The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-08-06

B} Tie ruiz ol pfpIofiioiil rs Deinlf, lIt
Statement vii stand thus:
is Ilo,o3e III $4,000 ls2.
The result of this calculation proves,
thai in order To give the middle district AN
equal Influence IN the hoise= of representa-
lises, according Ia IFS population, II would
be entitled To I8e delegates, instead of 9B,
which Is It's present number Where Mr..
Leigh oblained his statement of the popu
lation Of fbc three dist iets 0f Virginia, he
Fhas not iho't proper tn inform the public.
II they seEeiaken from the census OF l820,
he has been egregiously mistaken, for he
makes the aggregate population OF thr
eastern anal western districts 1888 souls
more thu their number by the census III
1870, and The middle district I8,477 souls
less, aud gives la the state n population of
30, g01 souls more than IL really contains !
BY a comparison with the census of I820,
as reported In the Department of STATE,
aud an examination of Darby edition of
Bruoks's Gazetteer, il " i'll be Stern that not
one Of the statements, either of population
or delegation, contained in The Substitute,
Is correct and, what IL mnre remark able,
all The mistakes operate directly M favor
of the position Which the anthOr Is labOrlng
TO establish fei, Notwithstanding all this,
the result u lmanlfesily against him /, and
~ the very Oext paragraph le seams To ad
mlfe, that "In this state of things II il
gfasely complained, tint as "A papuiution oi
4ag 40 souls has q representation of TOO
delegates, and u f,oJ,uiaiioo of 650, 78D has
Il representation of only 96 delegates, the
representatives of u minority of the people
may o,erfnle those of the majority, and
govern the republic ~ "lf," continues he,
slfeh u combination had ever occurred be
TWEEN the representatives of The small
against those Of The large counties, this
view of the representation would he very
plansible.'-plausbl ii certainly is, aud
he that c%ensults the annals of the human
race FOR The purpose of proving by preee.
dent that power has ever been deposited,
without being exercised, ooner or later, for
thc exclusive benefit of tllase il host hands
il was placed, will find all his researches to
be as vain and nnasaillng as were the labors
of the ancient alehelulsts 10 discover the
Philosophers Stone.
II was necessary 10 be thus minute in
examining this part of Mr. Leigh's argu-
mcnt, aud 10 compare the mistaken mum
beers he has used with the true statement
OF the pnpalaiian and representation OF
different districts Of the state, in order
10 slew that 4 similar process of reasoning.
or rather of calculation, founded ON correct
premises, would completely expose those
higrant inequalities IN the representation
which ht las 81 sfudionsly cndeayored 10
He would probably have been |
more successful had he considered that
defamation, adorned with flowing numbers
and harmonious periods, Is much more
imposing than cool calculation, aud IN at
tempting IL prove absardilles he would be
much more likely IN succeed by relying ON
rhetorical sophlstry than arlthmetical ore
rations.
But after an unsuccessful attempt 10 shew
that the district representation is not eyre
giously unequal, aud Inconsistent with the
genius al republican government-after
discovering that his arguments were INSULT
cient 10 prove his fayorite positions, Mr..
Leigh, determining noiongcrto be shaekled
by a iaborions process of reasoning, accom-
plishrs his oljrct aud unrayels thu Gor,lian
knot b, "ne round assertion" that in truth
aud in fact the leglslatinn of Virginia hath
always been the legislation of the repre-
srntativcs of the real ma ority of the free
people; aud the (licnds of reform may be
Ndl'l1 bti'h ~ IRih' nj 81 NiikN lllAidlltt
to the contrary''l TITUS is a departure from
the general rules of legal proceeding. lIa
wing volunteered IN defence of the consti
tuition, he selected his case, aud undertook
to MAKE it out BY proot but finding him
self Disappointed In the testimony, he nitro
daces assertions, and casts the oaaS pro-
5anai On the friends of REFORM" who
hold III, negative of the proposition, the
affirmative Of "hleh he has pledged h,msclf
To prove!
But let us for n moment tax n compare
tive Vie" OF the county representation, IN
order 10 show that tire friends of free 80
vcrnment, rs we'll as the :" friends OF re
forna have ample eaase Of complaint
Ten Of the most popalo1s counties of the
middle district, contrasted with ten of those
nhieh ARE least populous from In. eastern
aud western di5uicls, will afford some idea
vi The present state Of our representation
MIDDLE DISTRICT.
Counties, Population. Delegates.
F., derrick, 247a6
FduQuler, 23,lo3
Loadoan, g 7n2
riiisylvaola, 81 3t3 Q
Culpeper 20,9l2
A~lbemArle, 1880