Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-11-05

U ffOtN o'HNf tit HiHfcHf UuAI nTtnItlHI
be oonfinrd TO the lower country.
Mr.. u. then examined the principle of qua,
dntee y hieh the Western members propose /
" give-and he admitted that II was ns good a
! they could furnish, II unconnected with an
{ portion OF poliiical power. But, Mr.. a.. con
4 tended. thai there WIS no efficiency in n pane
4 gpsrgntee--and what sort of virtue Ia there in
piece Of parchment, which they may take AVA,
Whenever ihey please 2 lie examined The VA
rious guarantees which had been ofrered-an
conteuded that they we've ,ugficieni for the oh
ject contemplated, either incapable of being
carried iatp execution, or productive Of injur,
aud injustice.
MIR. U proceeded ~ enforce his position abonl
The representation Of property. lie stateo this
distinction, thai the East had m lnducemeni TO
violate the personal rights of the people-and
that In laying taxes, they could lay none which
did not equally affect hcmselves-tha the tax
On carriages and horses, &c. wonto extend 10
themselves 70 well NJ 10 The Wesi-whe,eas II
the power was given 10 the West, we had n
species Of property in our slaves, which the,
had not, and which might DO oyertased. MI, o..
concluded 10y asking why any chang should be
made in our Constitution
Mr.. Doddr,ge rose iH replV-beeinning with
The remark, that the Arguments which The gen.
tleman of NortbaUip ion. lAlr. upslur) yester
day offered were Sc absiraot, ms 10 require very
little notice. II was those which he nd offered
today. when lie touched on Virginia ground,
which called for an answer. lie began by cx
pressing his acknowledgements 10 Mr.. u for the
candor and good feeling he had displayed. Mi.
d.. then con'ended, that the present Constitution
had not been formed "a a partnership ought To
be formed, where all ought 10 have participated
IN making a compact for all, But, the presen,
Constitution WIS framed b, The freeholders,
| and hD IA fnFitnn nj thn l.a.l lid. nuI, IL.
then went into The history of the Constitution,
showing how the lasi House Of Burgassss in
l770. which had set under The Colonial Govern.
meni, and elected by the ffeoiolders only, had
drawn up this INSTRUMENT in which the people
had acquirsced, in consequence of the pcrilous
state ofihe times. This was moi NJ action, he
said, Of all for The benefit of all bu, of this free
holders alone, owning 80 acres of land, Sc.
protesting 10 act for all. lie stated, that The
former organization had only been peTpeiuaied
| with some exceptions--tle Senate TAX ag the
place Of the Council, and the Governor OF the
Deputy ofthe King but the House OF Delegates
took the place OF The louise Of Burgcsscs. aud
possessed similar qlaiiG ;ations. II admit
ted that the representation in the House OF Dri.
| egates might have been al first, tulerably equa
but by degrees, rs the back country filled up.
and the boundaries ofthe counties NOT undergo
| ing a proportionaie changc, The inequality was
increased, aud the injustice becnme Oppressive.
Mr.. ID. showed how early the complaints against
THIS inequality began Ia the State-and how POI
tifions for a cav Of he Convention were almost
every year presented TO the Leglslainre-bui
they were diSregarded by the Edsiern Politi.
clans This state of lhings continued until n
body Of men nj Stanton called upon the Legs
laIure TO appeal to the PEOPLE. In 1916. accord
ingly, such a bill was brought into the House
of Delegates, for taking the sense Of the people
on the call of Convention with limited pow
o's. The sn'Joots proposed. wor. equniizng
the representation in both Honses of the Gene.
raj Assembly, aud equalizng the Iand-taA, and
extending the Right Of Stuff age To al such as
had evidence ol permanent common interest
with, and attachment 10 the community. Mr..
d. gave II history Of the different propositions
which were presented 10 the Legislature in 1916
on this suiJect-and among the rest. the pl n
Of representing the blacks. whica was rejected
hot more than % or % members voting Tor
IL. SO incorrect wa. il now 10 say, that the idea
OF representing the whites alone is a new idea
He showed how this Convention bill was al
that time superseded by the bill Of the Senate.
for re-organizing the Senatorial Districts, and
founded on the white population-wiih this II
regularity, indeed, that The appnriiopment of
the Districts was made on the census Of 1910.
He expressed his surprise, therefore. that whilst
this apporiionmeni had been made in the Sc
nate, such a principle should be objected 10 in
relation to the House OF Delegates MIR. D.
stated that The Convention Of Stnunion in 1916
took The same ground in relation TO white pop.
ulation, as was now done by its friends-How
then can IL be asserted that IL is a new doctrine
in this land
lie referred also TO the history Of the law
OF the las, session. The majority In that Legs
lature (the minority A. he believed in this Con
ID - ~ II---l -
hut they ended with claiming representation on
the principle Of "a taxation. The doctrine Of the
Federal basis. however, had become every day
more unpopular in the State-and instead OF its
being introduced in the frat instance here, the
minority began with pressing the same princi.
pile which they ended with in the last session of
the Legislature. But it was the same doctrine.
let il assume whichever shape IL may. az seems
10 have been avowed by the gentlemen from
Culpeper and Northampion--the slave. being
IN the one case regarded as = subject Of tara
iiOn, and ia the other as q reason for representa-
ton.
MIR. d. proceeded to examine the argument
Of Mr.. Upshur, on the representation Of proper-
ty. He cpntended, that such a doctrine would
give an undue ascendancy TO wealth--ihat a
man, with 200 slaves IN one county, might have
200 times AS mach weight as another man in
another. fie declared he repudisted such a
doctrine in every shape-an and shat though pro.
perry was entitled to protection. it was not emit
tied to representation.
He contended that there was no analogy
between The doctrine held during our revolu-
ton, of takaiion and rcpresentation sing to-
gether, and The present pretensIons of the Eas.
tern People.
He examined the various postnlateS advanced
BY MIR. Upshur, and dwelt particularly on the
principles laid down in the Bill of Rights
which had beea pronounced by one of THE high
est judicial authorities a series Of distractions
This Bill OF Rights has been recognized unani-
mousIy by the presen, Convention, as es'ab.
fishing the principles of the Constitution. Its
admitted by us a. an abiding authority. and
yet /. is said that il is a set Of distractions -
The very Legislature which formed the present
Constitution, appointed a Committee 10 repori
on what was called In their dignifed ~lauguag,
r e tha hasis of government ~ il WAS go renoTted