Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-10-31

lorty ofunts who to the polls, he the legal
jority, aud will control the results of all elections IL
TINS be q majority contormable To the public will
not, he would not pretend TO say
ne Judge who sentences an individual TO nnprson-
mcnt or DEATH performs solitary office, but sti ho
oSts III ooeence To the wishes of the majority OF the
peoples expressed by their representatives, and
oohed IN the laws OF the country. IL has u the ef
,ect oi an act done by majority OF the people. II
TIC was right IN the general position, that when we
come 10 The formation of government, ought tn
uiscnrd mere theory anu speculation, and pro-
80 on men ana Things as they nrc and i'll the lam
Soioh To aspire to What Is not the best pos
sioe, Out what is the best practicable form of pov
ernent-if, IN politics, IN Morals we arc To aspire
10 what Is most practicable, then the way is open and
e,csi before U.s. There IL no question to power
ana the inquiry resolves itself into this is il ii, il II
meet, Is II practically useful! Let us inycstiae the
matter IN this way II when men proceed To form
social compact or constitution they surrender moth
tng but their personal rights, might then be conten.
ded with some share of pausbilty thar numbers only
ought to be considered the basis of representation
This right exists In the ordinary contract between
man and man. If enc man surrenders any mart of
his personal rights, al others surrender an
All give the same equivalent, and all receive the
same equivalent But when We recolect that every
man surrcnders also control over his property one
man one portion OF his property and another anuth
CT portion, how could It be but up2n principle Of
general eQulvac lent:
! lie would put it the principle of compcnsa-
ton of equivalents Is 1t right that man should
surrender only given portion of his ruht, and
/ should reeve the equivalent, "a he who not
only surrendered that given portion, but also some
thing nore' tie was met by the argument. that the
Wore property you surrender, The more protection
YOU reccive-thut the protection is propor iunatc
and proceeds pdr pdssa with the amount OF property
you surrender; ana That thus n compensation q.
equivalents was constituted There might be some
piausibIlny III TINT argument, II il was true, that
government required no further contributions than
were necessary tn meet the annual disbursements of
the State- Ne spokCof the ordinary expenses of tho
Eegisature). But did not know that there were
| dF1il fla do flp rl.r tnltr
dollars. Tor the purposes of Internal Improvement
and Tor oil othnr enbccts connected with In.
constitutional ntcrad pvcy of the Commonwealth,
Let the argument be Concedcd--that 30 tar rs the
con rihutl rs go, they A. given eqivslcnt for
the protection of property. But when we come to
disbursements which have reference to the pro- &C.
ton OF Pr"perty-the arsurn Mt then fails and
to have application
I The gentleman from NorfoS (MR T,rronl nm
dertook Ia compare tho Proectiou which government
gives To the property of thos, who contribute,
I to rs shpport-to the case ~ an Underwater
I and insurer-the government {, the former
/ tie citizen tn the latter. lie would beg leave
to remind the gentleman from Norfolk, that
! very high authority had said, there vas nothing
so apt to lead into Il sinllc;-iF the ara-
logy Is not apparent through the whole If there ex
lists IN II any discriminating feature there il nothing
more fruitful of error md mistake than "a smile Co
vernment is The underwater, says the rcntlcman-
Agreed. And the people the insurcrs-aso = A.
united. Ii VIC could, in ordinary cases state L,-
previous agreement what the precise amount Of L,
premium was, then the premium would certainly hear
some proportion TO the amount of propcrtv in. urod
But imagine case where The underwriters cloi,,
more than the prcmium-whcre they can demand
whatever premium they please. The ocn, lc,,np
tnouGh skilled I'D mercantile law, card ofa case
oil that sort. Government is the underwater !,
so. Could we fix the precise premium coulJ wo cot
tie the exact amount which TO be paid for the DO
o n.y. oI -; t. agree TO pay 80 much and no
more-m that case the analogy would be accurate
But let us return FIR moment and ip,roducc III, a.
,ihSuishing feature Of this compnrson-tla tI, m
derwrlt"r can demand what premium he wisbos az
cording to his pleasure cuprico-bcrc then Tho
'ogy ceases and the smile is shown to be manifns,lv
absurd
This IS spoken of by gentlemen on the other sidc
w terms which Indicate apparent Injustice For
his own part, if he knew lis own heart lao would
NOT contend Tor any thing. IN this solemn delibcrave
assembly, which he considered to be unjust. He mipht
DC wrong--hc might be mistaken in imdament but oc
ono thlng he would assure gentlemen that whatever
ne might do IN another situation, he would moi kpoy
ngiy advocate principle here which hc I'D not think
LIght Is this new doctrine for which we contend
Ohc Of the most ardent wings who ever wrote on
seinmen' one VINO has laborcd than al others
W Ihe cause which lac cspouscd-thc most zenIoua
d"socote 10 'raln OF the expansion of the ripl, cr
suffrage has snid that tho most adcouote ;nc,,io -
popular representation which could be adoptod is n
representation proporoned TO the ontrbut,ops 70 b
public expenditure. That this was the corrcc, s,c
"dfu Is the opinion OF one who might well be called
an enthusiast IN the cause Of liberty burnin, ,r,,i
n hoiy ardor IN it's advancement
hut we were referred TO our sister Stotes Tho
example CT some OF them is in our favor There il
sort OF regard paid to property in North Cnron, in
G tIectioh OF her Senators In South Carolina ono
nan oi the popular branch of tho Governments - t
tea on the basis Of property IN Georpia Their idcos
on ts subject are adapted TO the prlnciple of the f
acraI governmcn-three fths of The slave proncrtv
oen,g represented In New Hampshire and Nus
sacnusetts, the Senate il elected ON tho bas;s
OF taxation and that the only bnsis. In
reference to Massnchusctts it's history 10 orooI
haht win interesting examples to tie. Their 90
acrnr'en' nus now existed for forty yours. When
u was prSpo<ed 10 alter their cons tn ION that mar, 81
was retained the rncplo. there that repr.son
.eton IN the Senate IS distinctly appor ionrd To- ing
stlon w are referred TO the experience of our ss
tor States. AZ far as their cxncTicnco , ~ s-
our IaVor. as lar as experiment goes II IS ayans ~,
Thore was marked limo Of distinction 10 lao IL,
eoetween experience and experiment We have o,,-
hke constant, fading and steady I,mi,a, ,cL;.t
] by exhibiting 10 na tho crrnrn 90. "ILCI