Introduction

This draft letter was written by John Brown Francis to an unknown newspaper editor, possibly William Simons, editor of the pro-suffrage Republican Herald. While this letter is undated it appears to have been written after the Charter government’s call for a constitutional convention. In the election of delegates to this convention, which was set to convene in September 1842, African Americas were allowed to vote. Many saw this as a way of recognizing the significant role the black community played in support of the Charter government during the Dorr Rebellion. In this draft Francis rather uncharacteristically rails about an article published in the newspaper by the prominent New York abolitionist William Goodell.

Letter

As one of yr subscribers, I complain of yr course in
reference to RI ^affairs. You do injustice gross injustice
to the Landholders Party so called – the leaders of this
party if not a great majority of the party itself [are] now in favor
of admitting the colored population to the right
of suffrage. This was not the plan of the Dorrites who
had no other object in view than his own aggrandizement
but by the late act of the Gen Assembly authorizing a Convention
for the purpose of forming a Constitution the colored population
are admitted to vote for delegates precisely on the same
footing with the whites.

And if you will take the trouble to inquire you will
find that in the late rebellion in RI there was not a
colored man in the state who was not on the side of the
Law & Order party. They formed a militia company in Prov
took the management of Fire Engines & did other service
which has created a sympathy in their favor which will
never be effaced - and let me tell you that
if you are really as you profess to be the friend of
the colored race that you should at least exclude
such scandalous articles from yr paper as the one
signed by “Goodell” this man must either be a blockhead
or a scoundrel or under some unaccountable infatuation or
hallucination.

Questions

How does the Landholders’ Party position compare to the same party’s position on suffrage extension earlier in the year?

Francis implies that the leadership of this party was in favor of “admitting the colored population" to the franchise. Do you think there were some members of the party that were not in favor of black suffrage, and if so, why?

Why do you think Francis considered Goodell’s article scandalous?