'white' Suffrage

It a probably known to most of our readers thttt in Rhode Island none but Free-Holders enjoy tle right of suffrage, and tlmt a considerable agitation bas been carried on for some time past with a viow to a change of this feature of the constitution, or rulher of the usage; for the state has no constiiulion otber than the praclice contormidable to the original prescription of the chartergranted by Charles II. The Agitators furmed "Free Suffrage Associations,'Tand proclaimed the doctrine of the Declarution of Indepence, thut al power resides in the people asxd (hal ihej ha veja right at all linies u make the guv ernment conform to the will of the majori ty. They therefore asked iho legislature to cali a convention to inake a consiitution giving to every inan a vote in the chpice of Delégales. The Legisla ture, however resolved to cali a conventhn to be chosen by Frec-Holdtirs alone. The Free Suffrage Associaliona, deeming thts an oulrage upon human rights, proceeded to elect delégales themselves to a convention to frame uconsiitution and submit it to me wholo people for iheir ratification or rejection, with nn avovved detérminatiou lo put it into operation, if ratified by a rai.jor ity. The conveotion sochosenias been !tteIy held.and has agreed upon most of the ar ticles of the consiiauion r soma being deferred to an adjourned meetini?.When the pari fixiog the riyht of aufCrage carne to be acled upun, an animated debate aróse on the que3tion wheilier the enjoyment of that right should be restricted to white men only. No argument wasoffered for the exlu-sionofcolored men.excepl thalsuch wasthe de.Mreof a mnjority of the Free jSu&age Associations, and that the constitutiun wouid be more likely to be adopted witft such a provisión. On the other hand ii waa urgod, with much Torce and zeal, that tliis was á departure froin the very principies on which the movernent had originaled, and that the freeholders might as wel! claim to excludeall but themselves, as the whites could. The argument was unavailing, and the proposition to insert the word 'white" was carried by a vote of about two to one. Thus these men have deprived thnmselvea of the strongest argument which ihey possessed for the change they proposed.and it will be just relribution f tliey shíill íailof iheir object in con3equence of ibis dereiiction. They aid H was tyranny to govern men without their consem or participation, therefore they wouid nat submit to it. Bui ihey liave now resolved that they willgov ern the people of color without their consent or participation, and ihus have ud. mitted u nol tu be tyranny.mey at hratsaid the majority of ihe whole people had a riyht to guvern; Lul ihey bave now proposed a governrnetit, which by shuiiingout a porticn, will enab!en minofity to govern, and thus ihey have renounced their own pcsition and re cognized the doctrine of their oppouenis. Ihis adds one to the too rnanv instanccs üf men being cxcessively 'confiJent nd.earnest in ihe assertion of doctrino so long as ihey opérate lo their own advanlage, but abandoning them ihe moment they opérate against either their