Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1848-07-14

Ce0lng Inc election, anu WIN ia. - |
charged with, a Stale or county 1aA' Sllail e"-
Joy the rights of an elector. ... >, 80
In Indiana all white male citizens " OF
+yventv.onp wears of age, who have resided IN
tho St.tn twelve months, shall be allowed TO
,o,o for REPRESENTATIVES and voters Tor Re-
,roeontatiyes vote also for Senators for three
years.
In Louisiana "every white male citizen" OF
twenty. one years of age, who has resided one
wear in the county where he offers to vote, |
and who shall have paid State tax, &c shall
enjoy the rights of an elector'' Senators and
Representatives are chosen by the same per-
sons; but a Senator must be twenty seven
years of age--must have resided in the State
four years, and must hold landed property OF
the value of 81 ,OGO.
In Mississippi every free white male per-
son of the age of twenty-one years ana up,
wards, who shall be citizen OF the United
States, and shall have resided in the State one
year next preceding an election and the last
four months within the county, city, or town
in which he offers to vote, shall be deemed
qualified elector" Both Houses are chosen
by the "quaIiied electors"
In Illinois sin all elections, all white male
inhabitants above the age of twenty-one years,
having resided in the State six months next
preceding the election, shall enjoy the right of
an elector."
In Alabama "every white male person, of
the age of twenty one years and upwards,
who shall be citizen of the United States,
and shall have resided in the State one year
next preceding an election, and the last three
months within the county, city, or town in
which he offers TO vote, shall be deemed
qualified elector" Both Houses are chosen
by the "qualifed electors.'
| In Missouri "every free white male citizen
of the United States, who shall have attained
the age Of twenty-one years, and who shall
have resided in the State one year before an
election, the last three months whereof shall
have been in the county or district in which
he offers TO vote, shall be deemed qualified
elector of all elective Offices"
/ In Michigan &c in all elections, every free
white male citizen above the age of twenty
one years, having resided in the State six
months next preceding any election, shall be
entitled to vote at such election -"
In Arkansas " every free white male citizen
of the United States, who shall have attained
, the age of twenty-one years, and who shall
have been citizen Of the State six months
shall be deemed a qualified eector, and emit
r titled to vote in the county or district where
D made elective under this State or the United
States.'
o The Constitutions of New York and Loui
, siana have been amended, since the date of thu
y book from which we quote but in both thes,
o States, as we have been informed, equal suf
g frage has been established and secured W.
4 have not been able to obtain the Constitution
of Florida, Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin bu
bov tbol l.
: c character and habits of the people of thos
# States, that free and equal suffrage prevail
!. also in all of them.
!, Here, then, we find that in every State il
d this confedcracy, WITH THE EXCEPTION o.
!, NORTH CAROLINA, no distinction exists be
S tween the voters for the Senate and the Com
'e mons. Even in "Algerine" Rhode Island
a State so celebrated for its aristocracy and ii
e Federal notions" every male native citizen
l. who has paid his taxes and performed militar
" duty, is entitled TO vote for &c all civil Offices
j. Indeed, this great principle, that no distinction
e ought to be created among citizens in exerci
J. sing the right of suffrage, runs through tn
d Constitutions of all the States and while. a
e in Connecticut and Virginia, it is required o
Y a citizen, before he can vote, that he shall hav
real estate where the vote is claimed Blu
N where he does not reside, or that, in default q
lie military duty or State taxes, he shall own
le freehold estate of certain yearly value, ye
e when the right 10 vote is thus established,
e holds good, not in the Senatorial branc1
u merely, but in both branches of the Genera
= Assembly,
The broad ground assumed by the advocate
l. of the freehold qualification, is, if we under
l. stand it correctly, that the lands of the Stat
le are entitled to peculiar degree of protection
f. and ought therefore to be represented in tn
e Senate This is the principle. Now let Il
a see how it is carried out. In this State ther
m are about thirty-two millions of acres of lane
n, and between thirty and forty thousand free
hold voters. The full vote of the State is
j. bout eighty thousand and as the freehol
s, votes are by no means equal in number to III
re non-treehOld votes, it may safely be assume
ed that forty thousand is large estimate. Eve
he ry man who owns fifty acres of land is ent
tied to vote in the Senate, but no matter no,
H. much land he may own, he can give but on
re vote. Multiply 10000 by so, and what
I'd the result? The result is, that out of ii
ne thirty-two millions of acres of land in ii
I'd State, BUT TWO MILLIONS OF ACRES ARE ACTI
ALLY REPRESENTED! We call upon zone
OF the people, and his Wing hackers, to carr
no out their principle-to let the lands be repr,
or scented, as they say they ought to be--to Civ
or TO man who may happen to own one hur
=, dred acres two votes, and to one who owr
Id five hundred acres, ten votes in the Senate
or Do they suppose the people would endu1
er hdn And yet this is the very principle ft
e, which they contend, though they dare nj
en- come forward with proposition to give
he tulI effect. 1t will be equally useless and al
to surd Tor these enemies of popular rights
in reply, that all the lands are represented, b,
e. cause A, who owns ten thousand acres,
e. heard in the Senate for all his lands, as we
as B, who owns fifty acres. This is not S,
ge A gives one vote, and B gives another ar
er therefore A, with his Ten thousand acres
nv enforce his claims on the attention of his Sci
hs ator, has more right 10 dictate to or instru
n that Senator than B has, with his fifty acre
ne But it would be far otherwise, we admit,
his the principle were carried out; for then
all with his ten thousand acres of land, would
n entitled TO two hundred votes, and he mig
we'll say 10 his Senator, that if he did not ca
an ~ out his wishes and represent his views,
IL the next election he would throw him out
lin office
nd The proposition of COL Reid, so to amer
or the Constitution as to permit the qualified "
y tiers for the House of Commons to vote all
'e- for members of the Senate, is objected to u
e. on the ground, that the non freeholders wou
he procure the enactment of laws calculated
lis operate injuriously upon the landed interes
all We have already, in former numbers of tn
rs, paper, replied to this objection; and we sha