Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1857-07-29
For the Standard.
- rUr tue Sts
FREE SUFFRAGE.

MEssRs. EDITORS viii you be so kind to
permit me, through the columns of your valuable
paper TO submit few facts to the consideration of
the voters of North Carolina with regard to acts OF
the General Assembly of our State, passed at the
sessions of ls54-'55 and 1s56-57, to amend the
second clause Of the third section of the first article
of the amended Constitution of the State. In pur-
suance Of said acts there will be an election held
the first Thursday in August next, throughout the
State for the purpose of obtaining the sense of the
voters of the State upon the proposed amendment.
In order that the voters may understand correctly
what the proposed amendment is, l refer them to
the said clause, &c, referred to above which reads
as follows:
"Al freemen of the age Of twenty-o years,
except as is hereinafter declared, (Which proviso
excludes mixed blooded males from the right of
sufrage) who have been inhabitants of any one
district within the State twelve months Immediately
preceding the day of any election, and possessed Of
freehold within the same district of fifty acres of
land for six months next before the day Of election
shall be entitled to vote for member of the Senate"
Now it is plain from the foregoing clause, which
is in full force and effect in State that the only
qualification required of voter, to enable him to
vote in the Senatorial branch, is First, to be a
white man who has resided in the State twelve
months at and before the day of election Second.
that he be of the age Of twenty one years Third,
the owner Of fifty acres of land for six months, &c.
This is all the qualification necessary. The term
"all freemen" is used and not a citizen. There
FORE any male foreigner may emigrate from any
foreign country to State yes, Irishman, fresh
from Ireland, who may have no intention of becom-
ing citizen of the United States State,
may be here on business, who knows nothing and
cares less of our form of government can exercise
the right of suffrage at the end of twelve months
residence, &c, even before he becomes citizen of
the United States, according to act of Congress
which requires five years residence. Neither is
he required to take an oath to support the Const-
tuition OF the United States, that he intends to
become citizen of our country, which is required
Of aliens by all the territorial bills which established
governments over Oregon, Washington, Minnesota,
Utah, and Kansas and Nebraska territories Neither
is the payment OF public taxes required, while our
own natve-bor prohibited from exercising
the right of suffrage, although they may be of the
requisite age and have paid public taxes, provided
he does not possess the land qualification. But
adopt the proposed amendment which is as follows:
Every free white man of the age of twenty one
years. being native or naturalized citizen Of the
United States, and who has been inhabitant Of
the State for twelve months Immediately preceding
the day of any election, and shall have paid public
taxes shall be entitled to vote for n member of the
Senate for the district in which he resides"
Adopt this and then none but a citizen could
exercise the right of suffrage which would exclude
all foreigners until they become naturalized citizens
Therefore, oil those who in fact opposed to
aliens exercising the right Of suffrage until they
become citizens according to law all those who
in favor of aboshing the land qualification which is
required by the said second clause to constitute
voter eligible to the right of suffrage in the Sena-
| toral branch; and all those who in favor of
striking out the only anti-repubcan and arstocratc
feature that now defaces the Constitution of the
good Old North State. should out on the day of
| election and vote with a ticket Approved" By
| doing the proposed amendment would be adopt
ed and become part of our Constitution; it will
then be in fact what it should be-republican in all
its operations; it will then confer equal rights and
privileges all citizens; it will then constitute the
citizen eligible to the right of suffrage and not the
J freehold as is now the case.
| Permit me to say that all the additional expense
that will be required to carry into execution the
proposed amendment is the sheriffs fees for conduct
ing the election and making their returns and the
cost required to enable the Governor to issue a
proclamation making the result known to the public
AN APPROVALIST.