Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-12-23

budtSSSI HSouSSusSiiNC SiSAtoAS H"@ sA~'S
tofore have been fubjeaed by the want OF
knowledge Of their candidate, from this
inconveni p !. they are already ina great,
meafare relieved, and it mua in a very
lhor. time entirely cafe to exit. 1t.any
inconvenience Of this kind fill remains, by
! an election or two more it would be en-
tirely removed. :,
1t had been urged that Delaware had
bat one representative, and every tts'e
| ought to have two. But why t 70, Mr..
B. quesi1d, rather than three? 1t IS
true that two are better than one; and
three are better than either ore or tive;
for, as we have long iince been tod, " A
tb,<e- fold cord is not ealty broken"
Mr.. Bacon concluded by laying that
as $4,000 was the ratio which had been
adopted when our population was much
lief; than it now is; and as it has teen
prattiied upon without any inconven'-
ence, or general diHatisfats;on, he was
unwilling to rifquc the uncertain COME
quences Of an m4suatisn at this particular
time.
MI. T. Morris was Of opinion that
the arguments drawn from the repreier-
tation in the Senate Fad nothing to DO
with this queition. The Houfe had a
conaitu,ionai duty to perform, that was
highly intercaing. The only queRion
is, how ihall it be performed. The O.
pie ought to be fully represented; that
j.. tho number of their representatives
lhould be increafed until that number
became inconyenicnt for the tranfattlen
of buGnsfs. lie had never been friend
to an enormous legiilasicn iuch as that
in France, mob convention. He tho't
the idea incorrect, that this Houfe lhould
acquire weight that might enable 1t
to bear down the other branch of the
Legislature. He hoped, if any iuch at
| tempt hculd be made, that body would
| have Efficient {pirit to reGH it; and he
truRed there would always be hrmrefs
enough here to refa any entertainment
attempted.
AS TO the prefer. ratio guiding, he
did not think that Houle lhould be 60
verned by any uniform rule. They ought
on the contrary, 10 be governed ny the
exiting circumstances. Not believing
that any Inconvenience would ar;fe from
the augmentation of representation on the
ratio Of 10000, he would be in favor OF
it from the reaI5ns ne mad aligned.
Mr.. Dennis did not rife 10 FAY any
thing rev on-the fubjc6 but merely
as he had altered his mind fnce the bu-
linefs was before the houle, to aRign fone
of the reafons which had influenced him.
He was now in favor of the ratio Of thir-
| ty thouand. His hre inpreilions were
againf it from an Apprehension that the
| increaled numbers of the houfe would In
! create expence, and produce diforder.-
But he acknowledged himfelf convinced
by the arguments which had fallen from
the gentleman from Virginia, which he
thought counterbalanced his previous ap-
p1ehenGcn.
Mr.. Dennis thought it all important
to pref:rve an equilibrium between the
different departments Of the government,
and he was convinced that this would be
belt affected by making the reprefenta-
ton in this houie as large as the Coniti-
tuition permitted, and convenience just'h-
ed. If we expected to retain the comb
dence of the people, it was neceaary to
increafe the representative branch; tor it
would be in vain to look for that conf
dence neceHary to give it proper Pcs-
tion of energy, unlefs there exifted aiym-
pathy between tie e!estor and the elected.
Mr.. Randolph hoped the amendment
! would rot obtain. The difference be-
tween the effects of the two ratios was
not very important but it was highly
important that a doctrine 70 hereiical
and improper as that which had been "a.
vowed fhould be exploded on Its brit
annunciation. He meant that doctrine,
| which con6dered this houfe as the repre-
fentatiyes of the people. When the Con-
fti,ution was formed, two great difficulties
| preiented themlelves. The large aates
| refufed to confer on the government great
er powers than thofe it enjoyed, which
deeply Affected their wealth and their
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