Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-10

to refute this charge, vel briefly state few The re,
sons which prompted the fruitless effort to obtain
Convention 10 1915, and which have, since, bee
more successfully urged. Among the most promner
OF those reasons. that very inequality of renre
lsentation, which has given rise to this debate an
(which so shocks every feeling OF political Justice tb.
no argument has yet been heard III its yndication
her grievance, them also pressing on the publ
consideration, was the oyer-grown and dsproportion
ale numbers of the House of Delegates
Il when our forefathers penned the present Cons,i
tntion, there were about l 40 members in thar House
and they chose twenty four Us a s,able ,rouorticn
ior tho number OF the Senate: body designed no
9y to revise The ac.s of the popular branch of tn,
legIsint1re, but to constitute a check ON he possibL
ambition or us leaders. But while the Senate by th,
constitutional limitation OF it's numbers has been sta
tionnry, the House of Delegates has been extended
from time to time by the multiplication of counties
to 2ll More than seventy members haye been thus
aided ia the numbers Of The Legislature durino ne
TOO IN WHICH the territory ofthc Commonwealth has
5eea greatly rt.duced For from the county Of ms.
mos, Yicted from Great Britain in i779 by the for,
ices OF the Commonwealth under the con.t,land OF the
gallant G!arke, aud coded i'll 1874, to thesu. States
no iss thaa three States 10 the east, and one 10 the
ucst or the mississippi have arisen, sft,e couutv az
| Eou;nfogania, once represented on tins floor low
supplies 10 less than eight counties t W est ern pn,
sylvania entucSy has bneil erected into .narate
Sta'e; and, along our southern border No tn Caro-
Ina has Sip Of former territory hee-iani,, NJ
point on The and gradually widening towards
the Cumberland mountain.
| While reduction Of tI,e spheye of lsoisla.:,, p,
commended correspondent limitation az the nnr,
hers or he leg lsative body the progressive atirrr,n
salor o! It's annual expenditure nlerited egard IN
1910 the entire cost of this Department OF the Go
veFnnlent did not exceed 5000 d,llars n wear 1t
mas since, mounted W. Than twice t!.:, sum
70 restore the or!gia.l Proportio1l b1twceu tie
TWO branches OF tn" General AssGsnby, and 10 pte-
VehL slH FARTHER aEginentat OF the n;nabes OF
the t1ouSe or Delegates, u measure required nv M
stale necessity, and forbid by due reued 20 econo
my was always IN the scnpe of that cuuati Antioal
reform, contemplated by the friends b'a Convention
OF Tar pntI,,y
OF their objects. Economy condemned liz, worse
than useless apPeadage 10 the Executive, wi.ich in
Us unity ,,jpuiTri botli is vi.snr ayld re-
s,onsolity 4 feeble chief magistrate is the tool of
thls Council, while to an able aud upprinc;p,cd Go
vernon, they serve but as a cloak.
Fhe friends OF Convention with but few il anv
exceptions, had another and more aggravated ,so
of complaint. Is thoIe member ot'ihjs BODY who
thinks that the right of suffrage noyy rests on pronar
hase? Who would not. if disposed 10 restrict is ey-
ercise to freehold oucEIa ion substitute for ouan
ty, valuation of the land FaquGsa y..e
anould freeholder be allowed to exercise tho rio
OF suffrage on fifty acres OF land situated upon the
summit OF u barron mouotan, where the crow voald
not ouild Der nest while this right is withheld from
the proprietor of farm of 24 acres In some fertile
valley, which with its improvements may be worth
as many thousand dollars? In one 81 the most ilour
rshRig townships of Connecticut, territory of more
tlan twenty square mles, there is farm exceed
ing twenty 1--WE acres in dimensions the minimum es-
tate which the present Constitution anncHes to the
right OF sui cigso, Witloutre.a to its value
Are we then, AIR. Chairman with these, anolorries
for Convention, to be regarded coming here in
the prosecution of schemes ofnarrow and sordig spa
cniatton? May moi pronounce such charge to be
the offspring of prejudice, and say that is rcDelled by
tbe history OF the Proceedings which have led to this
Convention?
There ia yet another of analogous birth which re-
mains to be refuted before oceed with MY enquiry
into the efpedienGy of the proposed anFcndmon. OF
the gentleman from Culpeper.
IL has been more than insnuaed that by the trans
fer of political power from the Eastern TO tho We
,taalt IA .of
Convention design to shake the ascendancy Of GER
tain political doctrines supposed to be essential to
Union.
II this transfer is required by political justice how
poor q compliment does this iIfsinuation pay to
the rights which it thus seeks to defend.
But OF the members of the Virginia delegation in
Congress residing to the West Of the Blue Ridge
how few are there who differ FROM a majority Of
the people of the State IN constituting th; copst-
tuition of the United States, to say nothing of tire
gentlemen ON this floor, from the counties below The
mountain, who ure alike advocates for the strctest
construction of that instrument and for thorough
amendment of our constitution Of State govern
merit?
His venerable colleague, said Mr.. H. had success
July repeled other prejudces which if not utterly
unfounded. might prove of tainuence to The object
OF the Convention, and he to the consid-
Grafton OF the real proposition before the Committee
Phe resolution Of The legislative Coinnrittce pro-
poses to make the white population Of tho Common
wealth Exclusively the basis Of the apportonfne of
representation IN the House OF Delegates. Il is
we'd by the member from CuDepeY to rest such ap
Portlonment on white population and taxation com
bined. After the most laborious attention to al tire
arguments as we'll of the mover Of this amendment
as of the gentlemen who had sistaired him,
Mr. NJ said he Mt loss 10 know Iovv this com
bipation to be cfected--in what proportions
population and taxation were TO he combined Il
that OF perfect equality, then what description OF
TSes were 70 be balanced against the rights Of the ree1ncn OF
Vuia! Shall OF the compounds he determined taxing
all e property Of every citizen visible and invisible? 70 this
almost ursuPcabe objections might urssd which,
had been rciby pointed out, by Tire member from Eosmp
oD (dr UPshur) II visible property, only, shall be taxed
is all that man possesses be oompcbeHde movable and
umoyeabe If one description only, portion only Of
each, which, what par, and by what rule or
ratio Of Numbers ofquantly or Of value, Is practicable
FIRM this combined basis, and tonpa it, tie simplicity
stability say nothing intrinsic justice or propfiety
which should in Constitution Of Government designed 80 he
perpetual form the ground work Of the representation
people?
Phc author of the proposed amendment since he designed