Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-08-22

iure II would have been quite ~ easy 10
have ob'alned the signature Of the 10, 900 or
he Is 600 men, If they had so many, to a pc
|,liinn. ss !, was 10 get their ballots on the
question of adopting o revolutionary Consii
tuition. or clec,lng Mr.. Dorr governor nndeI
n. But this was not attempted or thought
IT, Their mode of obtaining new CoDs,ltO
lion of Government was more summary ~
rhey began operations by setting themselves
bove the existing GovcrnmeM. In theil
view, a mass meeting OF 5000 or 1,0C0 hac
more legitimate powrr in the Stale than the
l.. gislaiure which legally represented the
whole people, and acted in their name ant
by their authority. Even n '"Slate Commit
ee" al eleven men. designated sno selecte,
by a hoarse shout at such a mass meeting
was regarded as higher in authority than the
Legislature.
The Legislature Of Rhode Island, at it,
Session IN january, ISli. upon "a petition
signed by less than six hundred persons, had
passed law authorlzIng a Convention TO b.
held IN the following November. with full
powers Ia frame new Constitution. The
delegates were To be elected at their regular
sent annual town or ward meetings, which
would be- held in August. BY an act passed
~ May the number OF Delegates was tn oe
IN proportion to the population IN the several
towns. The new constitution was TO be sub
miied to The people under the direction oi
The Convention. And all persons who should
he qualified 10 vote under The new Constltu-
ton, were by law allowed to vote on the
question Of lts ratification or rejection.
All this. however was IN no degree salts
factory to the Suffrage Association They
held Mass Meeting at Newport On th'
9Th of May, 1871, and Of course after The
Legislature had authorized the calling of a
convention, at which a committee or iunto OF
eleven persons was named, with full powers
TO provide for The meeting ola Revolutionary
Assembly. This jnnto prescribed the mum
her Of delegates Ia The Assembly, and how
they should be chosen, and when the Assem-.
bly should meet. Their object was To cut ~
before the convention and Constitution whicb b
the Legislature had authorized. Meetings
of the Suffrage party were held in the sever
nj towns in August, aud delegates selected
to their Assembly, which was TO meet III
October
The Convention which had been authorized
by the Legislature met on the first Monday
~ November. The delegates had TO d,llicul
~ coming to a resolution that the freehold
qualification fer voters should be dispensed
with hut doubts existed about the extent to
which The privilege of voting should be car
red, and The Convention adjourned to Febrn
ary 10 give the delegates time to consult
their on-t,ucn's and the public will, on this
important matter.
In the mean time, the suffrage Assembly.
the grand State Caucus of the party
and achieved what they called Constitution.
1t was finally passed upon on the 18th No.
vember--ot course after II was known th at
The legal Convention, IN the Constitution
they would propose, would dispense with the
freehold qualification for voters. in regard
10 the representation from the towns IN the
Legislature. nobody pretended to doubt that
that would BE- ronallzed. As the legal Con
v"ntion had adjourned to meet in February,
the revolutionary Assembly directed their
Constitution to be submitted to the people, or
such as would vote upon u, in Drcember.
though by its own terms, il was not TO %
INTO operation tlll The following May. And
this pretended Constitution was Submitted
to the mockery ofa popular vote--that ~ Ia
say--it was voted on by the party or faction
to which The Assembly or Caucus belonged
Those who were moi Of that party, of course,
had nothing 10 do with il. And of course il
was Of no consequence whether 10 600 or
Is 600 or only GOO voted on the question
of us adoption. Al vino voted ut all Tor
nearly ALI voting for u, it would he adopted.
provided oniy ii was hgal,y or iegitimaisiy be.
fore he psopie. One hundred votes would
nave been as good aud effective NJ the votes
of the whole 1900 who are said To have
cast their ballots in The election. And il the
before the people, then twice IA 900 votes
'ou.d not have adopted ii.
As II 70 make the nockery on an election
~ broad aud pa pable as possible, the Assem-
bly, or Caucus which put forth this instrument.
directed that every person who ciuimed or
icas cinimed 20 be an American citizen,
claimed To be tweDiy-one years of nge, and
claimed to be nj home in Rhode Island,
should be allowed to vote for adopting this
~ the Constitution of the State. Certain
irresponsible persons were to be dcsigna ell
To receive these votes. But no body was
authorized TO challenge or question a vote.
No proof Of qualification was required. No
body was authorized or required to admins.
ter or take an oath. Any foreigner whose
foot print was on the shore where he landed
Yesterday any resident Of any other State
or country any minor any woman or girl f;
any unatir. pauPer. or convict crlmlnal--any
md all these were au,horzed to vote, only
nn condition of writing their names, or hav.
M them written on The jdce Of printed
paper Containing these words II am an
American citizen of the age Of twenty one
years, and have my permanent residence or
home IN ih. State" The voter was not
oven required to subscribe 10 this declaration.
HIS name was To be written across or upon
IT, as if IN contempt ot II, and as indicating
that for hinself he neither admitted nor de
Med the truth ot the declaration. And this
was not all. After three days OF PERSONAL
voting, on The terms already mentioned, three
lays more were allowed TO those who had
thus voted To bring ~ "a many other ballots.
with the same inrmula of words aud name
written across them. endorsed by Themselves,
~ they could procure, or shnuG see fit 10
provide. In this way, Mr.. Peter Iwingle
,rd Mr.. Barney NcMlcbsel, who touched
'ur shores u+t m Inn" IL vote in person a;
this notable election, might also vote for as
many Of ih,Jr relatives aud friends IN Ger
many and ireland, as they could well remem.
her the names of. There was nobody 10
question their right 10 such q procedure. fn
thus way. too. the names on the grave stones
hardly lpglblc by the co-rodlng tooth oltIme,
might he made 10 vote a. good ballHs ne tue
living mon could do. or had ever DONE
Such ballots ecrs g,psn. The election OF
NaPeeon, 10 be Emperor Of France, was uol
20 solemn and absurd a farce.
II is hardly crcdi'able that number Of
persons, m sHy considerable number Of any
sort could be topnd in Rhode Island who
should seriously lhink OF undertaking 10 es-
tablish an actual government on foundation
prepared ~ the rnsnnsr Of this pretended
Constitution. Vet 50 II vas Under the
direction Of tho sam" Revolutionary Assem-
bly,, the suffrage party prececded to elect