Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-12-22


Jority OF That delegation whether they ought accept
OF such a Senate or not. few OF them, and myself
among the number, thought that ought. for
sdered wiser, in the present state of public feeling
to submit nneNce pionsblc constitution TO the
people than dissolve the Convention wi,hou. doing any
thing. Dutwe all contemplated merely Senate on
the basis Of Federal numbers other basis equal
~ favorable to us bur looked ssoo additional guards
and securities. The gentleman from Fairfax (AIr. Fi,z-
hush had submitted his guarantees against unequal
alton, which were still undsposed Of and which were
in the contemplation of every eastern member who had
reconciled himself tosnch Senate al ALL In this
OF things, the question came up for consideration. The
gentleman from Fauquier, (Mr. Scott proposed Senae
OF forty eight based taxation Alone and possessing
concurrent legislative powers, with the House Of Dele
gates This, II is believed would have beenacceptabe
10 every eastern member, but was lost, the universal
,ces'ern rote being against it. We then proposed
Senate oil thirty upon different basis, but it was
los me uu,cersds icestern rote being against 10.
Senate oil thirty or hirtytwo was then proposed, and
before the question taken the gentleman from
Brooke, MT Doidridge) gravcy proposed the number
oil the existing Senate, tweny-iour, That gentleman
knew, every other gentleman knew that no eastern
member would agree to accept OF Senate organized
upon any principle whatever without considerable in
crease in the number of that House. But this
all. That gentleman had declared ON that occa-
sion or few days beorete time is of consc quenco
that his votes the question OF suffrage had been
given with express reference 10 this subject Such a
Senate asked odous 10 him. and he had voted
for the least limited extension of the right of suffrage
with the express view of rendering that Senate useless
and unavailing. This object to render it either in
when things Of this sort acting before my eyes,,
by gentlemen who proessed to be in search Of fair com
promise, and who calculated my support to their
measure, Thought 1t high time to undeceive them. Ii
was then that told them that all these attempts were
worse than idle; that although they did not mean 10
mock US yet that we should assuredy regard their Of
ers as the worst of mockery, If they did not indicate
some desire TO render those offers acceptable u.s. and
that the course they pursuing would have the Ger.
tain effect of driving from. them, those among us,
who were then best disposed TO their / added
also-with very little of the caution OF the dipomatist
admit, for have conceaments neitheri Parliament
nor out of it, that far |, myself was concerned
would prefer Senate of fory-egbt, but that might
agree to one of irtysix, and would not agree TO any
less number This is the remark alluded TO by the gen
teman from Loudoun, and these the circumstances
under which it was made The gentlemen row offers
us nate of thirtysix; he gives us one number but
he loses sight OF that increase of Legislative power
which was contemplated in the proposition of the gen
teman from Fauqucr and OF the equally valuable guar
| antee OF the gentleman from Fairfax An expression
OF my Willingness TO accept Senate of thrtysix hut
with reference rresistbly implied, to oil the guards
and securities which then before u.s. and consider
ed in direct conneyon with il, has been construed into
something like pledge that would accept of Senate
with that number only, tcttom either guard
rity
Bat there is yet another part Of the history of this
subject which deserves TO be mentioned. Even after
the declaration above alluded to- made no farther
vote was taken upon the question No western gem
tleman ever announced his willingness 10 vote for n
senate Of thirty six, either with without guards and
securities, but the committee rose without roming TO
any resolution in regard TO IL. The subject was not
/ again taken up Tor many days, nor until western gem
temen had held no less than three meetings Of their
fiend' in order TO determine whether they weud go
even az Tar as they n0lc PROPOSE not In the
'ime the attention Of eastern members had heen turn
ed to other plans of compromise The gentleman from
AIbemarIe had submitted the scheme now before us
the gentleman from Chesterfield had submitted another
hal myself submitted third. anil tho gentleman from,
| Richmond had presented calculations for fourth
Each and every Of these measures was more ac-
cepabe 10 the Eastern Delegations than the House Of
Delegates the white basis and the Senate on every
other basis that could be devised; which we
had carefully prepared and committed ourselves sur
port, while the gentleman from Loudoun and his friends
were celebrating whether they ouG give us feeble
and inefficient Senate OF thirty six members mott
They finally determined that they would make US the
oiier but never until il was fully ascertaned that we
could get all that they offered and more. without any
assistance from them And yet under all these circum-
stances, after the backwaness and reluctance Of Wes
tern gentlemen to meet the terms OF compro-
mise, proposed by the gentleman from Goochiand lad
forced NJ upon other expedients; after we bad com
mitted ourselves TO our friends and 10 the country at
large, to advocate and sustain those evpedents with all
our powers; while those very expediens were vet be-
tore us, undisposed Of the gentleman from Loudoun
mas battered himself with the hope. that should con-
slider ourselves under pledge TO retracs our steps 10
abandon all our own avourite projects, and accept
another which we bad never looked to but last al
tentative. and which offered TO us until il
could no longer be withheld Whether the gentleman
in entertaining this extravagant expeca; ion has de-
II ceived himself or been deceived by Others YOU Sir
and oilers who hear me, may determine.
But, Sir, whatever may have heen The "A yor with
which we at hrs' regarded the measure 10 which the
gentleman is anxious TO bind u.s. he mas him
sell, gwen Ms the best possible for looking more
narrowly into the matter. II we have become some
what more dstrustlu than at first, we owe
our additional caution to the gentenans own adrnoni-
tons, Remember, Sir, that this measure is offered US
under The name OF compromise agreement found
ed upon mutual, il not equal concession. None OF us
have forgotten the mastery argumen nj Of the gentleman
from Richmond (Judge MarshalD upon this subject. He
endeavoured to shew that give the Senate 10 the
East & the House of Delegates TO the West, was not an
equal compromise, and that the very gentlemen who
offered It, did not consider IL equal " If they do con-
slider /, equal" (ssid ne why will then not take the Sem
ate & give us the House OF Delegates" The gentleman
from Londoun In reply to this quesion-no S r. not in
reply TO it, for il is Of those home questions which
admit OF no repyin endeavouriDg to evade the force
ef II. told us that equality not what we asked for
that protection and security the tn at we
had ever demanded. The idea has been reiterat
ed by the gentleman IRON Brook, MR. Doddridee1
Now, Sir, will gentlemen be pleased TO tell me =
whether they believe that should be secure'' or
not If both branches Of the Legislature were based on
white populaiion' They may the question AZ
they please. If they think that should not he Csc
cure" then they meant injustice when thew So
strenuousy contended for that basis and of course we
were right on that question, II on the other hand
they think that should be secure" then what do,
they concede to us, when they offer US the Senatey
lhey will doubtless dsclain, they may truly dis
claim, all idea Of intentional injustice, and then, the
conclusion is evitable that in Offering the Senate
they offer than they themselves believe
we fully enjoyed before. Is this pere city orig
al idea Of q compromise? coinpromise which neither
comedies nor abaDdons any thing whatever :! Nav.
more. a compromise which proposes to give us, az an
equivalent Tor total abandonment NJ political prin