Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-12-11
NO. 20.

aPPease all animos!t;es, to quiet every as
Sty 'e'ihI, ana unite IN common Concer:
Tor the Common veal /; and have no.
tailed SIil 10 believe that may yet res.
NE TINS hope. could not preserve tia;
neutrality at tins Interesting crisis of n
lars, when angry discussions were ant
cipated by all, when drefh dissentions
We're feared by many--at this period when
fSNery thing Tay be lost h., ~ .,iia 49,
eve'y thug saved by care, could y
nae the trust which my constituents have
SO confidently placed in nv INTEGRITY
which they had contided to me uitbont
pledge, and without instruction, whcr
they have left me unguided, to follow the
dictates OF my own judgement, and io
shape my course with single eve 10
what believe will conduce to the nuhIic
good.
have listened TO all that has been s,i,,
and much has been ably said. bavo
considered 1t with candour and am r,lIv
Sa'iShed, that 10y advocating the resolution
~ tie Committee and by opposing the
/ amendment, Shall best advance the in
tercSis "l my constituents am not fond
ut change have thought the present
Constitution imperfect in theory and de.
'ective IN practice. have thouph, that
the inequality in the representation which
the resolution OF the Committee is intend
ed to remedy, as well as the inequality in
taxation, were evils which required cor.
rectIons tor some years was member
"i that branch of the Legislature where
the inequality was the most glaring. and
had an opportunity o: observing lis ei;acts
| represented district of SIX c,nu,,es in
the valley, containing a very LARGE nrou,,r.
ton ot the white population of the Yves
tern sections. Myself and three others
were the representatives of one ,hi,d Dart
OF the white population of the State
thought had seen the injurious effect &C
TINS striking ineqra ity, for | beheld The
Interests OF the East often arrayed AGAINST
the interests Of the West. had seen tho
consequences, had witnessed the heat and
anger engendered by the agitation of
'hese conflicting interests, and it had fall.
re-" 10 my lot I'd De a mediator between
both parties. | had seen these contep-
tons fomentlng and increasing the evils
81 the system. separating brethren from
brethren, and producing dscord, where
IN truth there existed nothing but a d.
versity of views.
| This inequality Of representation. espe.
eIaily IN The Senate, has always been one
II the objects reform, and the ineonaI.
ty IN the taxation has invariably been
connected with il. The law of 1879
produces this inequalny-it adopted a
standard, which, tho just at the time of
lis adoption, had since become UNEQUAL
and unjust. This had been created bv
atixlng as the standard Of value the aver
age value Of land in the districts. I'm the
inst class the average value amounted to
Ten shIliIngs per acre,-in the second
excluding the counties of Patrick and
Henry, and including two large counties
in the Valley, the average value was Sc.
ven shillings, in the third it was fixed az
| five shillngs and sixpence, and m the
fourth 10 three shillings. This bill was
| reported by the Committee, and the Lee
gisla'ure adopted it, deeming it better to
do this until re-assessment could be
made for the whole State. The opera-
| ton Of this law Of course was UNEQUAL. the
trans-AIleghany, and the Valley districts
paid too little, the others to much-in
consequence of this, the people of the.
West had constantly been jeered on ac.
count of their poverty and for the want
OF contributing their just share to tho dis
charge OF the public burtbens he nee
all reform has been impracticable, ,nvery
attempt has been defeated and controyer-
lsy alone has been the consequence.
In this state OF affairs( some other causes
OF excitement Intervening in 1916, this
| discomfort was seized upon TO inlame the
public mind and the fruit was the Staun-
ton Conventional assembled under or
element, and additional alarm was crea-
ted but the people represented had NOT
, yet become excited-I was deputed tn
this Convention thus assembled. mot tn
rouse to resentment Or stimulate TO mis-
chief mot to excite alarm or apitate
connections, but to endeavour to allav
these feelings and restrain all excess. with
tins distinct understanding, that all we
asked tor was the means OF correcting the
Inequality of taxation. This, however.
was not all then asked for by the Stanton
Conventional thought they asked for too
much, they desired a Convention with
unlimited powers-we wanted limited
Convention, to remedy these two defects.
with provision in the new Constitution.
Tor It's future amendment, well guarded
| lgainSt abuse. to prevent greater mischief.
Their proceedings were laid before the
Legi>l tture, and bill was introduced to
taIl limited Convention, and expressly
70 equaI'=e representation, TO equaize tax.
| liIou, and TO extend the right Of sufFrape.
| 1t was afterwards amended and confined
10 the two fret objects, emitting the sx.
tension of the right of suffrage, add it was
hought not wise IN ask TO- the provision
of future amendments. That bin passed
ihc House of delegates, bat ma ing With