Winchester gazette. [volume] (Winchester, Va.) 18??-1826, 1822-02-23
fEoR THE GAzETTE.I
a WESTERN VlKGINIaN, No. l.
REMOVAL OF THE SEAT OF GOV.
ERIN MENT-
ITS JUSTICE CONSIDERED AS TT
RELATES TO THE CONVENE
ENCE OF THE PEOPLE.
TO the People Of Virginia.
FELLOW CIrizENs-

Government to some mote central part of
IN. State, has been, for the present, d, cided
against the petitions by a silent vote Of the
Lower House. How far such a procedure.
on such an occasion, is usual or decorous
or Of what principle The Representatives of
the People Gf the servants of the people
Quodd hoe, should be thought too Republican
or Drmocraic an aPpeiistion) considered
;hemsc'v~s lusiiiable, in thus treating, 1osth
Saient contempt, respectful petition, from so
many respectable Counties, relating Ia a sub.
iect of such general importance, shall not
here attempt TO enquire; both, because |
think j! unimpor'ant and, because should
be greatly at loss to hx on any, even plau.
s'ole apology, for what appears To me a di-
rect aud pa'o.ble insult, not only 10 the i'm
nedIa'e pe'itionsrs, bu: to every citizen of
F'rginI'. who bad u right to hear the reasons
Tor and against the prayer ct the petitions, on
subject 1" which all were interested and
from the reasoninc., on both sides. 10 Judge
'"s tHem'elves oi the proprety or iiDpropsie.
~ lot the measure. Il is sufficient for nv
present pUrpos', that we have, as yet, had
no tair expression of The public sentiment on
the snbject.-That we cannot even fully as
certai" The legislative will upon it; as many
members may have been unwilling to vote
Tor chang OF such general impor ance,
without isiily understanding the public srnti-
m'nt and more especially tue sentiments of
their own immediate Constituents Srch, |
nave eeen informed, was the case with some
OF them. The subject msy therefore be con.
sidered a. fairly open for enquity end Your
attention Is hereby earnestly aod respectfully
invited II, order to enable you fully TO com
preht nd it ; and to instruct your next repre-.
sentatIves upon il.
A. H.,
Justice, 4 Of sound Policy, and Expedi.nce
by the pFe'ent brief essay it is intended To
enquire into the justice OF the measure, a. il
respects the ease and convenience of the peo-
pie or the state ; and particularly to invite 10
an examination Of this question, gentlemen
who have more leisure, and more ability In
investigate it
Government was originally instituted for
the satety, tie pros ection, and the comfort Of
society and every Government ought to have
IN view the equal distribution of those. bless.
ings t" all its members Whatever therefore
has tendency to destroy this eaual dis,Fibu.
ton Is an evil, either in the original organt.
2ali"n OF the government, or IN some of its
mod'fca ions, al d ought to be renfdied.
1t wall be readily admitted that the safety
and protection of the society ought to be the
hrs care Of Government and that To enable
IL to afford these, the ease, the convenience.
and the comforts of some. 6r even all, of its
members ought, occasionally, to be disre-
sarded but Tor no other purpose, and no
'ohSe' 'han necessity requires. They ought
not 10 De wantoniy, unnecessarily, or capri
cIousiy either withheld or DESTROYED. |, is
as much The duty of governmental contribute
To The convenience and comforts of It's mem.
beFs. as far as practicable, as TO protect its
FjD s n NJ, 10,
conceded. aud | thinl; they cannot be contro.
Verted, let Us te.t, 10y item, The proprieiy,
nay, the absolute justice Of removing The Seat
81 Government from Richmond to sprue
more central point, both of population, and
OF TERRITORY, COW rapidly increasing 10 popu-
\ isuon. Where that point ought to be located
: Is not the present question. If a removal
takes place II should be fer the general good:
,>snt ought to be to that pon, which will most
&ontrIoute tn the ease and convenience of the
NnsJnrity OF the ciIzsns of the state BIT
thai Richmond /, not tas proper place for il.
Is most manifest: VOC have Only to examine
Nhe best maps of your state, to see that il is
almost tho last place If any note upon it, in
(which, in geographical point Of view, it
, ooght TO be located-and | am now conside-
Nng the mere geographIcG! objections 10 it.
~ Is distant tfoU Maryland en- The North.
Hest, irem the Chesapeake Bay on the East.
\aud from Nrr'h CaFo!nl on the South, not
'Itere then from seventy TO eighty miles
The whole Por' ion of the state between these
points Is level, and tire roads through il ex,
csllent. But turn your eye to The Northern.
the North Western, and ihe Western quar-
tiers If the state examine tbs situations of
the Counties of Loudoun. Jefferson. Be,ke-
ley, USmpshrte, Monong slia, Brecks, Ohio.
Wood, Mason, kenawhs, Cabe, Tsz,weli,
Russell, Lee, Scott ard Washington, boun.
ding on the s;ates of Maryland, Pennsylvania.
Ohio, ksn'ucky and Tennessee, ard compare
their TelaIve situations to Richnt nd. with
that OF the lection Of the country first men
TONED and when you are told thaLAhe mean
distance from the cOuri.houses of these
Counties to the present Sstt Of Government,
according 10 Any practical route, !, but little.
ifany thing, snort cf 400 miles and that the
whole country, though rich, and a great psrt
OF it thickiy IahsbiJed, is hiliy and broken,
and the roads through it, consequently, bad
comTatcd with the section adIoining Rich
Tnon6, will you not be led TO enquire VITA,
pecuiisr advantages 6oesRichmonh possess. o.
v-revery Otherpiace, TO Justify the detention Of
the Seat Of GOvernmen there And until
it can be shewn, as it is believed it never
can, that she does pos'esi some peculiar adj
vantages over other paris Of the state, may
We rot fairly ask, why are so many Of cur
citizens obiged TO send Delegates to the
G,neraI Asse mbiy, at thst pIsce, in the most
inciement season of he year? AID why are
we obliged to pay So for every twenty miles
OF their travelling these Unreasonable and On.
necessary distance, ? Ard why are So many
Of TIE good people Of the state thus far thrown
hack hom an equal participation e some Of
their mo't valuable rights and privileges p
1t Farmer has BUSINESS in any OF the Supe.