Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1829-11-12

siuposea on eby Skis snv.ua3 seusse OF Pre-
| cedure, 10 examine the argument oil the
friends Of the proposed amendment.
| They alledge, then, Sir, that, though an
the principal ofgevernmeHt contained In the
declaration of rights may be correct, there Is
still another principle, of yitd importance,
which may not safely be neglected IN the for
matien of cur Fundamental law-Iti is that the
right of property must be completely and egec-
tuaIli protected, by the institutions Of society
And the advocate of the proposed amend
| ment insist that property cannot be efectual-
! ly protected without investing the holders
| with greater degree OF political power than
they are entitled to as men, citizens and cleo
tors.
That the right of property is, and must be,
protected in all regulated communities, am
free to admit. The impossbility of giving it
that protection without investing the holders
of it with political power, dsriUed from that
possession, is what utterly deny.
The argument Of the ether side understand
to be this
l. That self interest is the overriding pas
sions, feelings and principles.
q That il is the interest of the nsony, who
are poor, to make SPOOL Of the property of The
fec, who arc rich.
g. That ii the power OF legislation be con
fcrred on The nang, they viii pursue their IN
| terest, and adopt system of legislative spoil
alton, by which the rights ef property viii be
sabverted, and the whole social fabric be con
seqleatly sapped and oserthrown.
T. That there is no method Of ayoilfng this
catastrophe bat by investing wealth, by pro-
vision in the Fundamental, with potcer to pro
| feet Itself
This is a fair statement OF the argument, 50
far as 1 have incidentally gathered it, reired
On by the friends Of the proposed amendmcat.
And 70 this reply, that am by ne means dis
posed to admit the exclusive, controlling and
overwhelming influence which the argument
attributes to the feeling of seifinterest.-
While | cencede that interest is one of the
| nastcr-spriRgs of human action, / must be
permitted to believe that there are other coun-
teracting principles in human action, 1 must
be permitted to believe that there are other
c6unteracting principles in human nature,
which always modify, and sometimes control,
| the feeling of seishness.--l ailude TO the
! principles of morality and religion, to the 50
| cid feelings Of honour and shame. A notable
| example of the prevalence Of these counterac-
ting principles is afforded by the history of our
| own commonwealth. FROM the foundation Of
| the commonwealth the slave holding popuia-
J
From the foundation ef the commonwealth
| there has existed, and there still exists, nu-
| merous population on the western frontier,
| who are comparatively destitute of slave pro
perry, and whose wealth has ever consisted
| in cattle more than any ether description ef
property. Now fthe argument of the gen
! tlemen be correct, it would follow, that, as If
is, and always has been, the interest, (accor-
ding to their views of interes) Of the slave
| holding population, to shift from themselves,
| and to lay on others, the burthens of govern
ment, they would impose heavy taxes on the
cattle, the property Of the helpless minority,
and Cypress them by this and every other
species OF fiscal exaction.-And yet the very
reverse is the fact For the Shareholders, in
vested with supreme power; and urged to its
exercise by their s'mtersst,' have not only not
overtaxed thccatsic Of their Western brethren,
bat have in fact, imposed on them no tax at
| all. And Wht?-Bccause they were govern
| cd by the principles of justice, and the feel
/ ings of honour. Because they thought, and
Justly, that the people of tae frontier, burthen-
ed as they were with '+tae first expenses Of So
! cieB," and engaged in laying, as it were, the
: very foundation the social fabric. could i'll
! endure the additional burthen Of tax on
! their tlocks and herds. Because the nom
Stare. holders of the West were at their mer-
ry, aud every feeling of honor and magnani-
nifty forbade them to Cypress the weak.
say, then, SIR, that the slave holders Of Virgil
MIA, have shown by their conduct in this par
ticular, the incorrcctness eli the theory which
; supposes man to he governed bv the sordid
feelings alone of his nature, to the exclusion
of the nobler,
But, sir, do not believe that 1t is, or ever
was, the read interest Of any man, or set OF
men, of any class ina the community, or OF
any community, to abuse power, to Cypress
the weak, or TO act with injustice | do not
believe that 1T IS, or ever can be, the real in
tcrest OF any man, or set of men, to disregard
the monitions OF conscience, to break down
the barriers, and obkterate the distinctions,
between right and wrong, and thus to involve
society in all the horrors of anarchy. The
principles of justice are the foundation Of the
social fabric; and rash and foolish is he, and
blind to his true interest, who undermines the
foundation, and tumbles the fabric in ruins.
/ say, then, that arguing prioas, or taking
for our guide the conduct of the slave holders
of Virginia, we are led to the conclusion, that
the property of the wealthy would not be I'M
perilled, as gentlemen imagine, by entrustng
the powers Of government to a,in,bc3s, without
regard to their wealth That property would
Zee abundantly secure, without investing its
holders with a Fictitious power, derived from
its possession. And that there is not theIeas.
necessity for the proposed innovation on the
great principles OF government, asserted by
our ancestors at the era of the revolution
But il is not in Virginia alone that we see
evidences of the fntility of the apprehensons
that are entertained for the Safety of ilropey-