
ING ha' any Constitution a, all and our iriend'who
'ontend that little rum is good for their respect
ive Constitutions are douby mistaken. Take
hem they mean. their mistake i, bad enough.
Constitution j. a frame of Government: whether
be written IN ore book. in fifty, OF ir none ma,
id 10 determine nhriher il i. good or bad one
| nut cannot affect 10, being.
Our correspondence assertion rha, our Re,olu-
non necessarily rulhcd all laws and grants ema-
la,ing from the British Crown. i precisely TN,
.ame which has met IL many times from Aboll-
ionisrs in support Of tie proposition that >iavcH
aas abolished by the Declaration of Independence.
md could not have bcea rec.tah,shed but BY the eN-
,re.s consent Of ihcent COMMUNICATES Slaves o.
our>c included. 10 all this VI only answer-l Il
YOU mean this ought 10 have been the effect OF thai