The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-01-08
81 Patriotism.

patriotism they never cease to laud. They
place mans suffrage as worth all Of one
dollar; they estimate mis- right to vote by
mis- luck or thrift in getting together and
paying to the government one collar in
cash.
When the people of Virginia were 80 mis-
led by their partizan leaders as to restrict
suffrage to those who owned 81,
or borrowed 81, or stole 81, or were bribed
by 81, and paid it to the State, they de-
parted long, long way from the true
Democratic creed. They departed q long
way from the most wholesome rules Of po-
litical economy; they failed in plighted faith
with the Government Of the United States;
they inflicted an unmerited insult on the
laboring man of the country, who preferred
to take the 81 he had earned to feed his wife
and children to purchasing a ballot with it.
Under the light of benignant civiliza-
ton, the elective suffrage was made to
exist in Virginia, free from gold or lands or
bonds. To be man was all that was re-
quired, because man alive Is the most per-
feet product Of Gods handiwork. The old
aristocratic cobwebs were swept away by
an intelligent appreciation of the machinery
of government and the social relation which
every individual in society bore to one an
other and to the whole Commonwealth,
when the people determined to grant the
privilege of the elective franchise to every
citizen, without restriction. The modid-
cation which the late amendment to the
Constitution made OF this wise provision,
was retrogade movem emit, and made
money, not intelligence or goodness, the
test of voting. We propose to examine the
81 voting requirement under the light Of
this last clause.
The only prominent reasons why the man
who owns 81 and pays it should be allowed
to vote, whilst he who does not should be
ostracised from the polls, are that the suf-
frage sale at 81 would induce man to pay
his capitation tax; that he who has 81 to
pay is more worthy Of casting his ballot
than his less fortunate fellow-citizen !; that
in the arrangements of societies and gov
ernments. the payment of 81 capitation tax
is debt which the citizen owes to the
State for its protection, which cannot be
cancelled by any other means than the pay
ment, before voting, Of this levy. Are
these reasons true? Do these facts exist
If yes, then we admit that the restriction
was wise; if not, then there can be no di-
versity of opinion that the restriction was
unwise and unjust in the highest degree.
In regard to the inducing argument, it Is
readily answered by the statement that il 4
man has not 81, there is no power which can
induce him to pay it !; that would be impos-
sible, and though he might perhaps Dor
row, he would do so at the risk Of never
paying, and thus be doing wrong to his
friend and though he might steal it, that
would at once brand him thief !; and though
he might obtain it by accepting it as bride
from some anxious candidate, that would
infract the law.
The inducement argument is all fallacious,
for it is an invitation to dishonesty. It may
be said that a man might work and get the 81
in wages. Possibly, but not as general rule,
for the laboring man at $40 month, who
has family, needs every cent of it. If he
is so poor as only to possess 81, he will
require every cent Of his wages provide
for his family necessities or his own. But
is the 81 voter better man than he who
is debarred for the want of it It would
require nice arithmetical calculation to
draw. the line of discrimination between a
citizen who possessed one hundred and an
other who had ninety-nine cents, as to the
difference in their morals, their religion,
their political patriotism-only one cent
difference, allowing the absurdity to prevail
that money in quantity proved mans true
worth. On figures we could not rely, but on
observation we may, and just walk along
the streets or stroll through the country
will show conclusively to the most obtuse.
that some of the best men of our country
are the poor men. We have seen labor
ing man in his shop, who was not able to
buy his dinner, who, in sense, in patriotism,
in noble impulses and charitable feeling,
was as high above the bedizzened fop who
twirls his cane along the streets and drawls
his adjectives in incomprehensible utter
ances, yet owns his thousands, as the heav-
ems are above the earth.
He who keenly scrutinizes the workings
of society, observes the rich man and the
poor man, their habits of life, their desire
to do right, their actual doing Of the right
and the wrong, will find that whilst both
rich and poor often do wrong and often do
right, that thegpreponderance in virtuous
ways is not with the rich. The biblical
idea of the rich man is often the correct
one, and Dives with his retainers and feasts
and lands and pleasures, is less true cit
zen than the Lazarus who eats with the
dogs at the gate. Yet Dives could vote
away his country's welfare and Lazarus
couldn't vote to save it, for want Of the
almighty dollar. We care not to pursue q
comparison which has but one conclusion,
fer our readers can understand and per
ceive without, our aid, that the poor labor
er, working all the day, and sitting with
his family in the evening, is at least as
good man as the broker or merchant, or
planter, who spends his days in adding to
his gains, and his evenings in devising
plans for future wealth and power. Thos.
Jefferson was a very poor man when he
died, so poor that that now, If citizen OF
Virginia, he could not vote if required to
count down 81, all his own. James Monroe
was poor man. Yet both were the exem-
plars of patriotism, and possessed Of an in
telligenee which placed them in the highest
official position-that of President Of the
United States.
We were about to designate some men
whose wealth would weigh down the COM
bined riches of hundreds of our thrifty far
mers, whose characteristics were reproach
to humanity, and whose destiny would have
been the penitentiary, but for their ill-got-
ten gold. But we have no pleasure in such
pictures, nor would the reader be gratifed
that we should do so, for we only desired