Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-12-19

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10 increase tho soek Sheep should me present
ment succeed would 20 to increase not the stock Of
sheep, but the stock Of voters. The payment Of dog
| tax would make voter at once.
Mr. l.. said, he now perfectly satisfied that until
the great question fthe basis Of representation should
be settled all the principles respecting property which
had hitherto been held sacred. would be in jeopardy.
Mr.. ScoTr said hs should not take any part In the
debate. He bad risen only TO prevent misspprehen-
| si"n. He said he among thoee who thought that
Government should be based upon property. Govern
was s Chief object and all who had any share in the
Government ought to be Posessors Of property being
that on which Government was to act. He would lay
the tounda' Of Government in the right Of sufrsg
based upon property (not wealthy the best index Of this
was the payment Of taxes-it the simplest and the
easiest proof He would make the property qualification
30 small a. to include the bulk Of society lie should
exclude the moned aristocracy from ruling the coun.
try and attain all the just ends of popular G ,vern-
nent. He should then con.id.r himself as having
gone FAR enough He considered Il the great secret TO
know where to stop On these principles he had voted
agans those propositions which he thought went ITO far,
In order to secure the popular character Of Govern
ment.
Mr. s. protested against any desire to take the right
their freehold. merely nominal. But he wa. for
excluding such persons as were neither frseholders
andholders nor house keepers.
Mr.. DoDuRIpoE withdrew his demand for the yeas
and nays, declaring his intention vote against Mr.
SCOTS amendment, bu. still 10 vote for his own should
that prevail.
Mr.. srANARD opposed Mr.. DIS amendment, as 90.
ing beyond all the Northern States in its latitude Of suf
rage and being equalled only in the States where
suffrage was universal In Massachusetts, the payment
Of capation tax Of 81 so required that now pro.
posed by the gentleman from Fauquier did not 20 20
lar; Il did not require any csptaon to filter the com.
muni'y. This was In terms the amendment which had
been offered by Mr.. Summers in committee of the
whole. and rejected without count. II wa. certainly
better to make requirement Of tax at ALL than 10 hold
out these inducements to petty frauds.
Mr. MERCER was in favour Of almost any system Of
suffrage which excluded taxation. He corrected Mr..
Stanard as to Msssachuseus-they had no taxes ex
cept in auctions and bank stock the later very hea
Wy one. being per cent their capitals. Once in
years they laid another, merely, however, to secure to
so'ton its due representation. what regulated by
this e.t) Mr. NJ. went into calculation TO shew that
an individual who paid cents land might vote;
while he who owned no land required to pay 81.
MIR. Scorrlssic there was no congruity to the prn-
clpIes OF the Bill Of Rights in such an anne mt
The Bill OF Rights required evidence OF permanent in
terest in the community: Is acresof land was admit
ted as furnishing this evidence for its value but
from the permanence of its nature So Householder.
had been admitted but not for the Of tax hey
pad their residence and the the property were
the considerations. So of a housekeepur; il was not
the tax he paid, but his fixed location supposed (uot
by him) to furnish this evidence. But here was an
amendment which declared that a man who paid one
cent tax on dog, should be admitted to He could
never receive this as any evidence at all. Such
might be here to-day and gene to- morrow.
Mr.. MORGAN said, the amendment of Mr.. Scott
seemed rather more like restriction in principle on the
right OF suffrage than an extension. Mr. Scott OBJ
served that his amendment would not apply to any Of
the other qusIhcations, so as 10 limit them. Mr. M
Very well. Then the reeholders are not required 10
pay tax before voting. nor the easeholders ether
they vote whether their taxes he paid or not. The
house keeper, who is also head Of family NAV vote
after the payment of tax OF one or two cens-indeed
o. one milf ii shall be part of the revenue of the
State. But the whose freehold is not OF the value
hxed by the Convention, or who shall not be house
keeper and head OF family, must, by the anne MT
pay one dollar. IL this be agreed il will render
the amendment almost nugatory. There would be
very lew persons, not coming within OF the oher
qualifications who would own property sufficient upon
which 10 levy so large sum. II would he confined
mainly to merchants and shop keepers whose license
might be sufficient. According TO the present rate of
,axes, 1t would require that man should own ten
horses, or three taxable slaves upon which TO raise
sum sufficient to get him vote. This he thought TOO
unequal HE object in rising ask for the AYES
ana Noes. fhey were ordered accordingly, and being
taken, stood follows:
Chesterfield Giles Bodnax Domgooe Alexander Goode Mar
" S"S ss as c s,ass1 T
n lSsy Gis Of ass~s T9, Of
s Nr.n eR, os GGgoy Bnpch owncs Martini Peasants Bates
Anderson, Coaman Harrison, williamson Bald
T " cay sSns Smith sI na.,e
NayIor Donaldson, Boyd, George nn Campbell Of Wash
sy oSssfy SSoss
s Son OF ss Gyo cse Cor
So Mr.. ScoTT's amendment was rejected
Mr.. BAYLEY moved to strike out all that mart
OF the amendment OF Mr.. Doddrdge which referred IN
a capa'ion tax.
Mr.. DoDDRIDGE having tbereupon moved TO amend
his amendment TO read "except free negroes or
muattoes,'
Mr.. BAYLEY observed that the right Of suffrage he
ing very much extended he considered that there was
no probability OF the Legislature, laying capitaon
tax except on extraordinary occasions which in the his
tory OF country might occur: he insanced the late
war When Great Britain demanded the Ohio river
should be the boundary line between her ssons
and the Uued States, and that all West OF that river
should be coded 10 her, in sHch war, every man
ought to bght and pay, and capitaon tax, in such
case. ought 10 DO resorted to- But az the General
sembly here'ofore when the right Of suffrage was lin
tied to the freehold, had res0rted To such tar
there was no danger that they ever would, excep
on an emergency that would justify IL. But there were
many men IN the country who lived upon their money
stocks, salaries. yearly wages and professions wbo
would be reached by other than a captatation tar
and there was another kind Of population very expen
sive to the country and Parish revenue-Jrse negro,s
who would be taxed only by their person; but ex
empt them from taxes, and you give them pre- MUM
to remain IN the country and thereby ase the Pa,
rish and county taxes He hoped.the motion he made
would prevail.
Mr.. DoDDRIDGEs amendment in relation 10 free
negroes and mviatoes was negauved-Ayrs 81
He then demanded the yeas and NAYS on Mr. Bsv.
ley's motion, and they ordered accordingly
Mr.. MERCER in favor o the amendment He
aked u the gentleman from Brooke SERIOUSLY sppre.
hended that the Legislature Of Virginia would resort
to cspation tax except in OF some great public
emergency and danger' There might be situation.
OF great extremity when such would be iu..
Unable. Now, the taxes brown sugar on coarse
teas, on SALT coons and some other articles
OF general necessity, in principle rapitston taxe
would he wish TO prohibit taxation on these in case Of
- l.