Report

Of the Judiciary Comtnittes in relation to striking out the word "white" ia the second article of the Constitmion. Mr. Linlejohn from the committee o the judicinry.io whom was referred the peution of sundry citizens of the county of Kalamazoo, that the consutution of this state niay he nmended by expunging from the second aritcle thereof the word 'white:" and to whom was nlso referred the petition of sundry colored inhabitantsof the city oí Detroit, praying br the aame amendment, to the end that they might enjoy the privilege of the efective franchise, would rcspectluHy REPORT: That they have endeavored carefully and impnrtially to examino the subject marters of the pelitiuns, nnd that a report adverse to the prayer thereof, is the result of their settled convictions ofduiy. Your committec are neither the advoentes of 8laverv nor the npologisrs Üf oppression. Kut whilst they are disposed 4'to stnnd from under" the institution of slavery m the souihcrn, they would as sedulously avoid the modern Utopian sohemc of sooialequality and marital ama'gamation in the northern stites of the Union. Your committee are inclined to accord in the views of Thomas Je.Terso-i wlien he aays, thnt, 'noihing is more cloarlv wrnten in the book of destiny than the emnncipation of the blacks: nnd it ia exunlly certain that the two rnces will never live in state of equal freedoni under the same government, so insunnountnble are the barriers which naturp, hnbit and opinions have egtabüshed between them." But your committee do not feel at liberty.with in the limits ofa business report, to state jntan tac rensons tn.it nave inducen tne abovc conclusión. Thcy can only glance at ihe nccessary connexion bctween civil liberty and intelligence. That (he votes of ihe ignorant will cver receivc an aristocratie dircuiion: iliat the introducsion of a fcw such votes ín a township may reach to and control ihe politicnl dcstinies of ihë state and nntion: and that shnuld thc proposed amendment be adopted Michigan, froni her peculiar position, would. ere long, hecome the hiding place of mimerous reftigec felá ves. Your comniitiec may be permitted, however. without trespassing too fa r pon the rules of pio.iriety, to prcscnl a single view of the case with ihe unavoidable consequences that niust suecced he adontjon of euch amendment. The tramws of tlie orgnnic law of Michigan toók their pnsition pon the very foundations ol society. -All vested rights, and all personal privileges and inmunities lieretofore elaimed or conceded, were seattered n masses around them. - Thenee thoy dravv (he elemeitrs of goverument; cmboflieJ ihem in n constitntion which wos sub mittedto, and adopted by the people. That coiisiitutíon should not be altered, amended or modified except in case of prime necessity, and even then ihe hnnd ofinnovation should neverbe permitted to soil ts purity, orinar ita symmetry. ItÍ8now a most perfect system of córrelo i ve rights and dutics. And yet the pctiiioners seek to confer its choicest boon upon a class of men wlio by no law ofihe state can beenrolledor ccnipelled to perform military duty n its deence. But farther; the amendment sought to be rnad would place tho eleciive franchise within the reach of another class of men - men who kave never acknowledged dlegiance eithertothc lorm or spirit of our govemment - mor. who brandished the blood-drippling tomahawk over the slaughtered American wiih fiendish delighi, during the lae war, and yet coiild v'nlk abroad at its conclusión, reckless of trcason'3 demerit. and unacaihed by a traitors puniehment. From such a consummation.. your committee would shield their state byreporiing adversely, and pray to be discharged from the further consideration of the eulijecl. F.J. LITTLEJOHN, Chairman.Thia document seems to consist of a prefacc and ñvc reasons for reporting advcrsclv to the petitions. The committee sny that they 'are not the advocates of slavery." Well who said they wcre? Who has said any thing about slavery? The petitioncrs hnve not. They say, we are not "the apologists of oppression." No, but you are its drfcnders, as we will presently show. This committee is opposed to "social equality and marital amalgamation!" Astonishing ncws! The petitioners asked for the rightof sufFrage.and you straigh'.wny getinto the turnpike of "social equility,"and ride on the keen gallop into "marital amalgamation" - a place you seem to be well acquainted with, from your fncility in getting there. How is it your imagination runs off so readily into this channel? Is it because you are so much more familiar than other people with this kind of amalgamation, or do you thus lug it ia here as a bugbear to make the eyei of popular prejudice stick out, because you have no argument to advance in its place? Profound Legslator8'. A colored man cannot ask you (or the right ot suffrigc, without you: hair sticking up in horror at the thoughtsof marital amalgamation! This is a very choice select phrase oí yours. "Out of theabundance of tho heart the mouth speaketh!" But it seems Mr. Jefferson had read some in the Book of Desiiny.and he and this commitlee looked through the same spectaclcs. Well what did they rcad? That the blacks will be emancipa tod; and that the two races ici'.l neverlivo in asíate of cqual freedom under the same government. Thecommitteo