Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-04
.con,aued from FIRST PAGE.

civil character, and entitled TO precisely the sae
lection as is given to your interests and your properly
The gentleman from Frederick yesterday maintained
that the females excluded not BY the law o. 10
ture, but BY the law of society, from participating
the political administration OF your government nt
why Are they not born equally Tree; nt
born with equal capacities with men for tho so'.'
ofnaticns By what authority then and unler WIN p
cipe do YOU undertake to exclude them entirely Ho'n
all participation in the government ana Sas "sn
talk about the majority of the community u'' nv
only free white adult male citizens M ~
world shows that they just rs capable OF
nations W. who assume to ourselvcS-which Is ute
violent assump toll-a capacity upon earth
To come back to the inquiry, what then IS tins com
munity and what is meant by that term: what dO
YOU do. ! ask again with the women and minors: Are
they ali to 90 overheard? What do YOU with large
class of male aduts Do you bring Them within the
fold of government mean of political i"wer--os
your basis of qualified voterss No; they are tod "a
stand aside And why: Why Is it that they are un
worthy Of forming part and parcel OF your sovea'no
1t is and your proposition for the basis Of government
admits it, because you must run this line s"ne"heie
Now, far this argument Is concerned eis ''r'
where it is drawn. | leave you 10 run " P'tCises
where you please but the moment thai Is Crawl you
establish the principle-tle inevitable PrncPle'iia'
when Won come TO erect your government and TO lay 1t:
foundations YOU must great extent he governed oN
the dictates of expediency. You tell these iae'-"
those whom YOU do not count IN your community u
voters-that they are unworthy to be trusted unw"r
thy to 20 to your balotbnx unworthy even To enter
your jury box. and unworthy to perform many OF the
most insignificant county police duties These men, a
the gentleman from Frederick said yesterday created
in the image of their Maker--these lords % creation
because they want something, the one th'nS ht'o'u
prescribed BY your government where are they P'ce.'
and what are thev called: know not ht one thhS
evident they told TO keep at resp"ctnl olS'nce
and behold how the rest of the sorereignS manage thei
and manage the affairs OF government Here are mel
outside of your goYernment-lncn into whose hands vet
place the musket and command them {" abandon vile
and children all that dear al home AMI march 10 III,
battle field, and peril their lives 10 protect you ans
yours against the invaders foostep: and yet YOU tel
them that they do not constitute part "i the govern
mental people-hat they are, doubt, from some ao
stract principle of yours somewhat unite!lish.e Il
then possessed of certain natural and u.iaenapie
rights, Of which, by compact, thy c:i c dlvesed
vet the right to vote to exercise any oicai power
is not among them. The gentleman FROM BerIley says
he for one willing give them the suffrage privilege
1t is 50 with other gentlemen whom we nave H'ard
here and who tell their basis OF government Is now
qualified voters. That not the position III lS: iol
the "grea orator of the west Of WHOM the gentleman
from Augusta told US the other day--mraning, sup
pose, Mr.. Doddrd.e-aId whose and memory IL
nvoked-declarcd then that his doctrine AMI his dcst
was that representation should be upIEioa accord
ing to the entire white population Aud wiz should II
not be- if YOU mean to establish government upoi; ao
stractons and abstract principles If YOU mean to re
quire to up to your rrnc pies, ;nd insist thai
property constitutes part Of the constituency Of re-
presentation but still is to be felt somewhere III the gov
eminent. | require to know why You INK females
without giving them representation demand t'
know why gentlemen will tax the property Of the widow
any female who may own property without giving
her representations How is her properly protected
How represented Why is she or her property taxed
if neither to bs heard felt in your !cSi-urc In.
gentleman from Augusta whose principles have already
quoted tells YOU that taxation and representation are
nseparable; that they cocxtcnsvc-tllat they arr
kindred spirits existing and breathing together and ar'
closely allied and inseparabe Is the SlaInes'
twns But the gentleman from Berkiey, leaving th'
platform Of his frcnds-the basis OF quaiiict
voters
Mr.. FAULKNER. The gentleman wholly mlsunder
stands me. What meant to say and what mcau I,
say is that would not impose property qualification
upon the rx!.a of suffrage
Mr.. SOUTHafL. | know the gentleman wuu! NJ"
make property qualification the rsht OF suffrage
The report of your suffrage committee wholly dlscard
1t. You propose to form your government upon that
qualified voters You propose, irrespective g" pr"pert,
and wholly regardless of property to found your gov
eminent upon the voting population. "hea you come
to construct the great principles of ycnr government
and to erect this fabric not for day or year bu To-
all time to come, the gentleman rem Bcrkely who IA III
intelligent ard rejecting tells i'll substance" tina
he does not care whether the qualified voters has par
tice Of property of any character description anC
evidence of attachment the community, and 0
permanent common interest with it, consists III some
the vague nice drawn mystical distractions which tt
restrain the man and keep him to his duty.
When gentlemen tell me that the third clause ct the
bill of rights gives the political power 10 the majority
of the community and that ma jorty means what they
say it does-not the free white population according
to the arguments Of Others they should but major
ity of the free white male adult populalion-then,
say, and say with all respect, it involves them in the
contradiction if not absurdity of giving orey
the power Of controlling the government long as II
exists and to another aud wholly different majority the
power to pull down and overthrow it. Is II then mat
ter Of principle, is it matter "l eXpedlency
when you form your government thi, the rnatcri
ais out Of which it is created-the c'ea, platform
upon which it to rest upon la"rltv OF the
white population not upon the majority even of the
white male population, but upon cert,in privileged
class which you select from the mass called qualified
voters, and made by arbitrary rule which you
prescribe and promulgate your supreme law. One
gentleman from the west, indeed, said The other day
that the right of suffrage natural right This is
another surprising emanation from the great store house
OF natures rights. If So why does that gent enan aud
why do others acting with him, propose to restrain so
estmable privilege Where do they i;nd the author
lty to curb and limit itt Not from natures code be
cause 1t is, AZ is said derived from that Are
gentlemen then at the outset, about to violate prn-
ciple which told is sancted and crsecrated by
nature herselfa are they doing what their opinion
discretion and expediency, and discretion and expeden
cy alone, recommend; and with which nature nsr her
claims have do than has provision in
in the Koran. Suffrage being only cniona mat.
oAAS ~
it is done here by western Friends basis for
government, is virtual surrender their part of the
principles that the ma ory of numbers merely has the
right to control government.
Admit then, for the argument sake, t',; all men
by nature free and independent, and a. it bring
within bowsho Of the object of which arc in pur.
suit Has the condition Of in asta" of nature any
relation whatever with the question !rdcr debate
After government is formed after its foundation is
laid when the edifce is complete and the machinery
withnis put into operation when the hts privileges
and immunities, well the limitations aud disabi
ties of all fixed and declared this frs article of the
bill Of rights ceases to operate to apply to such
government 1t has nothing to do with ts people who
have exchanged natural for social and political rights
and the time has come under the operation of such u
government when instead Of all being equal, they
are not even born To refer, therefore, during the
exstence Of government, to the principle of the first
article of the bill of rights applicable to it, is but to
assal and ultimately to shake the safety, welfare and
security of all which is sacred and valuable.
The author Of this aill Of rights was also the author
Of the constitution of 17T6 They the work Of the
same hands-indeed Of the same day. George Mason,
to whom indebted for EACH it is to be presumed
understood his work well if not better than
and if wanted to understand the true and safe phoso
ply of government if desired to seek political guides,
and take lessons from ustrious sources to follow
in erecting political edihce, the master workmen and