Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-01-28

whenever the government takes my |
for public purposes, 1t Is their
duty Ia make me compensation. lf they |
want my ground for the establishment of
an arsenal, they send writ of at qmod
dan'a'sns--they take the ground, bat they
pay me for il. II an army passes
through the country, they impress my
horse, and they make me compensation.
If the one is taken from me iorpub'lc pur-
poses, so is the other. NIy horse thcy
seize for the accommodation o. their
troops-my slave. for public example
and they are as much bound Ia pay me
for the one, as for the other. The whole
law goes on this supposition, that rs it re-
lates TO the owner, the slave is considered
as property--a as il relates 10 the laws and
purposes ofpublic Justice, he is regarded
and punished as person. Surely. the
gentleman from Brooke, when lie adverts
to this obvious principle, whine consider
the payment OF slaves as evmcing any dis
position in the people of the East TO OPP
press those of the West. When YOU take
the laud Of The Western people, then
may we say TO them, De te fcbula na,7a-
fHY
The tax on salt too, a fax which was
imposed during the war, with the consent
ofthe gentlemen from that part of the
country. as part of theirquoia contrbu-
ted 10 the publicrclief; a tax, which has
never been paid, and which but The other
day YOU gave away for the purposes OF
their own improve is the evil
II Is for this monstrous grievance that our
Constitution Of 40 Years standing is now
to be subverted and orr government hurl,
cd from its foundation
81. /. Al
vance to complain of-the Inequality of
taxation, and the inequality of represent
tation. cave, there's the rub!" Sir.
was happy TO hear the gentleman from
Berkeley (Mr. Colston,) say Yesterday.
that he had lived enough TO DISREGARD
even theoretical defects. and was content
with atiainingpractical ends by practical
means. | wish only that the gentleman
had added, that Solong az he was posses
SEED of the practicalmeans, he was content
10 abide by ,hem.-But. where in fact is
this great oppression, that we hear of
from the Fast! Are the taxes ofthe Wes-
te;n country unequal? Gentlemen have
ranSacked their memories, and vet can
ONLY produce us one act, Ga salt-fax.l
whiclwas never paid, and which is now
repealed Sir. wien have the Eastern
people skukcd ? When have thev NOT
paid more than their full quota into the
treasury oi the Commonwealth? Have
they not taken the burden of an UNEQUAL
iand-'ax on their own shoulders And
vet we are told thew abuse theirpower =
Bnt, If seems. we ought 10 have new
graduation of our lands.-And pray. how
long will this new assessment last2 The
value ofour lands is VARYING continually
The course of population. the course Of
commerce, a new system Of agriculture.
and a thousand accidental causes. vary
their value-And what is the effect? 4
new Constitution, ] suppose. TO amend
the evil! Again-Bring your tariff TO the
bed of Procrustes-cut all your people
down to five feet five inches high-invain
Where there is more industry, more ferti-
lltyof soil, more economy among the peo-
pie, there will be more wealth, more inc
quality. Well, what is the remedv2 a
ne'0 Constitution Sir, we had better
have standing Convention at once. and
every seven months, or every seven DAYS.
measure the foot OF the people, and see
whether it has grown too long or too
short!
Gentlemen complain grieyously of the
state OF the representation and most in
geniouslv have they managed it. Then
arc the PAINTERS in this instance; and have
grouped the State into messes so as to
snt th0ir own argument. They do not
compare Scott and Tyler, Warwick and
Elizabeth City; but they take whole
sections of country. They do not even
compare the East and the West; but the
middle country with the East If YOU take
the Blue Ridge and the Allegheny us the
boundary lines, the greatest inequality is
TO he found from the Blue Ridge TO the
head oftide wafer hut there is no com
plant inihis section from the great co,in-
ties of Frederick and L0ucioun; no petit
ons from them-(Mr. Tucker observed.
there was one from Pittsyivania-Somc
conversation ensued, and MIR. TazewelI
proceeded. You cannot obtain perfect
on all that vou ought TO desire is 10 an-
preach IT. If you run the boundary line
from The East 20 the West, instead Of trenl
| the North TO the South, there is no inc
guallty-(Mr. i illustrated this position
by some Typographical statements.) The
Select Committee have indeed run the
lines 10 suit themselves. The county OF
Tyler does not pay a. much into thepub
| lie treasury as the county of Warwick -
| The borough OF Norfolk (Which | alone
| have the honour of representing on thi.
| fioor) iias as much population, and paws
more taxes than some of the counties
and yet we have only one represensativ,
| here, while they have two. Ali that gov
eminent can do is, TO approachperfectior
as nearas possible. We all represent on,
| comm OF country. The interests of tina
| country are unique-And in forty-on,
| years, we have had only two complaint.
TO make, of the nature of those which
! lave represented. Wait, then, till YOU
people conplain---walt Till the inequalit,