Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-01

and the Electors OF President and Vice Pre-
sidcnt of the United SIates-fur the people
are not allowed 90 vote az ali for the Elec-
tors of President ana Vice President of the
United States, this being done by The rotten
borough Legislature, in defiance of the spirit
of the constitution and the Interpretation of
everv other State.
The Governor oc the State is also elected
bv this body, which re rIresents minority OF
the State-and Negroes and land exclusively
for no man is eligible to it unless he has
real estate tp the value of $1,000, clear OF all
debt. or 500 acres of land and 10 Negroes
Nor can this state of things be changed, un-
less two-thirds of this land and Negro quail
fiedbodv consent to the alteration ofthc con-
stiiu iona thing never to be expected.*
In Virginia and Maryland, the system Of
minority government, to give the control TO
the slave section over the greater white
population in other portions of the States,
prevails but 10 a less degree; but in all the
Slave Sites, whether ..contrived by constl-
tu;ioaal provisions or not, the result is that
the slaveholding class is sovereign thr ough-
out the South.
1t results from the concert produced a.
mong the masters by their common interest
in ali institution which can only stand by
force of artificial means. The slaves them
selves and the non-slaveholders are, as in
dividuals. naturally against it; this makes it
necessary that the slave owners should be-
come "a phalanx, an educated, disciplined
army, 10 sustain ly political intrigue and
united force all attacks upon it. There is
no all-absorb:ng influence among its enemies
TO combine abversaries in opposition. The
consequence is that the $4,000 masters,
forever animated by the same instinct, can
always vanquisb partial and desultory oppo-
sition, as standing armies in abso ute gov
ernmeDts keep in subjuga:ion. The monop-
oily which nearly 100000 of black men
them. makes 1t impossible that any single
handed competitor in the field of labor can
in cultivating the products of the soil, enter
the market with the staples Of the S 'uth on
eqIal footing with men whl WELD the force
of ten, twenty, and thirty, and hundreds OF
/ i
command the markets; ttey put down indivi
dual competitors; they buy out the little
plantations which in The earlier settlements
surround them, and, in the end, the ricl
lands all become the domains of rich plan
ters. Hence we see in the older South RI
States the poorer classes are either tenants
at WILL or, banished 10 the poor lands of III,
hills, take to the life OF idlers, hunters O.
fishermen; or, at best, the more industrious
among them become day laborerS, livin.
from hand to mouth-in a word, they art
stripped by the olgarcDy of shareholders
who command their wages, their tcnements
and, of course, Everything. The class who
hold monopoly of the soil can comman
every hing. "EIe takes my life who take
the means whereby live" Hence in tn
South the monopolists of the land aid blaci
labor OF the country, although numberin.
but 347 900 out of a popula ion of 6,o00,000
in virtue of their power over near 4,0O0,0Ot
of slaves, are absolute in al the State Gov
ernments. They are the Governors, tn
Legislators, the Judges, Justices, She.iffs
they are all in all.
The power which combined action give
to the slaveholding class over the Who'll
South is welded with equal effect to ob,air
control over the North. The machine
, mover there is on large scale, and the in
strumentaiity Of its action visible to the leas
, discerning eye. Every Northern aspiran
for the Presidency may be looked upon as
power in the hands of the South, to NOV
sThc apportiOnmcnt OF the representation
; showing the rotten borough system of Sout
Carolina, which in effect makes the master o
rlavcs master OF the State, exercise the Who'll
:, sovereign authority through the Legislator
constituted by them, is taken from a pubicatio
in The SoUTH CARoLINIAN, Columbia sc. Ii Wa
published in Washington City in 1919 soon afte
it appeared in South Carolina. The next appoI
tionment does not takeplace until 1855, ,unGe th
ceusus OF lo5O, when the disproportion will b
increased, inasmuch the white population, i
ten years preceding census, incrcasedlnot quit
six per cent, whereas the slaves increased neal
ly eighteen per cent-the slaves increasing thre
times as fast as the rate OF apportinnment i
South Carolina is to favor the masters VIII
, WELD the Legislative power, and is to give re
presentation IN greater proportion to the dis
tricts in which Slavery most pfedominate.
il is not improba bic that the inequality alrcad
existing will in 1853 be increased according {
the ratio Of the increase Of slaves over the poe
: whites.
This supposition is based upon the idea tl5
the policy which has heretofore controlled wi
: BE- continued. And as the shareholders of Sout
Carolina, amounting only to 1886, have tn
Y absolute legislative power in their hands an
. dispose of the iesIinies Of the 27I, ,s63 white
OF the 334, ,943 slaves. and the $500 free mula
u toes and blacks al pleasure, they will not fa
e TO make the representative apportionment sue
n as will render their sway more secure, and D,
!. out OF hope all who may dream of reform.
The following extracts from the Consttutio
. Of South Carolina, as to the qualifications
e all who are permitted to hold place in III
IS Gov ernment, prove that its soul is slavery.
will be observed "that settled freehold csta
and ten negroes" is the starting point and Il
K lowest degree Of qualification required. Th
h is put upon par by the Constitution with
20 qualification of El5O of real estate clear
, debt, From this the scale OF qualifications ris
with the Crude OF offices until il rea ches FL 5,
> of real estate clear of dcb.s according TO Il
u data of the Constitution; which makes te
n negroes and freehold equivalent to unincur
70 bercd real catate Of the value of Ei50; aud f
the most real estate in plantations is only va
J. liable in proper ion to the slaves that work
N a man who has the qualities ton Of FL 500 " j
n on the data Of the Constitution, probabI ou
n 100 negroes.
Extracts from the Constitution ofSouth Ca
olina. By art Gle |, section 6, of the Copstit
ID ton il is provided, in reference to members
the Ilousc:
N "lfa resident in the election district, he sha
4; not be eligible TO scat in the House of Repr
sentatives. unless he be legally seized and pc
N sessed, in his own right, Of a settled free ho
ii estate, and ten negroes, or real estate of I!
10 value of hundred and fifty pounds stcrIin
4 clear of debt"
By article section s, it provided, in rcfercn
u TO Senator:
d, "!fa resident in the election district.
,e shall not be ely be unless he be legality sez
\ and possessed in his own right of a settled lre
hold estate OF the value OF three hundr,
D. pounds sterling, clear Of debt. If non.re.
y dent in the election district, he shall not
j. eligible unless he be seized and possessed in h
i OVID sight or Il freehold estate IN the same di
trict to the value of one thousand pounds ste
ling, clear Of debts"
ut BY article 9, section 2, it is provided that :
D person shall be eligible as Governor, unless
r. ''hath resided within the State and.beea n cit
- zen thrcin, three years, and unless he be sez.