Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-11-26

! arc 10 De discovered an the same Nvax H..
.ney arc discovered in all other sciences tha
IS, hy tracing them back to their primary >
ieinents: we must then ia this case refer 4,
man IN his primitive condition.
| ! Know the idea Of man in a state OF nature
has been ridicused as being imaginary onk
and as never having had existence. MN I,
Is not necessary to dispute about this. ,ho,oh
more instances than one can be referred "a
| IN history. but IN reasoning upon The snb
| lect, we have right, for the sake of the an.
aioSy' 10 presuppose it, just as a mathemasi-
eau pfesupposes line and a point. before
! ne proceeds with the demonstrations which
/ carry convection with them, and cannot after
wards he disproved by saying that the ma;he-
NAUTICAL llne and point were only imac;na,v
! and never had AN existence. We co,ant I;
vest ourselves of the IDEA of the state. which
| man must have heen ia. previous IN th,. g.
NATION OF tie social compact. Vhi, ,V,s .
| treaty, 70 which every member of the com
| munity became party, by which they ,,nan-
Inoasly agreed to form one body. and 80 no.
came Incorporated as such This was form.
Ell moi only by the consent OF the ma iorit,,
bnt by the consent Of the whole And when
the compoctwas formed, ii resulted from The
very nature OF the case, without any formal
stipulation, that il could only act, move. or
pc guided, by the consent of the maiority-
true, they might afterwards, by the consent
OF that majority, agree that minority should
rule, or they could agree to create a manar-
chy, but stIi the act that created the oear-
chy or Inc monarch was the act OF the una
Jofty. MS majority was still The fountain
OF Tie delegated power, which proves what
contend Tor, that there was an original inhe-
rent right IN The majority 20 govern
For tins have the authority of as great a
political philosopher and constitutional jurist
as the last or present age has produced, viz:
John Locke, Esq, a passage from his work
on eIVn society, beg leave 10 qiote:-..kor
when any number OF men have, by the con
sent "i every individual, made a community.
they have thereby made Chat community one
body, with a power to act as one body, which
is oniy by the win and determination of The
majority. For that sghicli acts any coio,on-
nilT being only the consent ot ,he individuals
OF Il; and il being necessary to that. which il
one body, 10 move one way. il is necessary
the body sil0td move that way whittier The
great force carries il, which is the consent OF
the alorltF, or else 1t is impossible il should
act or continue one body, one community.
which the consent Of every individual. tE,atu
nited nta IT, agreed that 1t should: and 50
every one is bound by that consent. to he
concluded by the majority. And, therefore,
we see, that IN assemblies empowered to act
by positive laws, where no number is set hy
that positive i.tw which empowers them. the
act Of the majority passes for the act Of the
whole, and OF course determines, as having.
By the law of nature and reason, the power
OF the whole. And thus every man, by con
seEttag with Others to make one body polite
under one government, puts himself under
an obligation to every one Of that society, TO
submit to the determination Of the majority,
and to be concluded by it."
And think it further soes to prove that
man had an original inherent right of suffrage,
because twas by the exercise ofthis suffrage,
Chat is, CONSENT that he formed the social
compact lie did not derive il from the So
oidl compact, for it existed previous To the
existence Of the compact, and by il he form
ed the compact; it was the cause of the COM
pact, not the effect it, it was therefore orr
ginal and inherent. Property could not he
regarded In this compact; for it was not re
cognized, and did not exist previous 10 it
There must then have been second compact
formed, before any one could claim repre-
sentaton for property But If the majority
Of persons had and has an inherent right TO
govern upon what principles can you give
that right 10 ma ority, because they possess
a ma jonty Of wealth? None certainly Of lus-
tee, none according TO the eternal fitness Of
things.
But it is pressed upon us in answer to this,
by the gentleman from Orange, why werenot
women aHd children and all other persons ia
ken into this majority, or counted as MEM
BEES having a right OF suffrage We answer
that these are exceptions 10 the general rule,
and that the Creator, who gave the rule, for
med the exceptions TO it. lie created women
With all the tenderness, sottness and dslicaey
of that sex, and when he placed them under
the protection oi man he gave them an inilu-
enee of another kind, more powerful than the
right of suffrage, an influence winch | have
no doubt the gentleman from Orange VIII
acknowledge II suffrage at the polls had
been added, they would have been entirely
| TOO powerful. They would have had all the
government IN their own hands. And, there
/ iorc think il would have been difficult TO
| form a society il the pFeseEt dag ike the y,
| riszons the gentleman is,.o mentioned, aud
| venture TO saY, that il eYtr such a society did
| exist, it did not exist long. Ii is not neeessa-
| nv 20 mention Why chil,.len are not taken IN
| OF idiots, &c, these exceptions do not i'm
| pugn, but prove tie rule. Giyea person ons
vote on hisaeeount, and another On ocoouni
of bis wealth, (Which IS ostensibly the amount
OF the dcRiand embraced in the amendment
! ndereonsidcgation,) and give another per
son one vote only, because he has not wealth
and il is the same thing as ii you would gis'
| 20 the first person one vote only and the iat
Ter none. For by one of his votes the ric'
| man could alnihilate the one vote Of the poo
man, ard By the other he could reign owe