Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-12-19
VIRGINIA CONVENTION.
THURSDAY, Dec. ~, 1899.

The Convention met al IL o'clock. Y'l,e third Sc,
ton ut the report Of the Legislative Committee still
der consi Grafton
Mr.. w,lsox proposed to insert at the enI of tn
fourth paragraph, and preceding the provisn, the tu
lowing claus,
"Resoved, That every free white male citizen G
this Commonwealth, of the arc twcntyonc wears an
upwards, who shall have remained in the State tw,
years, and in the county which he proposes to vote on
year. ne x preceding the time of Offering such vote: VIII
shall have been cnrolied the militia. If subj ec TO mi
,ary duty, and who shall have paid all leves and "a nc
assessed upon him his property, Tor the year precc
ding that in which he offers tn vote, provided snc
taxes shall have been demanded of hm, shall have
right Co vute for members of the General Assembly
provided that person shall nc permitted to exercis
The right of Suffrage who is pa"pcr, who is of
sound mind; who has been convicted of any infanou
crime; who shall be u commissioned fiircr &,
private s"idier, seaman marine, in the regular ser
rice of the United States OF this Comnonweal tl
And the Legislature shall prescribe the mode of trying
ana! determining disputes c"nccr"ng the said quAIdi
cations of voters. whenever the right of person {,
vote stall be questioned
Mr. JorHEs moved To strike on, th. words cal
ievics aud taxes, and insert ga State, cnunty or cor
poration tax" The amendment was accepted by Mr.
Wilson.
Mr.. FITzUI:c;u proposed an amendment forbddiu.
al! capa'ion To be levied in future, and 10 ex
ciudc the payers Of county capation tax from t,,
right of voting Mr.. T. expressed his opinion that the
proposed meuiment of Mir WILSON amounted in ( ifec
to universal suffrage.
MIR CooKg said il would not be universal SUI fra re
That there large class of insuivents in ever,
wOul
be excluded because they could not pay the count,
levy HAT there were 6QJ Gclirquents returned il
one ccany a'ont.. aad Surprising the CT the State
to furnish in an equal ratio there you'll be %, Oee Ier
sons excluded. Mr.. Leigh inquired what courtyi-
MIR. Cooke replied the count" of i.o,lion. Air. Leigh
doubted the of the statement lie thong III
there musi he some mistake. MIR Conke stated that he
had TIM tact from grntieman OF the deieg from
the t.oudnun district. Mr.. Mercer said that as his
county named, he found it necessary to expI.in
lie thenrcad from! statement the number of persons
rptI ii limo
levy, for screyal in the county Of Ioulo which
fully supported the fact stated by Mr. Cooke Nj NJ
then sad. that the number appeared great, but
he ccnicrica that 'itheahes were persons from I6
years OF age ard upwards, and that in many cases no
doubt where the father WAS charged with severed
ttheables for himself his children, was returned
delinquent for the who'll.
Ms I.EIGu much feared, from what he had hearI in
the Convention aud in the Committee of the Whole
that no Constitution they could form, which would sui,
the OF the State, could be made the county
OF le"dooa. One gentleman had told us, said MIR. l..
that ~ tina, county, magistrates could not he had, who
we're abie and willing to perform their duties. Ano
ther gentleman says, that the parents unable to
pay the county ieves their children. The SheriTs
too lazy t0 collect the evies, &C. That M, re-
semblance to this state of things existed ia that
Of the country he was acquaed with and therefore
Constitution could suit his constituents and the
people of Loudoun. Mr. Leigh concluded his remarks
by saying, that the remarks Of the gentleman from
FairtaXs (Mr. FtZhuEh,) strictly true, that the
amendment did amount universal suffrage, or a,
least, that it would operate the entering wedge to it
Mr. MEncER rose to explain, az the gentleman (Nr
Leigh had not stated his argument correctly. Mr.
NJ repeated what he had before c2;d.
Mr.. LgIGn replied. lie expressed his doubts again.
whether some error did not exist in the of de-
hDrTDents IN LDudOun county. fIe thought he would
not have been misunderstood. lie thought IL probable
these returns might have been caused by transient per-
SONS, who were at work public improve ments
bavInS been included in the county levy Mr.. Mercer
SAIL there such works carried on at the time
Mr.. LEIGH SAID although he agreed with Mr Fitz-
hugh. that the amendment OF SIR. Wilson would
amount To universal suffrage, yet he should vote
against the amendment of Mr.. r., because he could
not exactly all tie effects, which might result from
il, and seemed include questions. more proper
Tor ordinary legislation.
MIR FITzHUGr remarked That the question 1yas
whether the proposition of Mr. Wilson was better with
or without his amendment.
Mr.. DonnnrpsE hoped the amendment of Mr. Fi,z-
hugh, might prevail. He thought tax should be
imposed on persons without property Military ser
vice. performed by such persons, Iicient com pen
sa''on for protection. Tie thought the county levy
aysscm unjust. He made the ui lection to the
road !ows 1T eAs oppressive the poor u,eclan
and drove many Of the m living the borders Of In,
State to other adjoining States, where such burder
existed lie wished the adoption Of a principle
which should exempt persons from taxation a d pro
perry, under a stated amount.
Mr. COOKE proposed q division Of the question or
the amendment of Mir Filzhugh. lie agreed to the
fist branchJ which excludes all capi,aon taxes ia
objected to the second clause. lie thought If iprac
tcablc, or If not actually 50, encountered with so any
difficulties. as 10 render il incxpcdieut
Alr. McCoY said he Thought the system OF capifa-
ton taxes so unjust, that hc bclieyed it would be
abolished.
Tue question was then put ON the first branch of
Mr. f'zhughs amendment. The ayes and noes were
called fnr.
AYrs --M-ssrs Clop!on Anderson, CoGinan. liar
rlson, Williamson, Johnson. Mccoy, Moore, B.irpe
Smith, Miller, Baxter. Mercer Fi,zhugh, Uender5oa
OsboFnc, CooEc, Naylar Donaldson, Boyd, Pcndle
ton, G"orgc M'Mbiau T. Campbell Byare Clovd
Mathews, OcirSby, Duncan, Laillcv Summers g .
Dodd1dgc, Morgan. a. Campbell, Wilson. J. s Bar
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