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5 The Suffrage The principal debate on the suffrage came on December 11 on a motion t o reconsider the vote in committee of the whole to abolish all pecuniary qualification for the franchise.The issue is developed in the brief speeches of the Reverend Edmund FosterofLittletonandWarrenDutton,George Blake,Josiah Quincy,and JamesT. Austin—all of Boston. Some reformers assailed the existing suffrage requirement as “aristocratical,” but neither reformers nor conservatives put much stock in this objection and approached the question largely as one ofexpediency. Even Quincy, who was remembered as a F ederalist champion in the Je ffersonian years and who was now embar king on a career in st ate politics, based his de fense of the qualification on prospective rather than present dangers.The motion to reconsider passed on December 12 on the casting vote of the president. Blake, who had the responsibility of steering the revision of the third article through the convention, now backed away from the universal suffrage he had earlier advocated and proposed a taxpaying qualification. It was promptly approved and became one of the fourteen recommended amendments. The resolution offered by Mr.Keyes,on Saturday,and referred to this committee , proposing to abolish all pecuniar y qualification in electors of offi cers under this government, was taken up by the committee. Mr. Nich ols of South Reading moved that the committee should rise. Negatived. Mr. Par ker of Charlestown moved to pass over the resolution, on account of the absence of the mover. Negatived. From Journal, pp. 246–53. 56 The Massachusetts Convention The question was then taken on the r esolution, and decided in the af- firmative, 185to 157. Mr. Al vor d of Greenfield moved a reconsideration of the last vote. Mr. Fost er of Littleton said he was not pr esent when the v ote was taken, but he should have voted in the affirmative. He would not question the right to require such a qualification, but he had been for se veral years convinced that it was inexpedient and mischie vous.Either a greater amount of property should be r equired, or none at all. Great difficulties were occasioned by this requisition at every election, and continual questions asked of this sort—what property have you? have you the tools of any trade? Yes. What else? A pair of steers my father gave me. And if this was not enough, then, he said, a note, which is never intended to be paid, makes up the balance . Men in this Commonw ealth become f reemen when they arr ive at twenty-one years of age; and why oblige them to buy their f reedom? They perform militia duty—they pay a tax for all they possess, that is, their polls. Nothing, he said, of so little consequence in itself, was so ardently desired, as an alteration in this part of the constitution. Men who have no property are put in the situation of the slav es of Virginia; they ought to be sav ed from the degrading feelings. Mr. Bond of Boston said the reverend gentleman was mistaken on one point.The resolution did not confine the right of voting to those who paid a poll tax; but paupers also were embraced by it. Mr. Fost er said he did not mean to allow them the pr ivilege of voting. Mr. Dutt on said he was in fav or of reconsideration. He had v oted against the resolution, which, it is now understood by those who supported it, ought to be modified so as to exclude paupers. Although the resolution as it passed, was without limitation, still he was willing to consider it, as modified in the manner suggested. It introduced a new principle into the constitution. It was universal suffrage. There were two ways of considering it. 1st.As a matter of right. 2d.As a matter of expediency. As to the right, he inquired why paupers were excluded at all,if it was a common right; and if it was not, then there was the same r ight in the community to exclude every man,who was not worth two hundred dollars,as there was to exclude paupers, or persons under twenty-one years. In truth there was no question of right; it was wholly a question of expediency. He thought it expedient to [18.117.153.38] Project MUSE...

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