The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-04-04
Eea S@A1SEUM@s
sATURDA APRIL 4, 1916.
The Suffrage Question in New
Work.

BY the Constitution of the State of n. Y ork
colored citizens are not allowed to vote unless.
they hold unincumbered Real Estate of the
value of $3.50. There are some thousands of
colored natives DISTINGUISHED by this provision,
while the recruits from the poor houses of Eu-
rope are allowed to vote in thutState. A conven-
ton TO revise the constitution is TO assemble in
June, &. soon the election ofDcegates to com
pose it occurs. The question excitcs con-
siderable interest, and the primary Conven-
tons to nominate Delegates develop the pur-
poses OF each party of the State.
The Wing Convcntions--or all that we have
noticcd-nominate Delegates in favor Of re-
moving the property qualification.
The Polk party universally-for aught we
have seen to the contrary-go for the present
provision ofthr Constitution as 10 this question,
or do not 20 for tha proposed change. Some Of
the rank-and.flc, ofthc "Libcrty' or Sd party
incline to favor ii, but the leaders, with only
few exceptions, decline TO unite with the
Wings for the election of free suffrage Dele
gates, and 20 as they have heretofore in elcc.
tons, BY themselves as party They hold
the balance of power in Counties enough To Sc
cufc the election of Il majority Of free sufi-
rage Delegates and thereby give liberty to the
poor colured native citizens of the State. BY
uniting with the Wings they could do this
The lcadcrs-thc same who misled their fol-
lowers on TO let y. York go for Polk aud also
slOyeocratic Congress men enough into the
las, Congress to carry anncxOtion--urc trying
TO push their voters up to the sticking point
to vote only for their own candidates, by
which course the slavcocracy will carry the
Convention, most probably, The more ra-
tjonul oft party hold back, yet the Leaders
press them up as f'rccly as did the British OIL
GERS the timd Hrssinns To battle the Amcri-
cans in the revolutionary war. The few dar.
ing I, question this course has called out the
3D. party press in other States. The following
| article, with the extract from the Emuncipator,
explains the matter. The comments upon
the extract are from the y. Y. Tribune;
| BIRNEYISNI-TEXAS STUFF.
RAGE.
| ~ late paper Of Tie EmGHcipator, the organ
of the Birncyitrs in new England, speaking
of the position and proposed action of the Lib
Terty party on the Convention question in this
State, snys
awe are sorry and somewhat surprised that
! the question has ariscn for understand IT
! to be part ofone general compact that we
were TO stick 10 our independent organization
in uil places, and not forcgo il for the sake of
local advantage in regard to any one of the
incidtRtniS ofSluvery that mny come in ques-
ton in the strife of parties THIS Is THE
RULE BY WHICH WE VOTED IN RE-
! GARD TO TEXAS--ond il seems to the
thot eli al
as to render permanent our unity as party.
| We suppress the comments we at first deter
mined to make on the above paragraph, be-
cause we do not choose at this moment 10 be
or appear in controversy with any who profess
a devotion to Equal Suffrage. We cannot
however, refrain from calling the attention of
every candid man to the palpabc admissions
therein made. HOw did the Liberty party
'vote in regard to Texas Plainly (the f.
manciputor here imples) in disregard of its ad-
mission, dceming the preservation oftheir own
distinctive character and drill a party of
greater conseq ucnce than the defeat of anne K
alton. They might (such is the clear udms-
sion of the Emancpator) have defeated An
ne xation, just as they may now secure Equal
Suffrage, by voting with the party most favor
able to their views on that point but they
deemed it far more important to keep their
ranks distinct and unbroken. This is precisely
what we charged and they denied all through
the Presidential canvass. They insisted that
both of the great parties were substantially pro
-Texas-that neither, if in power would pre-
vent Annexaton-nay, Mr. Birney himself
wrote to us for publication that he considered
annexation more likely to take place if Mr.
Clay were chosen President than if Mr. Polk
should be. This, at all events, is no forgery,
for we received it in his own hand writing and
published it therefrom. Now we insist that all
this not only not so, but knO,on to be other
wise by Mr. Birney and the Emancipator at the
time and that they plainly swindled the Wings
out of the Presidential Election by palpably
false pretences. And this is substantially adj
mitted in the paragraph above quoted, where it
is used as nn argument in favor of just such
another move (without the false pretencs)
respecting Black Suffrage
TAfter the above admission by the. Enamel
pator, that the Sd party leaders are responsible
for anne xation of Texas, we hope the Free
man and it's friends will see the folly of their
acc using the Caledonian of Misrepresentation
in charging them with this responsibility
They ought to shut their mouths, and they
will if they have any shame in them.