Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-03-04

SSP.Suuy ask the representatives of the west whe-
ther they will have yielded any thing 20 the east, The
principle ofequal county representation had hoe, az
wnuereu IN The other branch of the legislature
i ne scneme OF county representation would now he
"sehcr rehnqulshed in the Senate. in favor of the
district system. Let the district system bc bosod m
slccehsus oil 1870; and what more would the West
nave 10 demand, or the East TO concede, IL was
eaIIing ior mutual iorbearance and concossion
ana every sacrifice of interest and feeling was mo,
controversy. F N'sNs -" '' 'i'e
But an appeal ia made 70 the rrinciplc of tho ma
tura equality OF man, and TO the right of the maor
" TO govern the commrn;,y no " -, -,
of rights. al 'ie VIA
Mir. c. said that this appeal would be- moro ammo
pe'e' II TINS were the proper place To settle the finn
damcntal pr'n ciples of government. In ADVOCATING
II" estao'Shed system of electoral divisions his aim
vac W d'o'u premature commitment on a great
question, and to adjourn it's decision To mere appro-
pirate tribunal. The objects Of the advcrs, ppr,v
IL not To PREJUDICE, evidently was to hasten the tcci
slon; ana TO enst the name of the General Assembly
on the side OF particular interest
lie felt the utmost veneraon f,r the hill or ,;,bt,
and ITS lilustrous authors The proprctv of rccur
rNg 10 fundamental principles he was not disposed 10
controVert But abstract principles were danrerous
weapons and should be welded only by skiiu and
prudent hund. As IN mechanics so i'm nolitics nr,c
ice should keep sound theory ever in view But he
must protest agnliSt the doctrine that anv PROPOSE
ZION touching the form of our government was trua
or ia'se merely because of It's conformity or rcpup
'''"NN of Sol
every wise Legislator had adapted the fundamental
laws TO the existing state and condition Of society a
departure from this principle, hadoverthrown the ber
los OF France, and all her dependent republics Tho
e'''"',oh VI Virginia was astukng instance of op-
positc pollcy furnished by the authors of the Hill IF
nights Here was an illustrious xalnple slammed
With the seal OF revolutionary authority The hill f
rights and the constitution formed combined instrr
ment; the former, the text the latter the common,
ry; the one de of abstract principles; the otber
modified application of those principles to the cv;s,
ing state and condition of society
An important circumstance, however, appeared to
ne overlooked and forgotten upon the prescott occa-
SON. The province of the convention was NOT I'm
'doPt, but merely TO propose constitution Tho
instrument would have validity, until il should he
ratIhedby the vote of the people. In this resnoct
the proposed convention differed essentially from the
CONVENTIONS of 1916 and 1897 IF the consii,u.inn
should be defective, it would not meet v,itb ,L
APPRECIATION of the people. II was not 10 br nres,,
met, that the convention would attemrt or couid suc
cceu III an euort To impose a form of government
IN opposition to the gen raj sense of the comnunitv
IL was very apparent that the poin i'm controversy
derived Its principal inerest not from the relative
numbers IN question, but from the principle involved
a rule OF representation was sought to be establish
eu on the one side and avoided on the other. Upon
TINS subject, Mr.. C. did wish to affirm or TO dsaf
hrm to approve dsapprove any fixed principle vha1
ever lie would nevertheless adduce some considera
'o"S TO shew that the future representation in As
Semoly should be settled with extreme caution
a chain OF mountains divides it into two distinct
regions differing very widely in local circumstances
On the one side, lies n champaign country over
winch the plough may be driven from the MARYLAND
~ tue NoFth Carohna ine and from the mountain to
me ocean On the other side Pelion is hcaped unnn
Ossa' and Ossa upon Olympus. In the eastern cline
torrld sun pours upon the parched plains Farther
west the SHOWS OF winter Weld to the mlder
suns OF summer or these grand divisions of our
state, the Climate Of the is conrenial TO tho in
crease OF the black population: whilst, that of the
otner Is ausPlcious to the multiplication of the whites
we have Italy and Poand Carolina and Pennsvlyo
brought INTO close JuXtapostion separated only by
Il narrow ridge ot mountains From the district 1.-Two
even around TO that of Tennessee our border sr,tia
H'ehts IRON the policy of neghbourng states Fciu,
OF expected seem unirlendly to equable diffusion
OF the slave property of the state.
That such IS the actual tendency of nonuI,,;o, :,
the eastern and western sections Of the stote soon,
clearly proven by It's history for tho last forty years
Mr' - invited tho attention of the Senate TO a tab
ular statement furnished at his request bv the
second auditor. ond which exbibitcd tho rc,o,;,.o
march Of the white and black ponnlation IN ,l co.
grand divisions OF the state in the perod of 40 vars
WHiCH eIapscd between the year 1890 and the veor
W. In tue counties beyond the AlIrrLanv the
OF increase OF the slaves stood in regard To
Iia4 OF the whites, AS to g. In tho valley The nrn
portion was ns 10 ,. Whilst in The middle and
eastern sections The proportions were in the conve-s
ordcr; the amount OF increase of the snvce br,r;r
10 hat oi tig whites IN both Of these sections nearly
was one black to ~ whites: in the whole cas-, +,
wmte to about four blacks. In the year 1870
nearly hall century from the Declaration of Ind
pencence-out of an aggregate population in tho
whole state, of l,050l94, there was in Tho e,gt
'409V% ana III the west 30 ,7O2; leavin0 q ,noiorit
IN favor OF the east of 90 100 But Of tho oyy,y
gaze population in the east, of 7I8,492. the free
"mes amount d to ~ 1873; and the coloured popu-
'ae'o" 20 tOi,t5l Whilst IN the west, ont of total
mass OF 3O '7o2 the free whites reached the hejobt
Oh L11,SO8, and the coloured mass sunk to the sum
OF 7'43i From this tendency of the blacl, ponulo
I''n 10 accumulate IN the east, and of the white to
accumulate In the west it resulted of necessity that
me day wns fast approaching when the majority of
,he Whte population possessing but few slaves will
appear on the west, and the minority, possessing
nearly all the slaves and forming with them by far
inc greater part o! The aggregate mass OF The whole
population would actually uhabt the eastern part
OF The state Here then would BE- a fixed rcoDrapb
zeal majority, on one side Of the state bavInr die
nct interest, welding all the powers Of roveturrnt
over majority IN another part Of the state possess
ing different interest. The situation of VIRGINIA
~ tins respect differed essentially from that of cycr,
other savc-hOldIng state in the Union Mnrv1oni |
North Carolina and South Carolina possossod' o