Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-03

wealth. claim said he, twice as much influence IN
society as you, because have wife. She has her
Interests or her wishes we as ven or I. e re-.
joined, he could not agree that either of them sllld
have more power III tine government than him
SELF His rite he said, was of much and his
skill to use 1t as either OF their possessions. NAY
the day may be tomorrow that the safety ofour per
sons and ofour community may depend upon him, d
he thought that his clai ms founded upon the
preservation of our very existence, stronger
aian those of any other person, and entitled him more
than any other man to greater political power. You
recolcct that the great men of the old world were
all warriors and military chieftans As for his
neghbor claiming influence for his wife, it is alb
srd Has she any separate interest from hiss Has
she not identified her interests with hiss Could
she have any will affecting the community, but
through hms Was not she his property by the mar
rlage compact?
rises and says that his claims were paramount
IN allo Others. He had MANY chdrcn-thev were thn
nope OF every community. lie claimed interest
IN government proportiore TO his interest in IT. and
tn the service which he yet might reuder it. He had
n, money, no rihe it true but he had seven sons
and daughters coming fsrward, who would be able
tn create wealth and to defend the community. He
insisted upon il thatif any man in that community
had right to more than his voice liza it. than his
perss ral weight, he had seren good reasons to
offer why lie should have than him.
u suld be had neither wife, daughter or riff
or single dollar. He was stripped of all extrinsic
claims for superior weight the government
hnt he was not without orl r cai rs. He had
learned to speak two three of the Indian lnuuages
snce he became inlabi'ant of these wilds and
should any misunderstanding arise between us and
them, he could he interpreter, and might do more
IN prevent war than any other member in our COM
munty. He claimed then an influence equal to this
rarest and most useful endowment which reuuired so
much labor and time to obtain, and which when OBJ
tanned was useful to society. But he must protest
against d having votes for his 7 children, They
arc minors, under his control, and of rea-
soh. When they arrive at manhood and free
a.rents but not till then shall they have voice. A
rises and saws that they all had claims for various po
tons OF political power. He thought must ban
q nj fteso
principles. He would claim only his single vote and
is single personal influence and would Weld his pre-
.lsbns IT every other gentleman yielded his He
would agree thn' we should all surrender ourselves
orr properly, our talents, and skill pro bono pub
tco-that earh man should have his personal in
huence and in all contributions 70. the pubic servic,
each man should contribute in his wtv according
In his respective ability.
Here, said Mr.. c. we had in miniature sometime
analogous to this state of of which we Ina We
So often heard And here we have the oniv true phi.
lcSophy OF the social compact In this compact as he
understood it, every surrenders himself to th,
Whole community, and the community i'm w e had
no OCCASION to travel far Soufh as the gentleman
trnm Northampton, who prnctratedthose regions until
lie ,ehite derii Nor need we 90 sn far Ni3rtf
with the gentleman from Orange, who found nation
composed entirely OF U6men H,f seemed greatly
concerned for the political rights of such marion
INT he need not have troubled himself much on that,
account, for such nation could continue for
than 500 years
While he the subject ofsnch state of ma
tire, on viewing man coming into society, might
he not take occasion To observe, that exhibits
himself possessing the right of suffrage anterior TO
his coming into The social comuact? II is not rght
derived from conirped by socety-t is n right
which belonged to him Society may di-
vest him of it, but could not confer it. But what
is the right Tt is that of thinking wiling and ex-
pressing this will vote neither more nor less
than the expression of persons will God has given
to man the power of thinking, willing, and speaking
his will, and no man free agent, ever entered
into society, without willing it. And we NAV add
NJ man could form social compact, without first
cfcising what he might call the right of suffrage
L was right natural and undened to the exercise
Of which every man by nature, has as good reason
as another. But this is only by the way.
Having glanced at this state of uatlra and
the meaning qfthe social compact which IN his de-
sutary and eXtemp way, he had done with
ont method he would approach tn, great
question now pending before them rcmarkng how
crer that so depart from the d
taned in the three first articles of the bill OF rights,
abandon the radical principles of our government
not only OF tue state of Virginia but OF every other
state in he union.
(H,r Mr.. G, re I'd and commented upon the three
first artices.)
f,he amendment would succeed he should consid-
or these principles abandoned. a principle
won be sanctnmed-the very principle on which the
istocracy and monarcies ofhe old world have been
founded. Glvemen political power according to their
wealth and soon shall have legalized ol,garchy-
then comes the thirty tyrunts-ben follows The quin-
decimDir-then the dscemuiri then the triuD1DrnLe 81
last ofail julius Cesar. Talk of the docking of en-
tails and the laws of Parcenary but feeble resistance
these arrangements present toH regning oligarchy
Men love power and M proportion as they it, does that
love increase.
Pis appeared him controversy merely about power
One party spoke though they possessed il, and had
heow Another contends for ii their right 1t with
struggle for for the right for principles jus
lie did think that order comfort,
iiness prosperity that necessary invade the peace
c0nfnr, happiness prosperity of That NE
ior principles Oi for he would shey. And
showing Ibis lie would shew how
opon of reform ask usor guarantee against oppression
fhe will be vested in the vey hands of vino
70 hold as upre between the rival interests Of the East and
TIE West He would take the present representa-
Tor tho data That number 4of whonihe Is
aud four water have present 81 representa-
On the wiHs population basis they would only ~
}1Oihs representatives That according census
ct 82Dwicb would correctly demonstrate the principles