The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-02-07
For the National Era.
FREE SUFFRAGE IN NEW YORK.

In the National Era of January 10TH noticed
q communication, signed /" J. w So purportng to
correct certain errors of yours in relation to the
Democratic party in the State Of New York, and
which was allowed to go forth without single cor
rectiOn or remark from you.
Now, sir, you very well know the position of
both the old parties of this State; and we have
ever been pleased to see with what fidelity you
point out their folies and abuses and this not in
spirit Of ond ridicule wnICn pecunar
to editors of political journals, but in true and
sincere manner, which must cOnrmce the under
standing of men,
81. w. s." would upbraid the Wing party of
this State because Of their professions of sympa-
thy towards the unfortunate and weak and truly
the Wing party may boast but little, very little
Still it cannot be denied them the fact that as re-
specting the rights of our c0ored citizens they
have ever been the first of the two parties, both
TO advocate and support those rights and your
correspondent must have been lily acquainted
with the political history of his own State to have
made ststementS!,hus blindly ignorant
The $3.50 real estate qualification Of 1921 is put
down as an avowedly democratic MEASURE
True that party had something to do in imposing
this test of citizenship being as they were at this
time sin the ascendency y but does not j. w 81
know that the Federal party of that time took
larger and broader grounds on this subject than
did the Democratic For when Mr.. Sanford,
IA Democrat) from the committee on suffrage,
reported that every mhae male citizen of the age
Of twenty one years, &c should be allowed to vote
for all the offices elected by the people, Mr. Peter
A. Jay, q Federal) before the subject of proper
ty qualification was agitated moved to strike out
the word "whiteO which would extend the same
privileges eYualy to colored to white citizens,
and supported the motion by an able speech wor-
thy the subject and the man. Mr. Jay could not
believe that the God who made all the nations of
the earth Of one blood, had created one race for
degradation and Justly adds, with the old maxim,
"that the hour which makes man slave robs
him of half his WORTH Hammonds Political HIS
tory of New York. The motion was supported by
the Federal members generally, and finally pre-
vailed in committee of the whole by vote of 50
to SO. Does this look like openly opposing
the rights of colored citizens
But afterwards q select committee Of 10, with q
leading Democrat as chairman, mo other than
Col Young, who had all along opposed the motion
of Mr. Jay,) TO whom the proceedings on elective
franchise was referred, reported proviso which
excluded all colored men from voting, who were
not possessed of two hundred and fifty dollars in
freehold, above all claims and liabilities. This
proviso, unexpected as it WAS greatly astonished
the Federals, who had supposed the matter put to
rest, and was ably contested by their leading men
in the Convention, but it was supported by Col.
Young Gen Root, and the Democratic side of the
to 33-making it truly Democratic MEASURE y
and to them be the shame
Now, relative to the popular vote which decided
the question of equal suffrage under our late
"new Constitution, " we cannot doubt that leaving
any such great measures TO be decided In this
manner is not fair way of trying their merits,
for had the people themselves, and not through
their representatives, decided with reference to
the Erie canal, the pride and boast of our internal
improvements, it would have been cast aside as a
scheme mpractcable and ruinous. So with suf-
frage, had our Delegates in Convention incorporat-
ed this section with the rest, and the vote been
for the Constitution as whole, our coored cti-
Gems would not have been foreigners at home, and
serfs in land of freedom. But it does appear
expressly intended that this section for Equal
Suffrage, separated it from the rest, should
be defeated, and the Delegates not held RESPONSE
BILE for the result but this was Democratic
measure that party having the ascendency
We know not who is responsible for the defeat
of this noble measure, but we do hope that Wings
and Democrats will claim to be the friends OF
all unfortunate brings until man shall no longer
hold his fellow man slave, and Oppression and
Slavery be known only as wrongs of the past.
r