Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-10-29

say, then, that arguing priori, tsSing for 4
our guide tho conduct ofjhe slave-hoders OF Virgin
ia. ave q led To the conclusion that the property
Of the wealthy would not be upcricd, as gentlemen
imagine, by entrusting the powers oi government to
numbers, without regard TO their wealth. That
property would be abundantly secure, without inves
ting its holders with Fictitious power, derived from
it's possessions And that there is not the least ne
ccssity for tire proposed innovation the great prin
cpcs oil government, asserted by our ancestors at
the era Of the revolution. 'sst&
But il is no, in Virginia alone that we see cvidcn-
ces Of the futlay of the apprehensons that ell
tcrtaipcd for the safety Of propcrty.-We have in
tue history of our sister commonwealth rich
fund OF experience IRON whence draw
gumeuis 10 Illustrate the utter tutlty of these up
prchcDslons, infeen States Of ihe Union represent
tation is apportioned according 10 numbers alone,
ord wholly without reference 10 property, or the
wealth of the electors In eight of these States
citizenship is the cole qualities OF The elector and
iathe rcuainng the payment of any either
ucal or general Is the only qualification superadded
The numbers, the needy many, have had the supreme
control over the wealthy jcp ofthose states
tor forty years IN some thirty, some twenty, in
some Ten and in some FIVE. And what has been the
practical resul!-Look at thar situation, sir, and
look at Oars-Do we not see among them the richest
and most prosperous states OF the union:Ilus STU
gle instance occurred Of Legislative INVASION b. the
poor, OF the rights of the weatlys-Not one The
machine of government has rolled Smoothly on, and
property has been found as 1t ever VIII be found,
able protect itself, without constitutional buTirss
III the shape ot odious pricteges SO much for the
general question, whether property is endangered BY
leaving the people in possession of their natural and
equal rights.
| But know, sir, incidentally, that the mover OF
this amendment Cuort"ins the opinion, that the
of Tirgfniu IS from peculiar circumstances, u&ase
Su' Scner' Ills opinion is that the compa IA lively
non slavG-holdng population OF Virginia must ere
long constitute, If il does not now constitute deci.
ded majority ofthe people, aud that majority lnhab
ihS particular section of the state, acnated from
their sieve holding fellow citizrns by distance locali
ties IL dlssn:!ar questions OF general policy
i nat IL VIII be-, or what amounts To the anne thing
that they VII suppOSu>t to be- their interest 70 Law tie
ourthenS oi government almost exclusively on the
slave property OF their brethren. And that
iS therefore necessary invest The slave holding
minority with Fictitious power, under the new Co-
stituton, TO enable II to protect itself against the in
lustce anu oppression o! tile comparatively non slave
holding mHjorr.
Surprising the facts whic! have Just stat eClto b.,
us ne naglnes them 10 be-! DO no, any ln2 the
case stated, which takes of the operat ou of the
psiucipIcs OF security which have supposed TO ext
III regard TO property III general. He raj act con-
tehd thut the Peep of tie less ouerated on
~ Inc principle OF honour, by sentiments OF justice
anu Dy SENSE VI their real INTERESTS than the pco-
pie OF the E1st.-And if This he so, his fears are
groundess. For the people of the cast, under SIM
lar circumstances, have rcpcedthe base suggestions
vi soTdld aud sIort-sgh crest aud have been
governed by nublcr and more enlarged views of cxpc
Gis'cy and right But sir, his premises fail him
Look at the map Of Virginia. s. at the tables of pop
iaion w!!!ch have this day been reported 81 Tie hu
uiNOI. LlS estimates Tie white population east Of
the Blue Ridge Of Mountains, at 3G2,7I5, and the
white population west of those mountains az Glgsi6
Ihe people OF the east have, therefore, majority of
lo't<9 over those Of the west. 1 need Scarcely,
e:s teii tits assembly, that the whole white popula
ton cast of the Ridge ia a slave-hodinr population
The black population is even more dense aionr tic
eastern base of the Ridge, than along tho shore OF
the Atlantic For while the two seustnr;aI
bordering the ocean, contained bv the ccnsns F
1870, one of them but f7,4I6, and the other hut
10 80" tIree OF the districts along the eastern base
Q. tne ridge contained, one of them 271i7 another
2Tol1 aud the third 80 62i. Thus you perceive sir
hat the slave population is crowded np to the very
foot OF the nOuntsin. But this is not all JIhe
STA Vc-!oidmg population extends Jeyond the Ridge
ne listTlct which have the honour in part to Te
present, confirms about l2.oO0 slaves Tho fur
western counties of Berkeley Jefferson Freder,cL
ond Botctourt contain 1910. They are therefore
larry 10 be considered as slave holding countless TO
the practical intent Of being Interested in exempiinr
slaves from undue taxation. These four counties are
To contain, at present, white population of
47'oi3. Add this save-holJing population west of
the mountain, 70 say nothing Of other western c,,r
ues winch contain slaves TO the amount of several
thousands more to the holding population cast
o. the inouGtans, & you have an ayufcrae 100 758
he comparatively non-slave holding population in all
The remaining counties Of Virginia is but 272 zoe
There 49, therefore, majority of slave .hod;nr noD
iahon, amoGGting to 1875
ana yet, strange to tell, an apprehension is enter.
tanned, that " representation be c9rty apporsncd
among the white population slave jroperty will Inc
burthcned by unequal and oppressive taxe$,-if tho
resolution OF The COmmittce be adopted the slave
holding population will possess in the House of De-
iegaies majority Of representatives in tie promotion
Of 40o75B to 272,5O3; and yet fear is entertained.
that the representatives Of the e72.50 non-saye-
holders van oVertaX the property Of the 409753
slaye-hoders And TO avert this Imminent nerl ana
fragrant Injustice, you asked to invest the 4oa 79
WIN Jnetntons constitutional poUer-to DESTROY the
great landmarks Of natural right established at the
era OF The reyOltion-to repudiate all the nrjncip
Of govcrnmen which hnyc been, until now, held sa
c'cd AMI invioiabe Such, sir, is the argument BY
when the proposed amendment is supported.
Mr.. GREENE then rose 10 address tho Chair. but
his remarks throughout in very inaudible tone
lie SAID that they had now been dppriscd Of the
foundation on which the advocates for en- exclusive
white population basis rest their claim TO tbat ex
tention Of suffrage. Reference had been made TO tho
principles laid down III tho Bill Of Rights as the MN
ciplcs ON which this extension was funded n ID
Just alleged thn, the Bl Of Rights declares that an
men arc free, which Is said to be equivalent to dec
iaratlon That MI men have equal rights. Very true
when this principle Of equality is confined TO natural
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