Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1846-05-14
MESSAGE.
FellOD Citizens Of the Senate
and of the House Of Representatives.

MESSAGE.
FellOoC Citizens Of the Senate
and of the House Of Representatives.!
Idesre toexpress my profound acknowledges
ments for The HIGH honor conferred upon me
in calling me to The responsible station winch
[ now occupy, In entering upon ITS dutles;
should he greatly wanting in what owe 10 the
Legislature and the People, were nor 70 ue.
clare with the most unreserVed irahK"esS' .ne
convictions Of my mind in regard 20 tilosG S1o
iects which will come under your c0"SiO''"
ton. ,h;ch bevond any
.,h o nerhsps. the popular principle has pre-
Jo,s;noted rom the beginning, 1t IS not 10 DC
uOa.,n,roed that our laws and institutions are
not substantially adapted to the sentiments anu
hab;ts of the community. Our attehtlon'
.harofore will rather be directed to the more
80 Innovations or errors in Legislation, 1t
nv there he. to such notifications es have be-
come necessary, and to any abuses when may'
possibly, have crept IN.
There is no subject which should be brought
to severer scrutiny than those laws whicn
touch the paramount and fundamental riSnI OF
the people, by which they weld the powers o.
the government. This right, the cllzenS
right at the ballot box, IS the hrst 10 oe PIo'e.
ted and secured, the last to be aoan9oneu 70
NEGLECT. and the violations Of 1t shouidbe VISIT
cd with severe penal infections. 1t may be
sacrificed by entanslemen in the meshes OF le-
y,l enac,ments. assailed by bribery and corrup-
st;on or worse than anninilated by intlmida-
ton or undue influence. These subjects de-
mapd at all times the special AID Viyllent at
,ention OF the Legislative Department. whicn
can alone correct the evil, II any eAlst.
TIE constitution of the State prescrio>s oen-
ni,e!v the qualifications of electors, anu pro-
yides that the right Of the elector shall be iof-
ieit.d only upon conviction OF infamous crime,
Persons having these qualifications are en'lt.eu
to he admitted electors, and entitIeu 10 exele.se
the right while they reside WITHIN the StA'e'
until convicted of an infamous CRIME neiote
lawful tribunal The agents OF the people,
who assemble under the constitution III d iess
lative capacity, can have no pa"er' unue' az
pretext. TO take away. limit or aotlSs , ,hs
risrht Of the people defined amp secured oy the
Constitution, or TO prescribe any new qualtn-
cation, or any new indispensable requisite 70 be
co,nplied with, previous TO the day CT election,
by Inc whole body of existing electors before
they can choose, for example, those general OIL
ticers of the government which the same Sen-
slifu,ion proyldes shall be chosen by them. 1t
deserves serious consideration Whether the
nreseo, Registry Law does not in some measure
conflict with this constitutional provision II
changes entirely the question at the poilS. IL
is no longer the constitutional enquiry Is ne an
elector but totally different one, Is ne reg
istered: Have certain officers seen mt to regis
ter his name: Have they omitted to do so by
mistake: Ifthey have not registered ms name
II they saw they have not omitted 1t by mistake
then no matter how clear and manifest his
right-an elector of fifty years. standing must
be thrown out, and his right for that election
abolished. Even the usual remedy IS taken
away-the rejection OF the votes OF actual elec-
tors will no longer vtiate an election II TINS reg
lstry act be a valid law, and the people are de-
barred of the redress which they have always
had, both in the Legislature OF the STATE and
in the Congress of the United States, by having
their rejected votes counted in contested cleo
tions. if they were constitutionally entitled to
give them ia the same manner ash actually re-
ceived. ,4. =,
independently of this objection to the law,
the operation OF it in its present form, Is fet 10
be adverse to the exercise OF the rights OF the
people. 1t is an impeachment IN their way-an
embarras,ment-an entanglement-and while
not unfreouently, the illegal vote OF the elector
longer the right to give it, IS, BY this law IRE.
trieyably forced into the ballot box, the unsus-
pecting elector, who is entitled, hnds his I'M
doubted privilege sacrificed under the sPeclous
plea Of more effectuaily preserving It. Ih's
ought not to be- The utmost facility should be
afforded tothe exercise Of this highest political
RIGHT AZ an American citizen, which is the ba-
sis of our republican Institutions; and every
encouragement extended to the performance
OF the high duty involved in it. The progress
of the public mind has been most decJsively
towards universal suffrage, and this State has
approximated very nearly to it. The excep-
tions are few and far between, and the cases oil
fraudulent voting comparatively rare. Let
these be attended with the utmost vigilance
Lei. the convenience ola few pnbiic officers not
stand in the way Of the rights Of the great body
of the electors. am satisfied that every sub.
stantial benefit to be derived from Registry
Law may be etfectually secured by merely re-
cording or checking the names OF the electors
as they cast their votes at polls, leaving the
question Of their rightful reception or rejection
open at the time OF voting, and open to subse-
quent revision, as the law has always $1,000 un-
til this recent innovation.
There is another connected with the freedom
Of the Legislature. Itisyery generally belIev-
ed, that most reprehensible practice has re-
Gently grown upon the part Of somo employers
OF threatening TO dismiss persons who IN an APP
preaching election shall cast their votes accord
ing to their own private views and sentiments,
aud against the supposed interest Of the EN-
ployer. 1t is not my intention to direct this
charge against any particular class of men, but
whoever may justly fall within it. should be
brought under the dominion ofcriminal law
The elector is bound by an oath to the faithful
discharge Of his duty. by the whole theory
Of republican government. he, as one ofthe peo-
pie, is to pass upon all laws and their admins
tration. The whole country has deep inter
est in the independent as we'll as intelligent
exercise ofthe electoral franchise by every citi-
zen in il. The laws Of this State have seduous-
ly endeavored 10 secure 1t, by denouncing as a
crime, bribery and every attempt at bribery,
aud betting on the result of elections, rand all
undue influence in those modes in which it was
most likely, or known to be practiced. This
new mode is compound of bribery. undue in
fluence and intimidation, brought to bear upon a
sworn elector. the more dangerous because it
would be likely to be both resorted to and sub
mitied toby men who would spurn in any 9TH
err form, to offer or accept bribe. And il the
propristors of an establishment, employing sew.
eral hundreds Of workmen, are to be considered
az the propreiorsof their votes, and when they
purchase their labor-for apecuniary consdera-
ton, are to be considered as purchasing for the
same consideration their rights as independent
citizens at the ballot box, in whatever manner