Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-01-07
Constitutional Egeforsm.
FOR THE SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON.


JAMES w. BELLER, Esq.-S;r had no idea
subject OF the extension of the right Of suffage,
that should be delayed so long in furnishing
you with conclusion upon that interesting
branch OF retorm--but a necessary absence from
home, and necessary attention to my private
affairs must plead my apology. Having already
discussed the general merits of the que stion fully
and deliberately in my last two letters to VOL but
little remains to be said, and therefore, | can
promise you thistime comparatively short letter.
Perhaps there is no other Slate in the Union
where so much of the time Of the Legislature is
annually consumed, at the cost Of thousands of
dollars to the Treasury, with contested elections.
as in Virginia. Scarcely a session passes by
without one of these disagreeabte contests, and
indeed at some sessions there have been as many
as three or four. Now, evidently there must be
some very defective clause in the Constitution and
laws OF the State, defining tthe qualification and
privilege OF voters" to produce hisstateaf things
so often. 1t is clearly manifest, that if one plain
and simple ALLEGATION ofvoters existed by which
all men, rich and poor, were to be squared and
evelled, these djsagreeabe difficulties would not
and could not occur. Were the right Of suffrage
extended to every white male citizen OF the age
of Il years and upwards, who had resided in
the State one year, and III the county in " hich
the election and who was not lnnatic or person
of unsound mind, or whose character is not faint
ed with crlme-how could a mistake be made in
relation to the qualification or privilege of a vo.
ter :! The law OF suffrage in Maryland, and ma
ny other States of the Union is identically the
same as indicated above, and yet their elections
proceed with justice and order; and we never find
their Legislatures beseiged winter after winter
with contested elections. But sthe confusion
worse confounded," into which the laws of Viz
gnia defining s'the qualification and privilege of
voters" are tossed, renders'it almost impossible
for the Judges of election to tell what they are
indeed, many times, we find our ab.est lawyers
wrangling over them. and twisting and turning
the legal technicaties in which they are involv-
ed, each giving his own Interpretation to them,
as party bias or some other controlling influence
may sway him. | have frequently seen persons
admitted to vote when they were clearly and pal.
pably not entitled to the exercise of the right of
suffrage within the proper understanding and in
terpteaiion OF the law, and then again have as
frequently seen voters turned away from the polls
and refused their votes by supeintenaents Of cleo
tons, when they were as clearly entitled % vote
under the laws as any men in the Commonwealth
and simply because those conducting the cleo
ton did not understand the legal question in
volved, or the import and meaning Of the tech
meal terms used in the law to describe voters on
land, IN the mukifaraous forms into which the
freehold has been divided and subdvsded / do
not thus refer to this subject, for the purpose of
casting any reflection upon the sense and iudS-
ment OF those most generally appointed TO super
intend our elections, because know that even
those who have made the law the study of their
lives often tall INTO error and commit the most
fatal mistakes, and how much more easy then is
it for those WHO perhaps have never devoted one
hour'S time ia the aya oF
honestly 10 fall into error, and thus unintentjon-
ally deprive tellow-citizen of the privilege 81
the highest preroga:ive of freelnan,'S
the right to vote.
Now let us lock into this implicated machine
ry and endeavor to see OF what it is made Ar
tcle Sd section IA Of the Constitution reads thus.
and beg the reader as he carefully goes over
it, to note what variety of difficulties, and ques-
tons will start up before the mind:
Ia. Every white male citizen oithe Common
wealth, resident therein, aged twenty-one years
and upwards being qualified TO exercise the
right oil suffrage according to the former Consti |
tuition and laws; and every such citizen being
possessed, or whose tenant for years, at will or
at sufterance, is possessed, of an estate of free
hold IN land tothe value Of twenty-five dollars,
and so assessed to be any assessment thereof
be required by law; and every such citizen be-
ing possessed as tenant in common, Joint tenant
or partner of an interest in or share of land, and
having an, estate of freehold therein, such in
terest or share being Of the value Of twenty-five
dollars, and so assessed TO be if any assessment
thereof be required by law; and every such cit
zen being entitled to q reyersion or vested re-
malnder in fee, expectant.o n an estate for fife
or lives, in land Of the value of fifty dollars, and
so assessed TO be if any assessment thereof be
required by law !; leach and every such citizen,
unless his title Sho h3y We cOmn IN hin, INV 40
scent, devise, or marriage settlement, having been
so possessed for six months;) and every such
citizen, who shall own and be himself in actual
occunalioE. Of lease. hold estate with the eyi