The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-08-04
FREE suFFRAnr

1r51 SUFFRAGE.
We do not think that It is necessary
to say anything more with regard to the
propriety of ratifying the Free Suffrage
Act on Thursday next. The minds of the
people are settled, and we think they will
approve the measure by large majority.
But we will merely remind our modern
American friends that have expressed SO
much opposition to allowing aliens to exer-
else the right of suffrage, that they ought
to vote Approved" in order to carry out
the principles they profess to entertain
According to the present law, aliens, for
eigners who have not become or declared
an intention to become citizens of the Unit
ed States, if they own fifty acres of land,
can vote for Senator, while man born
and raised in the State, who does not hap
pen to own land (although he may possess
thousands of dollars worth of other proper
ty, upon which he pays heavy taxes,) is
deprived of the same privilege. The pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution al
lows only a native or nataraLized citizen to
vote. The advocates of peculiar ARericaR-
ism now have an opportunity to show their
love for the principle about which they
have made so much noise, by voting for
Free Suffrage. Remember this, and act
consistently.
q The Wing says it is opposed to Free
Suffrage "upon the principle that if the
property qualification was broken down
and all free men allowed to vote for Sena-
tors, the agrarian principle would at some
time be started by some demagogue and an
act be passed dividing the land, as was
done in one of the ancient republics" We
are sorry that our neighbor has so little
confidence in the people as to suppose
that they, as body, would ever appro-
pirate to themselves that to which they
had no right. We are not afraid that the
freemen of North Carolina will ever practice
agrariansm to that extent. They are too
enlightened and civilized to be subject even
to suspicion of desiring to squander their
neighbours property promiscuouslY.
Mr. Gilmer did say that if he could not
get Free Suffrage by Convention he would
go for it by Legislative enactment. The
Wing is at fault on this point, not Us.
But the Wings position is not in accord
ance with a large majority of its party
leaders in the last Legislature. They were
not afraid that free suffrage would injure
the landed interest of the State. On the
final passage of the Bill in the Senate we
find such men as Gen. Dock"ry 1.-THE candi-
date of the Wing three years ago for Gov
ernor.) J. w. Thomas, Pool, DIR. Ramsay.
and Christian, voting for tin fact all the
wings and Americans" except seven. In
the House of Commons. Outlaw, Leach,
Ogburn of Guilford county, Baxter, Gath
er and other wings and americans voted
for the Bill, and only fire against it.
Now we imagine that the Wing will not
be found willing to charge such men as we
have named above, together with many
others of the same party, with waiting for
measure that would inaugurate the agrarian
principle, If they had any fears about all
the taxes being collected from land, why
did they vote for the measure under discus
sion q! They knew very well that land
would have the same protection after the
passage of the free suffrage act that it had
before, hence they could not consistently
deny the right of suffrage to large class
of their fellow citizens.
1t is true that many of our opposition
friends opposed the measure at first, but
after they found there was no harm in it
(Which they might have discovered at the
start lad their prejudices allowed them to
do so) they became its advocates and voted
for it, as the journals of the Legislature
will show.
Mr. Puryear, the head and front of the
''whig American" party in the sixth Dis
trict, says he has ever been in favor of free
suffrage, and intends to vote for it at the
ensuing election. The Wing favors Mr.
Puryear's election, yet he goes for a meas
ure that the Wing thinks will affect an i'm
portant interest of the State. How is
that +! One or the other is wrong, and we
think it is our contemporary.
u We are glad to number the Green's
Louo EIoo. Mr. or