Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-03-07
ORIGINAL connMuNroAI Ions.
no TuE NON.FREEMoEpERs or Aldo ELE

AS fellow citizens, l wond iain aifess YOU
S'hce however you have not been adNcd To any
agency IN the formation aud ,stabIi bent oil u
new constitution, about To be submntJo the peO-
PIE OIL whom you constitute no pant, ud by such
exclusion are classed with slaves; az &s you are
denled all participation through a sentative
power In the present government, l spst appeal
10 you as the oppressed, though i H not the
passive subjects ot Il privileged ortS landed
a''S'ocracy. Need you now be told Y the long.
the gr'evously protracted war oifcvolution,
through which your fore fathers told and blcd,
was IN defence of the very right With the arro-
giant owners OF the soil have SD long Nneld from
you, and oil which they still avow III design to
aespoll you. by rejecting, and scniiik you from
Inc polls where their constitution is \ be imperi-
n"sy, and imperativey ra,itied3 Nd you now
I he told that the heroic and successI struggle of
your ancestors was against tie Brtisthsurpaions
OF ruling you, whilst it wrested from, Blu the priv-
iege, through represen taton of asSrtlng your
rights, or iedressing your wrongs iced you be
told ask you, that the tyranny whiiyour hardy
ioreiaathers Frustrated is now impoSl upon you
by ."untrymen, and neighbours; I men, who,
whilst they denyto you the intelligent, and with
hold from you the ight To partcpal in the ELL
actment of laws, by which your Jasons, and
property arc bound, associate with you bs equals,
hang upon you for applause, aud in ti.nes oi.lrib-
uidtion and danger, look to you for aid aud pro-
tectlou. What must be your chagrin, whilst con-
templating your present ahject state, Spu call to
mind the last hope of Washington tlI,. should
British force prevail, to retire beyopd the Ale
ghany, 10 savage wilds ameliorated Is. the smiles
OF liberty, in preference to fair field and popu.
lons cities where despotisD lowered Should
this be deemed the vivid coouring o. dsten-
pered fancy, appeal to your cand,r and good
sense, whether as the constitution p,w is, and
from the spirit evinced in the present legislature,
Is intended to be, you have not been ,orded over,
and SO are likely to be by freehold astocracy
And, whether the sensitive mind does not shrink
more repugnantly from the oppression of relatives
! and friends, than from that of foreigners and
strangers; for loss and gill the usuraton as
they may. the father tyrannizes over the son,
friend over friend, neighbour over neighbour
when the one proclams to the other you shall
have no political agency in government, no par
ticipa'Ion in the enactment Of laws by which
rule you.
One insults you with the nimsy syllogsm, that
the land is theirs, The state is composed of the
aggregate Of their lands, 81 that by consequence e
they are entitled to the government of the State
The term STATE, signifies commonwealth or com.
munliy, as well as territory; the boundaries OF
the state refer TO lis territory, its prosperity the
government. Now those aristocrats who plead
their possessions in justification Of their pow er
their exclusive privilege of taxing, legisa,ing and
representing confound territory with commons
wealth, and government, and as territory alone i.
represented confOund you with their slaves anf
cattle, when they claim the state as their proper
iy. In spirit Of irony you are reminded by a
mother, of the mans eptaph who died from til,
use OF medicine, though his health had been good
I"l was well. would be better, and here am
A third, mole blunily. but not less msolenlly TELL
yor, that you arc an ignorant rabhle incapable q
. A In Al
our, that, during long series Of years from tn,
establishment OF the present constitution, inst
equitable laws have been passed, every iule o
right has been observed, every wrong redre sed
and justice fairly and equally administered, thu:
insidously founding their usurpation upon YOU
acqnlcscense to principle about which, neithe
you nor your fathers were consulted ; nor, in fact
was the present constitution, nor any article Their,
OF ever submitted To The people, either as free
holIers or lreemen, for consent or confirmation
Not STD with the political law ofthe land now To l.,
submitted for ratification to the proprieiors of tn,
soil Should you sIumber at your posts, and ac
qnIesce in power always assumed over YOU bn
now oDehiy avOwed as Il right founded upon sOunt
policy, your privilege as ireemen is barred fore,
err; nor can you ever assert obtain it, but b,
revolution, attended by civil ccmmotion As lh,
tendency of wealth has invariably been in all gov
ernments, towards concentration in the hands o
'c", tue Oh must COliSC
quently he diminished, for the wealth of Virginia
as an agricultural community, must consist prin
cIPaly in her soil as that wealth therefore be
comes concentrated mOnopolized, the lewe
must be the number Of land holders, the gieale
the inequality Of representation, and the NOR,
hnr'hensome your oppression Another, in thu
true shop Keeping spirit, most sapicnly informs
you That government Is ii cninpanv-we laud hold
erS own all the stock 10 extend ih1 elective fran
chIse. would be tn admit mon-ireeholders into Tho
iirn, whilst they contribute nothing. Some are
alarmed should you vagabonds and panpers gan
admission into the legislative counciIs OF tn,
state, al! the bur,hen aud expense Of government
would be imposed upon them; but by FAR tn,
greater number of alatmisis men lately pos
; sessed Of wealth. fearful OF their new dignity amt
Jealous Of sharing it with the class from whIcI
they have emerged men, who. from their owe
confession, have purchased their patriotism witt
|, their land. And here i; may not be gong too TAI
out of our way, To guard them against that grea
leviathan patriot, the bank who distemds his enor
nous bulk 10y swallowing up the litile Try
10 what shallow subfcriuges will men resort IL
the defence Of power unjustly 0btainedl How else
are we to- understand those who charge You Will
Ina yiuU cnDiiaI i'm irr, nG