Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-02-19
RICHMOND. FEBRUARY 10, 1879.
PiRGLyVI4 LEGISL.ITURE


and the bill to amend The act incorporating a
company TO establish turnpike road from
petersburg to the state of North Carolina, sc.
thesc amendments were agreed to.
A resolution from the G.. of X. and l. N. i'm
favor OF subscribing for u part Of the stock of
the Smokers Gap Turnpike company. was
taken up and agreed to-and bill ordered TO
he brought in.
report from the committee of p. s. c. de-
ciarIng reasonable the petition for adding a
part OF the county of Orange to the county of
MADISON, was taken up aud agreed to-after
an unava'iing attempt ON the part of Mr. Nor
ton TO amend the resolution by striking ont ois
reasonable" and inserting in lien thereof the
words be rejected"
KY NTUCKY MISSION.
The house again resolved itself into a com
mittee of the whole on the Kentucky Mission,
Mr. Mallory Of Q. in the chair the amend.
ment offered by Mr.. Lowell being still under
considcTatun.
Mr.. Lortu again addressed the committee
at some length. He had listened To the ar
gument ofthe gentleman from Bath, and hav-
ing given some consideration to the subject
had satisfied his mind that Virginia had grounds
of complaint against Kentucky. He thought
it was becoming in Virginia under the present
circumstances Of the case toappoint board Of
commissioners. The 7th article of the com
pact was almost verb atm the same with an
article usual in all treaties of cession, where
sovereignty is transferred. Although the
states are not sovereign in the most extensive
Specification of the word, they are so as to all
matters of internal police and municipal rcgu-
laten, and are restrained only by the great
principles Of the federal constitution. Before
the revolution the law of descents was, that
she oldest son should inherit the real proper
sy: yet Virginia although sovereign, upon the
principles of the member from Bath, had no
right to change it. 1.-THE states had the right 10
pass laws ofinheritance, he cOntended they had
the right also ofpassing laws for the regulation
ofproperty, and that this right blonged To Ken
tncky. The eth art. must receive the same
Interpretation which any treaty between sove-
Reign and independent states would receive.
Ii only guaranteed TO the citizens of Kentucky
their rights in the same maaner they had
been granted to them whilst citizens OF Vr
ginia. Ii this article meant more it went tn
prevent occupying claimant laws, and ii went
equally To prevent chang ing any of thc great
principles ofihe land laws, laws ofinhertance
S4c. To what period, he asked would you fix
the operation nf thcarticic? Dill il operate up
To this day, or cease to he binding when Ken
lucky became independent? He was willing
In grant the Justice of the high encomiums
passed on the men of 20 : hut the act of AS
srmbly of that year he still Thought Objec-
tlonaIie, il had visited on the land more curses
even than thesevrn plaques of Egypt. He took
a review of the history of that period, and Of
the system OF paper credits out of which her
act of 10 had grown, and of the consequent
ces which had resulted to Virginia and Ken
lucky, from the adoption of this mode of re-
deenalng deprecated paper currency. He
insisted that his own proposition did not COM
nut IT proposed at once to do that which
ought to be done. BY the other proposition
you are called upon in the LIST place to say
that the laws of Kentucky are unconsttution-
al and IN the Cd place that no matter Of dis
pute exists. He thought il The commissions
crs had not have been sent, would have been
the duty of the legislature to have appointed
commissioners on the part of Virginia for the
settlements OF the difference which wnqmes-
tonably exist-and argued against the pro
prlety of refusing TO act at the instance of
kentucky, and afterwards expecting her to act
upon our application.
Mr.. l.. said he did not know the provisions
OF the laws IN question, and was not To be con-
Sidered an advocate for them. But he was
favorable to Il system of laws which protect
ed the rights of the owner at the same time
that they protected the rights Of him who sup
posed he was the owner. He compared the
land laws Of Virginia with those of the u S.
BY The latter the land is surveyed before it is
srld, and the quantity and boundaries are
clearly ascerained. BY the former, you put
intoihe hands Of an individual an authority to
take SD much land, wherever he may find it,
This individual goes 10 the west and makes a
location without the means of ascertaining that
other warrants were not located on the same
land. Hence the difficulties about titles. He
thought that justice and propriety required
that the community should be released from
such injustice and uncertainty. lie also com
pared the land laws of England and of Virgi-
MIA. The one had grown ont OF the other in
a great measure and contained similar pro-
visions. In England, an old settled country
where timber was exceedingly valuable, il
was considered waste to cut it. Here too, il
you cut but single tree, although it be on the
rocky cliff of the mountain, lift be proven, the
jury is bound to find a verdict of damages
This he thought incO npatible with the state
of things 10 our country. But kentucky had
pursued your policy-though for twenty year.
she had been eDdeavoring, not to do wrong
but TO correct her error. He did think tha
the system which went to pay the occupant
the price of his labor, was but Justice between
man and man. He adverted to the elemental
ry principles Of Justice as laid down by LORD
Kaimes, in which the bona fde was distinguish
ed from the maIa fife occupant--and consider
cd them as operating on the subject in dis
cussion. Ike House, he said, had been in
formed by the land agent of the situation o
claimants for military lands, aud that the,
are without remedy unless Kentucky volunta
rily offered it. He asked lift was REASONABLE
10 expect that she would do so, when il wOul,
deprive her Of the proceeds Of the lands no,
selling. He was told the courts were NOR
efficient than y board of commissioners, a
they lad sheriff. and lnarshals to execni