The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-09-15
[EoIuME J.

the moi fertile of the sarth, lituatea in one Of
its finch climates, and adapted to all is r;chef
productions. They were fold too, not to citi-
zens OF the fate alone and zen with agricuiu-
raj views, but in great nleaiure 70 ifrangers,
and altogether 70 ipeculators, who meant TO de-
nand fome hundreds OF cents from the fub
purchaier with cultvating intentions. This i'm
mcn!e difference would foou have cliiappeared,
iwaaowed up in Injuries; perhaps the farmer
would have been elected from his farms, becaufe
his toll did not produce faft enough Sol inlpati-
ent appetite. The peop.e &C Georgia, the tr,ic
owi.srs Of thete lands, Immediately reclaimed
them, as have iilewn, in the moi public man
ncr; and among other Stronger reaio,is, upon
the ground of the infgnifcance OF the ccnlide-
ration ftipulated for by their t,tut,cs--they in
itrueted their nsxt representatives to rciu,ns
them. Theie Representatives do -. Their a6t
OF doing 10 was folemnly ratified by a CONVEX
ton. -- 81
But many gentlemen here contend, n0t,vitt.
itarding, that the law was irrepealabe, and that
the contract made by it, however rreciprocal,
was valid and iniefeaiible. ii,al make 10 o.
ther reply to them than to endesyour to expofe,
fill farther, the illegal foundation of that con-
tract, taking my eyes FOR moment from The
fraudulent nature of it. | will endesvour toloos
feriouny into the constitutional character of tie
pretended law, which ettabliihed it. | Will ex-
anime more nearly the ground upon which it
i!sili De at>te To NEW fn2t
it food on BATS of peTiured nIifconitruefion,
which the frtt honct breath blown aeainissit
completely overturned. Il is not redui.itc 10
ihew that the Legislature of Georgia, which con-
vened n December 1894, had no powers bur
iuch as were directly, or through honefs infer
ence. granted to it by the convention of 1889.
The members OF that Legislature thttnislyes
claimed no others. Il is not neceGary, either.
for US to iearch throughout that intrument for
of E,,,, l., &C
January 18th, 1895. The members themfelves
feleeted the head which they pretended TO be-
lleve, contained that grant let us examineit-
! "The general aGembly fhall have power to make
all laws. and ordinances which they fha deem
necefary anu proper for the good of the fate
which fhail not be repugnant to this couttituti-
en- Under fiIch narrow and Rimfy cloak did
they expect to hide this giant fraud. But this
was the peculiar folly Of thofe times. Under
iuch another, did certain political aaaflins not
long after attempt TO triangle unfeen the infant
I liberty of America.
! I ne very next fiction of the contribution fays
" the general alcmbly fflall have power to alter
the boundaries OF counties & to lay off new ones
out of them AS well as out Of the other vacant
territory belonging TO the fate - again, g and
when any new county fliall be laid off in the va
cant territory of the fate, fuch county fhall
have number of representatives, Sc.' How
ccnldI bSrother than repugnant to the cunittu-
tiof5 90 render c,'szreiy nugato-y this irapOr aut
proViGon of it Does not the contribution lain
? " enough prefcribe 2 diviGm into counties, be-
fo-e.a iale by this provfon for representation
iirfhat cafe, and by totally negleaing to make
any Find of provihon for the cafe of iale before
a diyiGon? Is ii poiiibIe the trainers of the con-
tfitution could have forefeen, inagined, or
: deemed potible, the cafe which actually happen
ed, and at the fame time have ufcd the language
they did If the term county was uDderitood
to imply rePrefentationo courfe, and the confti-
tutional power to divide remained after the
faie, why was 10 particular provilioa made
for representation in thole counties TO ue
formed out of the waite and unapproprs-
priated lands A power is expressly gwen to
lay off counties within other counties, or in the
vacant and unappropriated lands OF the ftafe,
with view that experimentation fhould cocgtend
d, with population. The territory, afterfhs faie
4 was neither of courfe no power remained 10 d.
vide 1t into counties; but that power being ex-
preisly given, none could have been given to de-
feat it /; yet that was completely done by the
law on which thefe claims reit One preceding
Legislature had laid off the county of Bourbon on
the Mihifhpp, no doubt fuppoing tbat to be
the true meaning of the contribution, which we
have given, and had actually proceeded TO
make grlnts or faIes Of land within it, Another
had rejected an application to purchafe the ter
ritorYi conformity with the report of iss COM
1nntee Goa ting OF one member from each conn
ty in the itate, which report it is likely was
founded upon the contraction we maintain.
One it is true had acted othcrwife bit the ca
gernefs with'whieh the fucceeding one feized an
occa6op which prefented itlelf for retracing the
reps of the former, is an additional proof thst
what we contend for was the fenfiment of the
fate. But the legin1ture of 1898, aGtuatsd by
the motives have dhplayed its prime movers,
perhaps i'Sated ny certain Juggling y1oiiticiang
from the North, who preferred 20 attain the iuft-
ly deired end of Operating that terri DRY from
the tate, and thereby din1niihing the dangerous
! iize of Georgia by intrigue ratherthan the piain
means fnce adopted The legislature of l7e5,f
fay, in contempt of the general f.ntrnent OF the
fate, in open violation of the contribution, made
one fweeping lae of the whole territory for
contemplate price. Nay, with the words of
their oath " folemnly f.vearI viii give my vote
on all queaions as in my Judgment wilbeit pro
mote the good ofthe Gate !" with theie word,
yet vibrating on their tongues, they reieded
! 4-5ths of a million offered at the fare time on
| the fame terms Of payment, and to promote the
good ofthe fate according to their peculiar ia L.
ment fit, we NUT fuppoe took one half mill
on. But perhaps they knew that thofe who Of
fered the eight hundred thouElnd dollars were
not as irIre paymaiters as thenfeves or perhaps
they thought the honorable body of notabes of
I