The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1829-01-15

The Wy 10 do this WAS perfectly easy. bseh
county ~ss enii,led 10 $50 bnrgrsses. wiihoni
reg ard To population. 10 keep the Represen.
t,tiye Rudy under the Influence Of fhe ESeeu-
tive il wa ouiy peces .ary tn have mnlorhy OF
Busnrsses elected from the vicinity of The Fat
ace. aud within the Circle of Executive pairon
| age The Map OF the Commonwealth sheRs
/ how this was done. II was dn"e by dividing
and snbdividag ouniies inio small precincts.
so IA 10 oui-n,i.aber fhe votes Of more distant
and less favored settlements by giving spar
nte representation 10 small villages, and 10 the
College of VIM aud Mary. Nv these means
nm afi.ineraticAi class o. families sprung up IN
! the East aud principally between the head of
ti,Is.watcr and fte sea. This arisiocracy WIS
further promoted aud strengthened by iarge
and pfofase grants Of Crown Lands 10 pnrieu-
! lar fa,ofifrs This practice produced immense
/ inrnnalitiex in wealth, while the policy Of gov
ernmeni placed the means Of public instruction
beyond The reach Of the Crmr,opaliy. The
| tendency az The Colonial Constitution, WAS 10
produce an nrisiocrscy vi wealth and OF learn.
ing, and the period Of the lievoatioa found that
ari,ioctaey ~ full sigonr Of this arisiocracy,
the Dissolved Rouse Of Burgesses was the Re
preventative That bod, found i,s members re
/ dnccd tn the condition OF private citlE"ns, aud
they resolved on one 81 The boldest nsurpalions
Ever effected hya hana.full Of mrn without
arms IN their hands Ihegregt object of this
usurpaton was tn save the rntiIitfy, nnd for ths
h.tzanlnns step we owe them an eternal debt OF
p ALTITUDE, The House Of Ruig,sses met III
March, l776 md called themselves Convrin
thu. undrr tins appelaiinn Thy clothed them.
selves with the whole power ~ 4 complete Ir-
| pisatro. Amen ,hey finished their hrsi Session
they nd lou,ne'; and by resolution, declared
ltir authority al an end The country sub
/ 49,. - 81 al
vemiien aud lnJuly, they being ianrd by
! few others held another ) s.ion, III "hirh thy
| passed IN Ordinance TO- tn ragulaf e'e'uon oi
! menbers n az n Contention, undei winch lh'
COuveilisn of lT70, (And winch ulaie The PIE
eut Cpnsiituion) vas riec ed See Jou nnls
Of Convention, p. a. lhls ORDINANCE IS III"
la as % onr present. election law. ] was mad
by freehaldcrs, aud none but freeholders ~er.
prrnr,lled To yaie under l.. The Convention
whicf made the Constitution under which W
a,e n nv governed WIS, OF course, Convention
of Ge =bolders elected by ireehode,s aud u is
not To Ne wondered at, thai they provided ior
tn pen ptiual,oa Of I'll power in the hands OF
this fave red cla. aud IT is apparent, thai mons
bwt the /, erhoIders, az all TIM tn minority oi
th" Comm r,iiiy, wcrc ever consulled IN Virginia
about mutirr. o. gpvernmcni. The aon-free
holder has lrcrn whnlly excludrd-but how
long We may continue to szelud" him, or when
h. viii beg ia to' b,eak hiss,oke, il Is moi for me
10 say.
As all the Col ones were NJ English origin,
add he people II al inbihe. from the moth
country their no, IONS OF govern meni, aud of So
ir,, ~ well as -, a,, aud rcli gians liberty. il
wa /, b. expected, iha, upa" declaring them
selves in eprudent. aud proceeding Ia the new
work of establishing ireer gore nn,epts than
they had bccn accusto med to, SOM Of IN states
a Al. al.
tocra1y, Inch they and their ancestors had been
so long accustomed h. view With appreciation
aud, accordingly, some arlsiocra4iesl features
were mttoduced into the CONSTITUTIONS Of some
of thu States.
propose 10 review those features 'n each,
Ia trac. the course OF public opinion ia relation
10 the topics thus presente'd, irom the period oi
the revolution 10 the preseu hnc, and, thereby
fi"s;nallV establish the posi ton tina, the ir'cnds
IT the Fill under considvrati 'n are Sa'n'y sirng
& ling apRln.t thai irresistIb, ide IN the opinions
OF thsir eeantr, nen. which MI Ieiiersod Is re-
ported 10 have said nj Ihe tin e of admitting D
hIo int the Union. would sil 'rtly render each
frcc man in thee, states qual i'm all political re
spGcts. 10 each OF his le low cnrIcns.
IN Virginia, have al cadv shewn. q solid
well defined, aud located nrst,cracy already
existed, and the new commanwen took thr
~ Isl thll anu uPJisSt Sic pN 10 lH'atiNF u hhb
prrpeiuate is authority. rndcr the regal goy
crnment, II vas the policy Of rulcFs To strength
en- their hands, not only by subdivisions of
couniics around the Seat OF Government, but T.
rctarding the growth OF the western settlements.
The proclamation of Cove, nor Dinwlddie Of
1868, is an evidence Of this p.,icy. The chaF-
Ter of Virginia extended To the western ocean
yet this proclamation g. rbade settlements ON th
western ~nter, the issuing of grants ioilands
thrre. II even annoulc Il the mteutlo of III
Majesty 10 dismemher the old colon by
tn establishment Of nrw governments III
the western PIT OF IT. This would forever.
a It was supposed preserve the balance Of
power on It'd water How .elfectiv~l, This
policy was seconded by the Convention.
will now he shewn. West f the AlIegha y
there existed two great subdivisions OF Conntr,
in the Rctusl occupation and uud.r ibe govern
IN ~ of Nirgin est Augusta and the couaty
of Zohigeny. The iater was settled uni"r u -
authority. ~ part before the peace OF 1903, and
its fortress, Fort DuqucSne, now PlttSburg, was
delivered into our hands aud garrisone0 by our
troops This country, nov composing nearly
one hall Of western Pennsylvania vas Tecogni.
sed by all. as part Of Virginia; but the charter
ofPenn covered nearly the whole. and was sup
posed Ia cover the Whole 90 II. The
charter Of Penn was abnu, 70 years Younger
already, so far, determined IN, the dismember
ment OF he west RS the King had determined
before them aud, suppose, FOR the same reas
'ns, that they gave to old YoLtgeny no repre-
scntation in that wy Convea ION u lch, in the
wear following, made the Constitu ton under
which We live. They gave representation To
West Augusta which was not an orga nzed coun-
ty but Ito the other they gave none. In the
Convention there was 40 delegate To claim pro
lection foi that bealtiiul counlry--n 10
be cut oG--sacrifccd 10 Polilical considerations
aud accordingly MS separation was sealed by
the following clause in the constitution. to wit
" he territories contained within the CHI ar'crs,
creating the colonies Of Maryland, Pennsylya-
mia North aud South Carolina are hereby &C.
dcd, released, and forever confirmed 10 the peo-
pie ofih"se colonies respectively &c. Nc. Al
that any colony claims from the oldest charter
Was given awny.-ln the Convention OF I716
which provided So early for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
of the West, IL is both amusing and insiructsng