Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-11-12

swem Of their brow. And he coniendcd, thai
with all his respect for the poor laborefs, he
would not hesitate 10 say. that the man who
earns his daily bread by his daily labor. wns
scarcely able 10 understand The subject Of poll
tics, and 20 wield the administration of the
government. Even he him2ei was Tree 20 say.
that the drudgery ofthc Inv had narrowed His
own mind, and disqualified him from under.
standing the great political questions Of the
country. And yet IL IL now grnyely asked,
that men like the peasants of tho West, with no
habits OF mind calculated for this purpose, are
to be endowed With The power OF making laws
and regulating the labour Of tho slaves ofthe
owlands, aud their masters also. Such he said
was the plnn of this legislative Committee. IL
was scheme 10 take power away from The
hands Of those whose hearts ARE Interested ~
doing you justice, aud transferring II 10 others
who might possibly have dinercn, dispositions
] aud owe you no sort OF responsibility prin.
ciplc, which Processes 10 guurd lie, liberty
and property, and ct has no sort Of regard to
Two of the most important OF these subjects, Is
surely contrary 10 every principle OF justice aud
republican gosefnmrni.
| He had said that the principle which gentle.
men now advocated, was new principle But
he Did not mean by that remark, that there
had never been government. no oue|braneh
OF which had bern founded on such principle
| but what lie had sad wa this, that there had
| Drver been government altogether constituted
upon such basis. II WINS true, he ADMITTED
that IN IL l6 the Senatorial Bill was fouaded on
white popuaiion--bul hal WINS only in one
branch of the Legislature, not the tar-giviDg
branch either and he was willing 10 let II re.
man there Bul what was now attempted,
was. 10 take il from hat branch, and give IL 10
the tax laying departmameni and was thai
bin really u ~ cedent iur this Convention
Mr.. L.. then gave II history oi that bili--When
gentlemen obtained thai measure, they said
they were content, they told us 10 keep our
venerable Conslituiion--lhai they loved II ns
well ms we did But the gentlemen from CUE
pepper mir. Grern) had then hboured 10 resist
| such "a measure an1 he had warned rs VI
the congeq uences ne told us. that tbey never
would be satisfied until they had carried ,he
principle ihroae hand thai ambition, like ava.
rice, would never resl satisfied with what IL had,
| IN the de ire 90 get more
l. Is said too, thai the last Convention Iiill was
another precedeni, another ndJudged case, by
| which this principle has been fixed upon US
| He declined entering lnio the history OF thai
| bll, leaving il Ia The gentleman from Albemarle
| 10 exp ain IL, il he pleased--N0 man understood
more ol u than he did.
DESCRIBING precedent then he would come To
the ar .nmcnl. Gentlemen had relied upon the
uOtiIiHbf drawn bDH bihib w
h thought thn gonIus Of the gentleman from
Northampton, had dissipaied sucn chImeras
As for himself he had 40 ldea OF governing u
civilized society by the customs OF wandering Or
solar, savnges. lie coniended, thai de Foe
was AS good an author rs John LDcke--hDd
that Robson Crusoe was MS respectable wlitei
on politics ~ Cookers or egau Pixies Arithme
tic He remarked, that there could properly
be said To be no rights IN kobdrson
Crusoe's island so long as he lad 10.
manned nlone--ior right was u relative
term, II Implying that one nnan was entitled TO
something which another person was 1oi permit
ted to own. II was when his man Friday was
Introduced into the island, that state OF society |
wab begnn-by saving his life he bound FRI.
days earthly heart to him. by giving bin
b. ID, had found his body tn him; thus the reIa-
ton OF master md slave had commenced between
tbem-and such would always be the case
lie then passed from the arguments drawn
from the state of nature, 10 those iounded on tho
Bill of Rights. lie examined this branch OF the
subject, ut much length, Ia great variety OF
lights, and with great ingenuity.
lie then Examined the example of our sister |
States which had been appealed 10, III support |
OF the doctrine That equal numbers OF men are
To have equal political 20 wsr. lie cont nded
that Maine expressly adopted an opposite prin |
cipIe--ihai Connecticut aud Rhode Island, Ia the
same way, had given equal representation to |
towns, whatever be their population that ~
New York, n provision Of this sort might have
been adopted, bnl if they had not already rued
IT, they would rue ii--lur, as sOon as the city |
of n. York, the great commercial emporium |
ofihe whole u. States, had obtained its immense |
populaiiDn its numbers would govern the whole |
State. The State would, IN fact, beeco'he The
City Of New York, jusi ~ England would be
Y..I. h., 4 md L. Inv arr
numbers alone were TO regulate representation
Tie examined the Constitution Of various other |
5 aies, with u view of showing how Tar this prin-
ciple had been observed, and how inJuiiously
Il would operate, II u were adapted. lie con
tended, il Maryland we're TO pursue this rule
Of the ajuriiy OF numbers, that Baltimore
would give ope-ffth Of the repre- seniaiiVes OF
the whole State /: that 10 North Cai DINA the
rule of her Constitution allowed Representatives
TO each county, without regard 10 the numbers
IN each county that in South Carolina, IN the
very same situation AS ourselves, Tie rule
ofiaxation regulated Que hslf Of the representa-
ton ; and that Georgia had adopted the Federal
basis. He contended thai IN the Constitution OF
the United States, the principle Of gentlemen
had been entirely neglected; that the majority
Of numbers of white people was not the maxim
ofthat government that representation and DIT
rect taxation were apportioned TO each other
and TINT representation had respect not only 10
the whites, but 10 3-5,bs Of the slaves
Mr.. l.. expatiated upon these aud u variety
Of other points-and had addressed the Char
from / 10 2 o'clock, when Mr.. Powell rose to
move that the Committee rise, as the gentleman
from Chesterfield seemed to be iatigued-and
no wished to give him time 10 conclude his
argument another day.
The Committee accordingly rose, and then
on Mr.. SCOTS motion the Convention imme-
dately adjourned.
WEDsEsDAY, Nov. 4.
The Convention was opened with prayers
by Bishop Moore the Episcopal Church
" hen tho President took the Chair.
On Mr.. Legbs motion, the House resolved
itself into Committee of the Whole, Mr.. Stan
ard in the Chair.
Mr Ieiph rnse lin continuation l-Ha began