seem determined t'ns part of the prophecy shall bo fulfillud on their part by their silly appcal8 to rousc the prejudices nnd vulgar hatrcd of a portion of the white race towards the colored peoplc. Were all the white race like tliiscomnuttrc, we eliould indeed think Jcflerson was right. But do not the two races live in the enjoymcnt of equal righta in some of tho W. I. Islands. in Mexico, and Republican Scutli America? But we come now to the reasons. The first is, that ;iho votes of the ignorant will ever receive an aristocratie direction," and a few of these might change the political character of the State or nation. Herc is a great horror of igno - rnnt votors! Why have not our Democratie oricles thought of that before? Something like a thousand persona vote every yenr in this state whoc.innot read the names on their tickets. Shall white ignorance havo a promiiim given it? The assumption herc is that all the colored men are gnorant, as a matter of course. This is not the fact. A largo portion of them are inteligent,and no small number of them are readers of our paper. Dut suppose a quarter part of the men cannot read, ought the other thrce quarters to bc excluded on that account7 And ought fifiy ignorent colorad mn to ba excluded. whileUoentj t'.mis that number ofignorant white men vote nnnually? It doea not appear that white ignorance is at all obnoxious to this coinmitieo! The seeond reason is, tbat if colorcd men were nllowed to vote, our State "would becorae the hiding place of numerou3 refugee slaves." We apprehend this poaition is nut tennble. When a colored man, even fa relugee alave, goes to the polis twice a year. and has liis name entered on the poll l3t. we think hc could scaicely be said to "hide" in tho town wherc he voted: and if through fear of detection. he would not dare to vote.then the pnviiedgeof voting wouïd ie worth nothing to him, and would not induce him to to "hidc" in ihis state. Bcsides, this committee would disfranchise hundreds of our own ciiizcns who oulu to rote, farfear somebody will thinU our laws so just and equitable, that they will move into the sjaie! No danger of that, gentlemen, while such legislatura as you are at the helm. Bu t look at facts. Lock at the New England Siates where colored men have been allowed to vote. Look at Massachusetts, where they have begn voters fifty years. Are the moráis of the people corrupted by thnt ':socinl cqunlity and marital nmnlgamation" which appear to your imngimations in such gigantic proportion9? Have the "political deatinies" ol that State been injared by tho i:arisiocratic directiou" oí negro votes? Has the Btate been filled by refugre si ives? Look at facts, gentlemen, and you will be ashamed of your mean nppeals 10 prejudicc. The third argument is that the Constitution cannot be ahcred without "soiling its purity, or marring tssymmetry." This is a meic opinión of tuis conimitlee, unsupported by reason, and diiiictly contrary to the fundamental design of the Constitution, which i to secure the highest freedom and hapiness of all.The fourth reason is that colored men, even if voters, could not be legally compclled to psrform military duty in dcfence of the Stnte. What cvidence is iherc of this? We know ofno provisión of the Constitution forbidding the cnrolüng of colored men in the mili tía, if :he Lcgislnture so order. But if it be so, be it remembored, that the state is not in the least bashful about, compelling the colored men to paij taxes for the public dcfence. It is considered perfecily proper dint the black man sliould earn money that white men may spend it as they plea6e! The fifth reason is that striking out the word "white," tvould Iet in the red men, of whomthc following thing8 areaffirmed: 1, "They have neveracknowledged nllegiance to the form or spirit of ojir governtrent" S.That ';they brandishcd the blood dripling tomahawk over the slaughtcred Americana, in the late war, wiih iiemiish delight." 3. That these samo men, who had ncver acknowledged alleginnce to our government in any mnnner, "walkcd abroad, reek lesa of treason's dement, and vnscathcd by a traitor's puiiishm;nt." Now we should like to have this committec establish their allegation that these Indians are traitors. A troitor, saya Webster, is ';one who violatts his allcgianre. and bctrays his country." Yet the committee start with the dcclaration that these Indiana neveracknowledged allegiancc to öur government. How then could they be guilty of treason, or be traitors? Wtll the Committec please to explain? Besides, becaus2 sotne Indians, perfectly independent of our government, thirty years aince, wagcd war against us. therefore all iheir descendants, through a thousnnd generatious, shall be deprived of the right of euff age, even though ihey are bom in our nation. Wint a liberal.proTound and atatesmanlike view of the rights oí men is this!But we cnnnot pursue the matter further. - We loave the committee "alone in their glory." The whole report appears to us to be a vilc appeal to popular prejudice, without tha nbility to carry it out skillfuly or successfully. The chairman of this committee is said to be a lawyer, nnd a prospective nominee or Congress. If this report is a specimen ol i abiliiy, we think ifie peopleof his district must be short of timber, if they send him.