Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-01-07

'"ei'y avldis ana every such cltlZen who tor
twelve months next preceding has been house
Keeper and head OF family within the county;
city; town, borough or election district where he
may offer to vote, and shall have been assessed
win Part OF the revenue of the Commonw ealln
Wllhlh The preceding year, and actually raid
| the saine-and no other persons--shal be cuali.
fled TO vote for members OF the General Assembly,
iii the county, city, town Or borough RESPECTIVELY.
wherein s1lcil land shall lie, or such housekeeper
and head OF a family shall live. And in case
OF two or more TENANTS iii common, Joint tenants
or Parcenerh. in possession leverslen or remain
der, having interest IL land, the value whereof
Shall be sufficient 10 entiie them all to vote they
aos4-taef Snail nave as many votes as the value al
the land shall enti.e them 10; and the Lees}a
ture shall by law provide the mode in which their
vote or votes shall in such cuse be given: pro
vided, nevertheless, that the right CT suffrage
snail not be exercised by any person of unsound
iniho, or VINO snail be a rauper, or a non-com-
mlssionPd officer soldier seamen or marine ia
the service OF the United States, or BY any nersou
convicted OF any infamous offence
NOW reader you have got through with the
constitutional provision in relation to the oualifi
| cation OF lr9inIa soter-how MANY of Won
can thread the mazes of the legal technicalities
through Which you have gone, or could explain
to netehbor, who would come TO YOU, in his IL.
norance, to enquire Of you whether he had the
thPa0
terms and ecllhleaiities We're of coulse as famil
lar as household Words to the great LAWYER whd
| "oVe them together Bnt suppose the law
was not loaded with all of these difficulties. and
al OF tie land rights described in it were as f..
mlhar to us as our a B C;s Does il not strika
you as Supremacy ridiculous in Constitution
protesting to be republican, that any hite mails
eitl2en OF the age OF Il years and upwards should
De atpfiyea OF the right to vote--to have yoica
Mt
ne mas net some petty interest in some subdiyi.
sion OF land, or is not a housekeeper and head
OF family, and assessed with a Yankee clock.
ana PAID revenue tax upon it. A man with
DIS Dread acres may he as ignorant as it is posi-.
bic tor man to be, yet he is one of the owners II
the country, and ought, according 10 the Rerul,.
cahlsn Of the anti-reformers. to govern the coun.
try, and be regarded as superior 10 poor neigh,
hof OF the highest intelligence, and possessed in
an equal degree with every other virtue, but qAe
t'as not G property qualification This is mi Re.
pubcanlsln, II IS more properly burlesoue on
Tree government. But the owners of the countrv
amt those who have Yankee Clock interest IL
me community, ought 10 govern the community
wonderful loelc-wise statesmanshin- indeed
the perfection OF human government Il! Heay.
en- lofiend us from many of these superior be.
lngs-iilese patriot .andholders--these owners or
he country! Who, by virtue Of Pocket Deeds
/ ''iotSoNhtit;
selves, IN many instances to the leyel,of
Those fitting, following things. that are
but shadows OF what their masters say and do y
| cannot see that the right Of suffrage undo,
the present constitution is preferable to I'M, ~
the old freehold qualification under the old con.
shtution, except IN one particular, and that il
| una larger number OF citizens have been admits
ted to vote under the notifications of the Old
quallfeatlon, and the extension OF the right ID
offleIs paying revenue tax; &c. But BY how
araelle tenure 60 the voters OF Virginia hold
Their right OF suffrage! This year he may have
vote being housekeeper and head of tsni.
| ", ana paying a revenue tax upon clock-ths
Legislature next winter may deem it proper I'd
drop clocks from the subjects of taxation, and ~
once the citizen viii be disranchised. Apain
ne is at the mercy of the Commissioners of tha
heVehue who may pass him by and not assesa
hun, aid thus deprive him of the right TO vote
Here lei isle make passing remark and that il
thal the purity OF the elective franchise is con-.
SANITY exposed to The mcst imminent danger, by
| the power which the law places in the haIds =,
the Commissioners of the revenue to control Il.
exercise. The ignorance of the law excuses nn
maE--she presumption is that every man know.
what the law Is, yet we all know that the lare.
body. OF the people do not know what the law F.
or what are the legal requirements exacted ~
| then-they know The assessor ought to come =.
round and assess their Property, and the Sheriff
10 collect MS taxes but In the assessor dors
not come, very few OF them know how or where
TO right themselves; indeed does it rarely ~,
cur to them till the time of election, when i !.
too late I here may be a county where parties
are equally dlHlded, or nearly so, afew votes NAV
decide the contest--a commissioner Of the re-,
venue may be a violent parti2an, interested IL
sustaining his party power anrinfluence in the
county--ls well acquainted with the voters. and
their political comprehensive relative position
OF party strength, and what is required 10 nrn
the seaies-how easy matter is it for him 10
pass over an opposition voter here another there
and SO on to the number Of ten or twelve in !
county and thus trausIulently defeat an election
and With an almost certain exemption from DE-.
lection. have heard of such cases-I have wit.
messed facts and circumstances which gave \
strong colorlng to suspicious yet who can boldIv.
make charge OF fraud without positive knowE
edge! Who divine the secret thoughts and in.
terests otinen! We have all been the witnesses
al electlons OF men coming forward to vote, and
being refused because they had not been assessed
and hear them offering to swear that thew bad
properly at HE proper time, and ought to have
been assessed The right of suffrage should moi
be thus eXposed-no such door 10 fraud be LEFT
open but it is but piece of,he patch work gov.
ernment Under which we live. But to return
again to the thread ,otmy argument. | canno,
see that the same odiousness which attached to
the old freehold, does not attach to the laws NJ
they now exist. Thousands are excluded bv
the restrictions OF the present law, as much on.
titled, by consideration of right, and Ina.
tice, and good citizenship, 10 the exercise Of the
right of suffrage, as any freebooter or revenue
tax payer, and housekeeper, and head of family
IN the State. No law of suffrage can be made
upon just principles unless il be so extended ar
to embrace every white male citizen of the age
OF 81 years and upwards, and who shall have re.
sided in the State long enough TO show a common
interest WITH and attachment to the community
| have always regarded the right of suffrage
as it exists under our Constitution and laws 80
odious in the extreme, bnt vet have never liked
the idea oftaking any advantage of their flaws
to commit an UNJUST perpetration of fraud uron
the rights of those who were clearly and ,enaa,i,