Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1844-04-27

IOTk Legislature, tndt the Dill was passed.
for the Erie canal; but when, subsequent
ly, it was proposed to ask the aid of Con
gress towards the completion Of that un
dertaking, he opposed the suggestion a;
being unconstitutional, affirming that while
he would vote for paying The last dollar
out OF the State Treasury to effect the
object, he saw nothing authorizing Con
gress TO support q system of internal i'm
provement for local or State purposes.
About the same time that Mr.. Van
Buren, was advocating these truly repub.
lican measures in the Legislature Of New
York. ne became a delegate in the con.
vention Of that State for re-modelling its
Constitution. 1t was in that convention
that the federal party, as many of the
wings do now, desired 10 limit the elect
i've franchise in such manner as almost
to exclude foreigners, and it was in that
convention that he expressed himself SO
eloquently against imposing a property
qualification upon voters While, howev-
err, he was thus averse TO abridging the
elective franchise as applicable TO the
white population, he was equally averse
to extending the same privilege, without
some qualification, TO that portion of the
co!ored population of New York which
its laws had rendered free. He accord
ingly voted for a law, The effect of which
has been almost to exclude them entirely
from the baiot-box. In the management
of this question in the convention, Mr.
Van Buren, displayed all the caution and
efficiency which have always SO peculiarly
distinguished his political measures. A
writer to whom must here acknowledge
my large Indebtedness for many views
expressed in these letters, thus fully ex.
plains Mr.. Van Buren's position on this
point, out of which his enemies have made
SO much capital: "The negroes, with
scarcely an exception, adhered to the
tederalists. Their number in the city Of
New York was very great, and parties in
that city were so equally divided, that it
was often sufficient to hold the balance
between them, al times too, when the
vote of New York, in the Legislature, MOI
unfrequently decided the majority of thai
body. These circumstances made the
lederaIists, in the convention, anxious to
preserve for The blacks that equality OF
suffrage with the whites. which they had
under the old constitution taken away, to
avail themselves of the great exci:emen,
then existing in the State on the Missouri
question, for the purpose of defeating the
proceedings OF the convention altogether.
The able men by whom they were repre-
scented spared no effort to secure one or
the other of these results. On the other
hand, the republican members were unan-
imous in the opinion that the negroes
were unsafe repositories of the elective
franchise; but they differed at fret as to
the mode by which their common object
could be best attained. A portion of them
in their desire to accomplish it, advocated
direct and simple provision for the ex-
clusion of the blacks; another portion, OF
whom Mr.. Van Buren, was one, thought
it unwse to expose all the amendments
of the constitution, which were of such
vital importance to the welfare of the
State, to the hazard of rel lection; and de-
sired, therefore, the adoption OF provl-
sion which would be in practice perfectly
safe. while at the same time ii frustrated
the plans of the federal opponents of the
new constitution. 1t was also in itself
more equitable, as it afforded an opportu-
nity and held out an mducement to the
negroes to improve their own condition,
and acquire habits of industry and sobri-
ETY.. The plan proposed for this end was
to allow them to vote only in the event of
their possessing freehold of the value of
$3.50, and having been three years resi-
dents of the State, and been rated and
actually paid taxes. This proposition the
federalists opposed with even greater &C.
rimony than the absolute exclusion Of the
negroes, because they perceived that it
would in all probability defeat both their
objects. The republican members all f.
nalIy assented TO it, and the result proved
TO be that which its advocates had antici-
pated. The question as to the free blacks
became a subordinate one, in the OPPOSE
sition TO the new constitution; the amend
ments submitted in body were all adopt
ed-.the people gained the invaluable right
of a free and extended suffrage, while
such a spectacle as black voter at the
polls of New York, has ever since been
one of the rarest things under the sun.
After an experience of twenty years The
provision in question remains unchanged;
several amendments have been added to
the constitution in that interval-the right
of suffrage has been materially changed
in other respects, yet so satisfied have
been the wise of all parties, that no sue
cessful attempt has ever been made to set
this regulation aside. AS regards this
question Mr.. Van Buren's lot has been a
hard one. It was principal cause Of that
fierce hostility with which the abolitionists