Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1824-12-25

and almost entire renovation OF the
members Of both houses!
A mutable legislature must give
rise to mutable legislation; and deny
to every public enterprise the steady
and persevering support which is es-
sential to its prosperous maturity
What is resolved upon this year by
one body Of men. is repealed the
very next by their successors 10 OF
fec. Days and weeks and months
are spent in the election of public Of.
fcers, or the preparatory lntrigues
required TO unite. so large body, in
the choice of particular candidate:
while the baIlot-box covers both par
TALLY and injustice from all respon-
sibility.
What is the present system of road
laws, the repeal of which has been
SO often sought in vain, but direct
consequence Of the unequal represen>
tation of the peopIe9 And, if. to its
notorious inefiiciency. be added, its
obvious injustice, in making poverty
and wealth equally contribute to it's
support. what country furnishes a
more glaring example of oppression9
1t has indeed, parallel at home, in
that affiliated system of tyranny,
which EFFORTS by a county levy, or
capitation tax. great portion OF the
subsistence Of the poor of every pa
rish from the poorest class of its in
habisants.
If to these pecuniary exactions, in
the shape of poll tax, there be add
ed the recollection that every male
tithable, with a single exception in
favor Of the proprietor of slaves. is
called to work upon the public high
way, at the discretion of its overseer,
can it be matter of surprise that the
sons of poverty in Virginia migrate
to the west-that old age is often
seen to totter on its unstable crntch,
without the hand of filial piety to
steady it's trembling footsteps2 At
the periodical return of that census
to which so many other states refer,
with exulting pride, whole counties
Of this commonwealth monrnfnlly
turn, for the measure of their sensi.
bic decay. Two of those bordering
on that of your memorialists sustain
ed together, the loss of three thou
sand souls, by the last census of the
United States. And the common
wealth. herself, beheld a result ut
less affiictive-the relative increase
of her black, by a ratio greatly ex-
ceeding that of her white population.
Your memoriolists are yet proud of
the land of their nativity, and would
conceal, if conCealment would not
be criminal, on such an occasion.
their sense of these common ills.
which they cannot but attribute, in
part, at least, to the defects of their
political institutions.
For like reasons, they are led to
state that they feel themselves pecu>
liarly aggrieved by system of ane-
quail representation.
To travel no farther back, than to
the last session of the general assem-
bly,, they feel no little uneasiness. in
observing that simple act of incor-
poration for canal company, re-
ceived in its favor. exclusively of the
country bordering on the river-the
navigation of which it sought to i'm
prove, Che entire votes of but five
counties on tide water. while it en-
countesed the undivided opposition of
no less than nineteen of those coun-
ties added TO all the boroushs of the
commonwealth.
Two other votes Of the same ses>
eion corroborate the painful inference
deducible from this.
Although facts are not wanted for
the purpose, this humiIiating topic
shall not be enlarged. Some refer
ence to it, is, at present, extorted
from your memorialists, by the pre-
sumption. so often urged against any
amendment whatever, of the constr,
tuition. that no injury has resulted, or
can be apprehended from the inequa~
lily of the present representation.
Your memoriaIists confidently be-
lieve that, however, ocal interests