Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-01-30

the reidti'S PtvSiSeS OF population III ute
Commonwealth But, had justice guided
this apporllonment at the time IT was
made, the Wcstwould haze been entitled
TO three additional representatives in
Congress, and that section of country
whose interest so often =. apon,leraies in
this House, to three less than were allot-
ted TO it.
Thelaws OF Virginia (said Mr.. NJ re-
gard slaves as property and in that view,
the horses oil the West are as much emit
tied TO representation as the slaves of The
East. Did particular county OF Virgin
ia contain all the diamonds OF Ciolconda
and The gold of Peru, it would not be
commended, that for that reason alone lis
representation on this floor should beaug-
mented. Ii your members of Congress
were elected, as in Georgia, by "a general
ticket, would YOU ALLOW your slaves TO
vote, orgive TO the low-lau,is a greater in
tluence iii the election thanyou allow To
the Western country? You have acguir-
ed, at The expense Of the whole Common
wealth, d certain weight i'll the Union,
and YOU appropriate Ito the least pros
porous part of the State, 10 that which has
leastti,le to claimit.
took occasion, (said Mr. M ina for
mer debate upon our road-laws, ofillustra-
proportion of representation TO numbers.
then said, what ] now repeat, that a
more tyraunicai system of laws cannot
well be imagined If many fruitiess eff
forts have been hitherto made to amend
them, their failure is ascribable to the in
difference with which the Eastern has
hitherto regarded this important interest
Of the middle and Western country
Having already said much, Mr.. Speaker,
/ iorbear TO say more on this topic ofcOm-
plant, and beg leave TO present TO the
consideration of the House third-Thc
opposition that has been made 10 the
division of the Western counties-wllich
las. sometimes, be ngrounded OH tile i'm
policy oflncreasing the numbers of this
House, ani at otlers, on the inability ct
the people inhabltlng the county propos-
ed to be created TO pay acertain proporti-
on OF the public taxes. This latter OBJ
lection has an obvious tendency TO per-
petnaie the disability from which it
springs-whe the force of tue former can
never be broken, until the criterion of the
right of representation is transferred. from
the arbitrary and unequal division of the
territory of the Commonwealth into
counties, TO the more just foundation in
the number of its free inhabitants. But,
that these considerations have not opera
ted unalded by others of still more excep-
tIonabie character, may be fairly inferred
from the protracted lay of the division
OF the single county OF Harrison. Five
years have elapsed, (sad MIR. Nj since a
venerable old man told me, he had been
20 years diligently engaged in fruitless
endeavour TO obtain a division of that
county, OF which he then was, and had
long becna representative. 1t cannot be
forgotten, that in the lapse Of these FIVE
and twenty years, Mathews had been Ia
ken from the small county of Gloucester
below the Ridge; Nelson from Amherst,
and Madison from Cuipeper and Orange.
When we reflect, (said Mr. NJ that the
division of county of such extent as
Harrison, is essential TO the prompt adj
ministration ofjustice among its inhabi-
| tants, and TO the advancement of MANY
objects of local interest, ii cannot be won
dered, that some uneasy sensations should
have been felt by our brothers OF the
West, atsuch apparent disregard of their
rights, interests and happiness.
Let me terminate here (said Mr.. NJ this
unpleasant inquiry into the parlic uar i'll
stances of iii ustice growing out of thein
equality of representation in the General
Assembly, and permit me TO ask, in refe-
renee to the character of the different
sections of the State, and the condition
and genius of retrospective population,
If IT be possible, that SO unequal a distri-
button of political power can long exist,
without corresponding influence upon
our legislation ? Can it be subject of
surprise, that the establishment of Banks,
orany other commercial question, should
be regarded in very different aspects, a.
monga people so differently circumstan-
ced Travel, Sir, TO the Southwest of
the river which rolls at the foot of this hin.
No workshops will meet your eve, nor
will the busy hum of.the arts salute your
ear. You will behold large fields cover
ed with slaves. Can any man wonder.
that the inhabitant of Prince-Edward. or
Fairfax, or Lunenburg should ask. what
use can YOU make Of Bank in Loudoun
Tins difference of opinion is not fitsub
ject of reproach, or censure-itis not more
dish0nourablet 10 Haliiax than TO Loudoun
but, we deem it most unfortunate, that
with four-seventhso Of the free population
OF Virginia of our way of thinking, we
should be out-yoted in the General AS
sembly.
After all, Mr.. Speaker, might we not
have justly refused TO proceed a single
step in this inquiry beyond the establish
ment of the facts, that the representation
of the People of this Commonwealth has
become most unequal since the adoption
of our present Constitution, and that a
majority of the People desire TO have lis
eoualifN rasfored Areua fbo .,J..,.,tl..