The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . ged freehold suf-frage. Hason introduced a clause on July 26 which provided thatmembers rf the legislature must have landed property and must nothave unsettled accounts wltn the United States (2). TJorris saidthat he mucn >--referred .ualificotions in the electors. ile opposedthe last part rf t-e clause becuase of the large number ot publiccreditors it 7-ould exclude from holding ofrice, and lie said, Itis l-Ut a scheme of the landed against the moneyed interest (3)Personalty sav; the danger to whicn it was sub^lected, and sec^iredthe defea
The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . ged freehold suf-frage. Hason introduced a clause on July 26 which provided thatmembers rf the legislature must have landed property and must nothave unsettled accounts wltn the United States (2). TJorris saidthat he mucn >--referred .ualificotions in the electors. ile opposedthe last part rf t-e clause becuase of the large number ot publiccreditors it 7-ould exclude from holding ofrice, and lie said, Itis l-Ut a scheme of the landed against the moneyed interest (3)Personalty sav; the danger to whicn it was sub^lected, and sec^iredthe defeat of the clause. Morris had another opportunity to urgequalificatims in the electors cxi August 7 when the ( ofDetail reported that qualification of electors should b^- fixed bythe states. He moved to strike out the clause in order that hemight substitute some other provision to restrain the right of suf-frage to freeholders. r,!orris had been active in the liev/ York Gonvention (1) ?arrand, II, 466. (2) Ibid, II, 121. (3) Ibid, II, 12;. 74 in reserving the right of suffrage to freeholders, he had beenbrougiit up in an aristoaratio sooiety which knew no other kind ofsuffrage, and this environment often exerted its influence. Earlierin tne convention it made him urge representation proportioned towealth as \-ell as mynbors. His defeat on that proposition did notprevent his trying again to give property what he thought was itsdue importance. , In his argument for freehold suffrage he did notconfine himself tn the merits of that system, hut \rent on to saythat it was not T)roT)er that the qualifier ti nns of the electorsof members of Congress should depend on the will of the states fl).He professed tc believe that giving tiie vote to non-property hold-ers would threaten the country with an aristocracy in that theywould sell their votes to tlie rich. ihis train of r oasoning ranback to th(3 old Iew York manors wlicre the manor holder commandedall the votes on his land. l.
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