Year: 1867


We advocate universal suffrage as
right of mankind, and act as privilege
accorded by society to the deserving.
Universal suffrage, secondly, is the logi-
cal result of American doctrines Of soci-
ETY.. All political power begins and in
heres in the people, and is alienated
from them only by crime, and if it ex-
list in any other form, as in magistra-
cies and Governments, it is by delega-
ton of these inherent rights of the peo-
pie to officers or bodies Of men chosen
by the people to represent them. Gus
tom may have managed SO that only a
part OF the people can exercise poten-
tial political power; but the principles
universal, and no man can hold that all
Governments derive their power from
the consent of the governed, and then
proceed to exclude all classes of the gov
erned from the use Of that power, with
out going over to the doctrines of aris-
tocracy, and never had this choice left to
a consistent, reasoning, logical mind
only between the two theories-the
democratic, the aristocratic. We are
bound to come to the ground that every
citizen, and we are bound boldly to go
back to the aristocratic ground, and say
only the best citizens have a right to
vote. We have never consistently car
ried out our own principles in America.
We have really proceeded upon the
theory that the Government belongs TO
the best part Of society in other words
we have given very fractional, imper-
feet rendering of the truth Though, it
is true, it ought to be in the hands of
educated and moral men. 1t ought, but
it ought to be in their hands only by
educating andarendering moral every
man init which is very different thing
from educating a class of society that
are educated men, and saying that in
them inhere privileges, and that the
State is benefited by their exercising
them and by the exclusion of others. DO l
hold that reason should vote, and mo
rality should vote, and therefore hold
that tits indispensable that reason and
morality should be carried down just as
long as you can 6ndia man to the very
bottom of society We have reasoned,
however, one way; we have acted an
other; and to be consistent with our
own doctrines, we'ean take noaother
ground than this-that if all power ori-
ginally belonged to the people, all peo-
pie have a right to exercise that power.
A discrimination in favor Of one class,
whether on moral or intellectual
grounds, and against another, are obi
Gus, and they are inconsistent with our
own political philosophy, Thirdly, l
hold that manhood suffrage is intrinsi-
cally just and right, as well as consistent
with our philosophy, and with the light
of our historical development. It's the
natural right Of every man to have a
voice in whatever affects his name, his
happiness, his family, his property, his
safety, and his own life. Laws and pol
icies do that; and every mau---if there
be any such thing as natural right
every man has a right to have voice
and an influence in determining the laws
and policies which affect hin-which
make the difference between happiness
and prosperity in his case, or subver-
SION and wretchednessei Where can
you find a natural right, if it is not in
this neighborhood?, 1t is said that So
ciety is the right Of self preservation


What is society, as distinguished from
the people? The people have,a right
to preseryethemselves, and to tear soci-
ETY. to pieces, If it be needful to that end 4,
or to change ito alter its structural
institutions Bat society, as distinguish
ed from the whole people, has no rights.
Society means government, or the Or
gauized condition of the whole people !;
and society, as distinguished from the
people, has no rights which a Demo
cratic people is bound to respect If
the whole people are of opinion that it
is better that a part of them shall not
vote, aud that part has nothing to say,
that is their lookout; but for an aristo-
cratic majority to say, that the other
part shall not vote is an injustice, 1t
may be said that in making the laws
the best men should be employed, but
that, once made, all the people should
receive common and like justice before
the law, so that, the administration of
law being just and right, the benefits of
government will become equal and nni-
yersal, and that there is no need of uni
versal suffrage in the construction of the
laws. But, ] answer, Criminal laws
and their administration are but a very
small part of government. For sim
stance, commercial laws have far more
to do with our convenience and prosper
ity, for they determine the whole flow
of our daily life. Now, it may be laid
down as a fundamental canon that no
class of men are fit to legislate for an
other class; that every class knows its
own interests, and no legislation is just
in which all interests have not been fair
" represented and felt. / should like
to know if lenders could be trusted to
make the laws for borrowers of money 7


Would you permit creditors 10 makeall
the laws that were to influence the debt
or (? or debtors to make thelaws and have
a voice over the-heads of creditors
They have to tussle for it, and get q
compromise between them. Would
YOU allow importers to make the laws
| for buyers9 Don't you let both of them