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

iessoncd that the rich man the next yea,
would have to pay only 20cents and the poo,
man only ten cents, stil the rich man Noald
/ have two votes to the poor mans one. SO TIA
! the price Of vote would ono year bs ten doi
! lars, and the next year onlyten cents, gre u
variance m the price Of dlat which Gu .sii TO
, be above all priced
IL the scheme proposed, there appears 10
he no equivalents no justice. |; II TIE object
OF Ill good governments 80 produce the great
est possible good Ia dong tits, a choiee Of
evils Is often presented, Chat is. OF two evils.
ore OF which Is unavoidable, 10 choose the
least Now Il is said 10 be an evil. that the
poorer man should have an equal voice with
The rich man, in laying The taxes of which the
neh man has much tue larger portion 10 pay
aHd this can only be av idod by another eyil,
and tbs IS. toy swing the i...s man decided
control in making or passing ~ the laws.
whereby the most valuable ignmnnities of the
poor man viii tie subjected 20 the viii of the
rich man Now, from which OF these two u
Wis IS It possible for The greatest deg OF
human misery 10 resul.p Certainly rom that
which might fall upon the poorer man in his
personal safety ana personal liberty, by so
much IS ihcs. are above all equivalents ia
money; and this proves the impoiicy. injustice.
and total ma,lnissibiIity OF the scheme propo-
sed. but those who have the wealth assure
us that those who have il not are ia no dam
geg--tliat they will not abuse it. Bat WHY is
moi the virtue OF those who have not the
wealth as much 70 be trusted? They have as
much n. yht to this confidence as Ill. wealth.:
especially as the security required OF them is
so severe. But II is said that the wealthy can
pass no laws affecting the poor, which will
not affect them: this is not so; for the Gotta
ger now, who is not wealthy enough to own
two slaves, must work GA the roads, while
those who have two slaves are exempt They
might also be taxed with double duty on the
militia poll taxes, Sc. There is a further in
justice ia it in this: it is only in money bills
that the rich man can be endangered. and
these arc in proportion generally TO other laws
passed, as ore in fifty; and so 10 have the
control OF the one money bin against the poor
man, he must have the control OF the other
.ofty-n,ne against him.
Ia examining any thing Which has been adj
yanced ny the gentleman from Culpepcr, il is
With diilidence III my own op,nion--in perfect
unison with that high respect anu csteeni,yhich
is accorded to him BY all lis fellow citizens.
IS well for his own personal worth, as for the
manner IN which iie executes the duties oil the
office which he iiils with his compeers on the
highest seat Of Justice IN The state That gen
natural rights, but says they are unequal IN
their political rights II may then be inquired,
at what point does the equality OF natural
rights ~ad, and the inequality OF political
rights begiu9 And of what avail can the
equality o., natural rights b. TO a man, if the
inequality OF political rights may destroy
then2
ifpersonal liberty and personal safety are.
natural rights, he must have a sufficient share
OF poiitica, powerto preserve them; for political
rights is that power vi ic! lie must have 10
preserve lis natural rights; and it is contra
dichcn IN terms to say, that lac would hold
his natural rights at the viii of another; be-
cause that which Is bold at the viii OF others
is no right at all Tie gentleman fran North
appton Judg Upsawl denied that there was
any inherant right NJ the majority derived
from nature to bin,i tine minority in any case.
To illustrate this. that gentleman has said that
there was but one single right derived from
nature, and that is the right Of all the crea-
lures OF God TO use their powers in such
mode as may best promote their own happi
ness. That the lion devours The ox--the OK
drives tlie lamb from the tender grass and
the lamb drives the creatures mo. q timid than
itself. This, then, is the right which super
Tor strength gives, and according 10 this, they
VINO have obtained iiegtiHnaic power, may
keep il il they can, and add 10 it IL they are H.
BE
But perhaps this was not exactly what the
gentlemen meant, otherN ise We need not hope
TO adjust the matters in difference between US,
as Car as power could go. But ! know he
posses more liberal sentiments, Though we diff
ter materially as to the points on which we
should mect so rs to agree. Indeed the fas
cinating strain Of that gentlemans eloqucnce
was such, that was sometimes astonished to
find whore IL had carried me, by which was
imperceptibly led in substitute the truth OF one
proposition which, could not be denied, as the
proof Of another which was still to be demon
strated. lie has further said that property IS
one half the compound IN the social compact,
end persons the other Again, that 1T is not
property, but the rights which grow out of it,
which Is to be represented. The conclusion
forcibly drawn these propositions, is, that a
! certain proportion OF the suffrage ought TO be
| given 10 property, which would be 81 much
| taken from persons, for just in proportion as
| yea give weight to property in the govern
| mcnt. YOU lesson that OF persons. Now
/ wealth IS defined to be the power which he
| who possesses it has To command the labor Of
I others But the gentleman from Northamp-
ton would add TO this power, by giving it le-
+, gisiailvc power: that would be adding power
i 10 power, and according TO the state of the
case it would he increasing one OF the compo
nant parts OF the social compact 80 much a.
10 destroy the whole equilibrium and proper
ton Yes sir, wealth is power; and wherevcl
wealth is, there power will exist, independent
| oil legislation. Wealth is the objects which
keeps the world in motion; il is the supreme