The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-05-28
Elections in MaG1cbuettt.

The votes which have been returned for a..
Orrnor, give Mr.. Strong, majority of roo.
over Mr.. Sultan. At the aft election. Mr.,
Strong had majority of more than 7ooo
There is no choice of Lieut.. GOVERNOR.
by the people the contribution of MaGachu.
ietts requiring that no perfon fllall be elected
governor or Lieut.. Governor, who does not
obtain majority of the votes returned. The
sour candidates from which the Legiiature mutt
maze their choice, are tksir bonour5 IViN-
am E. II. RobbinJ, HIN. Heath, Tlzge5 .SuU;7,an
and Samuel Dexter. According to the mode of
election designated by the contribution. the
Homie or REPRESENTATIVES is TO fcle6t t4uo ont
ofthc fonr perions, if there he 70 many, wbohad
the h'ghett number of votes, and out of thefa
two candidates, the fenate is to felea the Lieut..
governor.
The returns Of fnatorJ are COMPLETE flaws
federal print) with the execution OF one vac.n-
cv N the county of York. They are, federal 81
Democratic ls. IT adds that the accounts ef
tne ELECTION of Re6re'Sntnti7es, from thofe
towns in which choice has been made, make
the number SO, of whom 81 NAV be anumed
TO be Federalifts, and 90 democrats.
The representative fvftem of MaHacbuc.t+e
is different from that of Virginia and Of moe of
the other ftates in two important nrinc;nIes
1T. The members of the Virginia Leei1aure
receive their compensation from the bs6l;c Urea.
| fury. But in Ma7achuetts # is maid
by the town which deputes them; while
the pubic treafury defrays no other ex
pences than thofe of travelling backwards and
forwards. The consequences of tbefe difcrent
arrangements are, that while every county of
Virginia Is confant in the annual election Of it's
reprefents'ives, & the Legislature is nearly in
variable in the number Of it's members. nanv
of the towns of MaTachufetts, regarding the adj.
vantaees or economy more than thofe of repre-
ienation are !ometmes unreprefented in their
lerilature and the number its members is
hnctaatIng from wear TO year. The relative
number of the republicans and federaliffs in our
Legislature may therefore he affirmed as a much
more accurate fandard of the political Cent;.
ments of the people than it ever can be in Maj
fachufetts. 2nd. The number of renrcfent,-'
tives which are elected by each of the counties
or Virginia can never exceed a certain number.
mo county however great it's territory, popu-
at1on or wealth, is ever entitled to more than
two representatives. Sometimes tits true. averv
large country may be divided into fna1ler ones
but even this arrangement depends not uDon
me VIII or the county but of the Legilla-
ture. In Manachufetts the deGre of
providing for a representation of the ci-
tizens, founded on the principle of eouol;tv,,
has introduced very different nrov;Gon
The contribution gives to every corporate
town, containing SO rafeabe polls, the Drivi-
Iege OF eleetng onereprefentative if if contains
375 rateable polls, it may elect two; and pro-
ceeding in this ratio, it makes 225 rateabIe polls
the mean increafing number, for every addition
al representative. Without making anv COM
ment upon the fmanefs of this mean in f1cb =
proerefIive fate as MafTachufetts and upon thc
rapid augmentation of the number Of its leei1a-
tors, it will he fufcent for us to obrerve. that
The application Of this principle has t,,,i,,cr
comfortable variation in the number of reprefer.
tatlves, voted for in the laf election, and CON
hderable competition not only between the mo- |
itlcal parties, but between The rival tovns. |
The federaiiRs Of Bolton, for infance, berinnino |
withthe work ofinnovation, increafedtbeirrenrc. |
ientation from 7 to %. Salem initiated fbe ex- |
ample: and many of the country towns aetna. |
ted partly by the fpirit of competition, and
partly ny the fpirit of party, have determined |
to purfue the fame line of policy. Each has
acted mp to the principle Of the contribution
and the mon important auction is. not which
town or which party it was that fri took mr.
the work of innovation, nor which Of them hns
been moft jealous in its purfuit but whether
that principle Of the confitution can be f,luf,-
~, which IS calculated to produce 70 much al
tercation & intrigue.