New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-05-24

''ih'Lh party ~ lN4DG' i-ta+fAs -f'~f - 49, l
,iple commended for by the Su5roge party that a
nsiority Of the White Adult Males Of any oommu
lity have right to subyeri aay existing Institutions
| at pleasure and build NJ others N their own tine
and manner in defiance q existing restrictions Of
Sufirage-if this is TO be recognized as feature OF
our in.ttution.-the present Constitution and ros-
eminent Of Virginia would be overturned within
month 4 majority Of her White Males are IVES
| Z the Mountains while large majority OF her
| Representatives and Political Power are held on
IN. other .ide. under the Mixed Basis, as 1t j.
termed, Of Population and Taxation. The West
-ru Counties are r.solu;ely opposed to tns me
,ro,e.t and a.ira,e against it; lat they have never
yet dreamed that j, can De altered otherwise tl.af
through a Legislative call Of Convention and
he regular change Of the Constitution thereby!
Let " bling the case nearer home. Under The
Constitution Of our own State negro or mulatto
Of any grade ha. the Righ, Of Suffrage only IN case
ne possesses an unincumbered Freehold woTh
$3.50 or over: Il be has not this, he cannot vote.
Dat Of some TWENTY-FIVE thousand adult males Of
African blood, perhaps one thousand arc iegii-!
entitled TO vote. The restriction Is founded on
real or supposed fitness Of thing. not in the nerc
color Of the kin The Constitution regards IN,
black. (truly falsely a. m ignorant, degraded
yiciou. race. - nose exercise OF the Right OF sui
frage woud not contribute to the public safety and
well.bcirg Assuming the existence Of the condi-
,ioa. i, not the restriction ius, Those admitted
TO vote are 50 admitted the presumption that,
not in every instance but as general rule they
are more intelligent, upright and solicitors for tho
public veal than the mass Of their race. Now Jet
~. suppose the day 10 arrive when the bacts a.
class shall be as intelligent, moral. patriotic and
.elfrcsrec,iac a. other citizens: Then they viii
be Justly entitled to the RICH, of Suffrage, VIII
,hoy not Bu, how shall they obtain recognition
Of their right May they assemble unanimously
and declare that they are so entitled, md that
therefore the Constitution IS changed accordingly
Suppose their numbers should be increased 30 a
% form a majority of the Whole Sine--"ouid thar
fact change the Constitution! or could they alone
change it, Could they change j, even with the
cooperation of minority of the legal voters, except
in the manner provided by existing institution.
hat is to say, could they do it By themselves call
ing Convention, forming a new Constitution and
voting its adoption 1T strikes that these
1uc,tons cannot be considerably answered IN the
negative How coVid lawyer rise before Court
iodcfcnd the Rhode Island insurgents in they
rad been impelled to shed blood, and gravely
que that the Dorr instrument was the legal COn>ti
tuition and he the legal Governor of Rhode i,land
There cannot be Court in Chrstcndom that
would entertain the plea Admit it valid, all
al oil Ca,,,;,,t,f,ra kecnr,,a tla
mercst frostwork, which the next breath may dis
sipate OF which bushel of votes collected by
peddIer on his rounds, may utterly set aside. 1t
canno, be that Free Institutions so utterly I'M
stable and baseless.
We have devoted some space to a review of this
question. for deem 1t one OF the very gravest
and most important thai hoe y.' ositu'vd o"r
country. We have endcavorcd to keep it clear Of
all extraneous considerations, and prcscat it in it,
broadest relations to Public Order, Good Govern
ment and the well being Of the People.
" 4 few words will settle our account with
the Editor OF the Brooklyn Eagle If what ras
said at a Masonic Hall Meeting Will answer hi,
purpose, ,chy dit he net qtotc IT, instead Of put
, ting words into the mouths of opponents which
they never u,cd To IS ii i, very pain tia, what
ras said at tha, meeting is nothing like Property
is the test Of Merit either in form OF substance
Bat no man has right to impuic to another
language and sentiments he dsa,ows on the as
sumption that he has said something equivalent
Give his words.
The Eagle insists that the Wing party may Justly
he held responsible for the sentiments OF meeting
of Merchants at Masonic Hall. because they were
probably in the main Wings. How would he like
our quoting some of the beIchinss of Fanny Wright
and her allies at the Sunday evening meetings AZ
Tammany : authorized statement of Loco-Fo-
co doctrines-they being Leco-Focos, VIII the
rule work both ways
As to the Sidney article the Wing Young
Mems Committee only crclcd the Loco-F oco i'm
putation that it was believed In or countcnanccd
by tic Wing party. The EasS must be wrong in
asserin. that the Editor Of the Commercial ever
endorsed the obnoxious. doctrines of that ESSAY
No Wing Committee ever felt called upon to ex.
press an opinion upon any other article, within
our knowledge.
The Eagle Is too complimentary To our know
ledge Of dates, &c. On second thought. Ne be-
lieye the Masonic Hall Meeting referred to took
place in the spring Of 1887 the Specie Circular
war; instead of 1884: if SO. he was a. near nigh,
on thai point we. though il had 10 pos, iblc re-
aion 10 the last Presidential campaign The
proof OF merit sentence occurred not in 'resolu-
iions. but in an Address, which probably Pot three
persons ever saw or heard underSiandingy TIL il
appeared in the neN-Nauer- Yet II Il. o1it Of >ucl.