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Equal Suffrage

Equal Suffrage image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
September
Year
1845
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In establishing a constitution of Government, nothing can be more important than the proportion of the people who are to possessand exercise political power. Where this is all concent rated in one man, an unlimited despotism is the consequence. Where it is held by a few, the government becomes an aristocracy. Where every man, a permanent resident of the soiljUnconvicted of crime, and oving no foreign allegiance, is allowed to vote for the makers and executors of the Iaws, the idea oí democratie representation is carried to its utmost legitímate extent. But mankind have been very slow to arrive at this democratie boundary. In most representativo governments, vanous obstacles limit the right of suflfrage and holding office. In England, property qualifications are required, and not more than one person in every thirty or forty is a voter. In quite a number of the U. States, properly qualifications for office and suffrage now prevail, nnd it is only; by slow degrees that they ore disappearing. But in this republican country, Color is made a disqualification for suffrnge. - This restriction, so far as we know is peculiar to the United Slales. It does not exist in theSoiith American States, where every gradation of color and appenrance presents itself. It -is not found in the British West lndies,where the slaves have been newly emancipated. In Mexico, persons of all colors and mixtures of blood nttain to the highest civil and military distinctions. In New York, color is made a disqualification for a poor man, whilethe rich, if the owner of real eslate, is a voter and is eligible to office. But in all the New England States except Connecticut, the democratie principie of suffrage we have mentioned is carried out to its full extent, and no restriction of color, property,or religious belief, is in operation. The working of this principie has been admirable. Where can we find the same number of people where the Iaws are betler, or better executed?Now, as we have seen, the principie of Equal Suilrage being an important one, and proved by experieneeto bebighly beneficio], we nre desirous of having it introduced in its full extent into our own State. The present appearances of things indícate ïhat the ancient relie of bnrbarism - deprivation of suffrage for thnt most foolish of all reasons, the color of tht voler - will soon cease to disgrace our Statute Book. Nearly four thousand of the voters of the State, through the Liberty organization, have declared the reform to be a principie of their party. A large portion of the W higs - perhaps we tnight say a majority - are also in fa vor of removing the present absurd restriction. Several of the presses in the interior have declared for Equal SufïYage, while the Whigs ofJackson county, at their last Convention, adopted it as a Whig principie. As the Whigs have al■ways professed to be especial ly friendlv to the colored people, we cannot nnticipate any serious opposition from them as a party. The principal sources of opposition from the Democratie p'arty will be the extreme servility of the leaders who govern the party, and the very great prejudice against color - or, perhaps, we mighl more properly say, halrcd of colored 'persons becausc thcy are colored, which so exténsively prevails among the ignorant and unthinking portion of that party. - The intelligent and unprincipled leaders ■would dread to have it reach the ears of the Slaveholders whom they serve, that Michigan had recognized the equality of the culored man with all other citizens, ■while the other extreme of the party would see visions of horrible evil in th bare possibihty that a colored man migl be elected to the office of path-master o fence-viewer. These two extremes o the party have controlled its nction fo ninc years past, while its representative have been continnally but vainly askec to carry out their own professed princ plo of Equal Suffrage. But notwitl standing ihis opposition from combine knavery and prejudice, the moasure ha gained friends in the party, as was man fested by the action of the last Legisla tures, in which about one half the mem bers voted for the requisite constitutiona nmendment. But as a two-thirds vot was required, the proposilion did not suc ceed. Bu t a spirit of reform, amendment anc progress - a feeling after that which i Right and Consistent and Just, has man fested itself in a portion of the party without asking for the guidance or per nússion of the party leaders. This earnest desiro for real Progress will ultimntey bring tho honest mass of that party o a right apprehension of this subject, and to consistent and unwavering action respecting it. VVith the view of presenting thisquesion to the minds of the Democrncy, we ïave published on ourfirst page a Report of Hon. Samuel Denton, made last winer to the Senate of Michigan, in which he present disability of tho Colored Man s subjected to the scrutiny of Dernocratc principies, and found to be entirely nconsistent with them. In this respect t is an unanswerahle production, and Dr. )enton is entitled to credit for this just xposition of the subject. We trust the leport will be nttentively perused by our ubscribers, and then circulnted extenively among their Democratie friendsand eighbors. If each subscriber will loan be pnper tosome neighbor who has prejdices on the subject, it may be the means f great good. From all the considerations we have mentioned, we judge that the dny when 2qual SuiFrage will be carried out in our State to its legitímate extenf, is rapidly pproaching. vVe believe that a majoriy of all the legal voters of Michigan are oto honestly in favorof tho measurc, and vould so declare themselves were they equired to answer to the question, yes or o, at the ballot box. All that the friends f the measure ask, is that it may bc tesld Ihe.rc as a Constilulional amendment. ""hey are willing to abide the judgment of ie wholc people, without any fears for ie result.

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Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News