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


ought 20 hope and pray would never be intro
duced here
Bat can show now. that If the end was a
good one, which the gentlemen seem 10 be
| az aiming al The means proposed never win
/ accomplish H. ~ far fromit, il viii operate
: directly the reverse. Instead Of projecting
the rel. from il,e poor,---ir there is danger
oi t',at kiad % be apprpheaied, ---is would he
| Increasing tLc power orthc posr against the
rtch, whici, can ,h,,s thus. II Is proposed.
! IS understood, hy this scheme OF rrprcs,n.
tstion according 30 syl.ite population and tax
liioti, TO aisile the representation throa-honH
The state Ia such Il manner that an equal nun.
Der 81 white people shall send psprescnfa-
'fe' aud iliea tie taxes are 10 h. divided inta.
! equal ppitians .ptasling 50 the uainber cho-
,en ~ The nloj,s above mentioned: and an nj
d.,D,na representative is - 10 sent by e1cr.s
district or comfy paying one sixtiefh part of
The taxes Now suppose the staie 60 be lig;-
ded by llne running SAY ftomnofth tosonh.
near the Blue ridge, SO chat the white popu-
ia'ion IN each division was exactly equal, and
that there were 50 districts or counties In
each OF which would send member on ac-
count offs population. But whep we come
down to distribute that part ofthe representa-
.ion resulting from wealth or taxation. Il Is
found that there is so much more wealth in
the eastern div ,sion as 10 cntite ii on the
whole TO double or one half the nunlhcr of
representatives more than the western
division. But suppose in that eastern diyi-l
sion, ten OF the counties or districts contain all
The wealth which has given the whole num-
Der Of districts or counties in il the increase
OF representation: and suppose the other
twenty counties or districts IN the eastern see
tion are poor, possessing no more wealth on
an average than the counties or districts IA
the west, then to protect the wealth OF these
ten counties IN the legislature YOU give each
OF them one additional representative but in
doing that You give one additional represcn-
tative to each Of the poor counties. Thus
while you advance them or strengthen tbe
rich by tens, Won weaken them by twrnfias
But suppose we take enc of the rich counties
whose wealth entities IL to double represcn.
tation, and suppose ia the rich counties there
are one Thousand votes, but all wealth In this
rich-county which entities it to this double re-
presentation Is possessed by one hundred OF
those voters, and the other nine hundred are
poor men. of thai class whose circumstances
are below what might be considered medic
Gritty. all the men of this rich county may
thenln comparison with other poorer conn-
tles be considered as having two votes at the
polls. TO The votes IN the oihcr counties one
30 tcu 10 deiefd these rich men you give
them on the whole one hundred votes; but
IN doing 50 you give ninc hundred 10 the poor
voters, which according 10 the gen.leman's
own hypothesis must BIZ directly against the
rich. And thus, although the system conten
ded for may not come ous in numbers exact
Is IN this way, yet il viii operate in certain
degree IN that Way, 50 as To Increase The evil
exactly in the same proportion that the poor
do always out number the rich ia all sections
or districts.
There is i. way then of obtaining the end
proposed sos.s TO give the man ", nays the
taxes Il voice IN ialug tlem exactly in pro
portion tos.he amount which he must pay, but
by collatiag him with the TAX books at the
polls, or by bringing him there with n certif-
cate, SO marked and stamped that ii may be
knowa, for what amount lie could be current
at The polls: that Is, TO have it there ascer-
tainel how many each ought TO count aecor-
ding 10 his wealth, say one, two. three, or
four But this the gentlemen wsil not attempt
it would look too much like arlstocraey to be
endured in a free country. This, as far as
can be learnt from the public Journals, was
introduced into the French government The
deputies to the legislative assembly are elect
ed in this way. Ii was introduced by the nl-
ira royaiIsts in that country, who seem to re-
sembe those politicians in England who are
called tories. II is called the double vote, and
seems to have created great dissatisfaction A.
moag the people there, Those WHO are call
ed liberals, with Lafayette at their head, are
violently opposed TO it.
But 1t is vain TO disguise it, one way or the
other. do not say that the friends Of the
measure have made of any disguise, but
the project DISCUSSES itself, and when stripped
OF this disguise, its effects win only be, to mar
shall one part or section of the state against a.
mother: producing sectional and hostile feel
ings continually. II viii be productive Of no
thing but heart burnings and jealousics II
would be producing state OF things in some
distant degree between ourselves, like that
which snbsisted between this state and Great
Britain, while Virginia was colony. Great
Britain sought 10 rale the colony for her own
advantage, the colony submitted with great
forbearance, until provoked beyond cndnr-
auee; Virginia then, with other states, broke
| the connection with the mother country fore
yer. do not say that the state would be &C.
yered; but the section which thought itself
| oppressed, would have such alien feelings to.
wards the other. that we can hardly anticipate
| what the consequences would be.
/ We, in the unreprescnted part ofthe state,
have been seeking d redress OF this our giie-
vance for more than twenty years; and now
when we have with great difficulty obtained
an audience, the condition upon which il is
offered Is worse than the penalty; the reme-
dy is worse than the disease. Our situation
Is like that OF those who asked for bread AM
stone was ofiered-for fish and serpeni
was presented. Were the amendment OF Ia
gentleman from CulpePer TO prevail, viz: tia