The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1829-01-15

mad bern presented, and ~ 1900 am lSl1 hat
been sustained b, the votes 81 these aho repre-
srnied majority of the whole people -in ISIS
this II nae refused To consider bill 10 equal ~
the Senatorial Districts TRIM suppos ii HriH
pf legislative power--ln lsl6, this Honse pres
ed n Convention bili aud seni II 10 The S~nsie.
The Senate p,nsetl, until this House sent them
u Senatorial bill which they passed, AMI rjre'ed
the Convention bill. The most pro ninent Of all
the grievances complained Of was, the unequal
representation OF the people aud nj all ilnrs
AN equal representation OF the people founded
on the bas,s Of white population. wins what was
most loudly demanded. No ether representa-
ton was thought ar spoken Of.
Twenfy.cighi years have passed away since
the freeh0iders have sought for reform, ard
fourteen since they knew themselves TO he the
majority vet 50 great Was their aversion from
revolution that they petiiIoned year after YEAR
fr The facility of law tn take their votes on the
question Of calinga Convention When this
was obtained il was fair 10 expect. the facility
now asked for, TO enaple the iree people to 20
into Convention Oh equal principle. No on,
had reason TO apprehend that instead OF this
we would have bern met by such a measure rs
the bill under consideration.
DO gentlemen deCvr themselves 50 far rs 10
believe they have either the night or the pewer
to force this bill on the community What
right have we TO say thai none hut irechoider
shall give his vote Could we not ~ well say
that nonr but n stakeholder shal vote? W.
have no such right. THE precedent Of l775
will not bear rs out Their was, then, an cue
my nj the door, and government In the hands
Of SOM person was indlspcnsnbly necessary.
Persisianc in this measure would raise up ano
thcr enemy ola very different character. II
must inevitably produce revolution. II Is not
ia human natHr~ that men shohld endure an oil
garchy in any form when they are able TO shake
il Oft No one ought to doubt thai majority
Of even the present freeholders are opposed tn
this measure. The whole ives, is against il,
and there is scarcely a dissrutieni. There is.
aIsn, great division against It in the east
PERMIT me to considcr tins subject with pier-
cncc to numbers i he white population OF the
Enst in 1910, exceeded thai ofthe West about
l6 lhonsand. In 1920. about S6 thousand. At
the present moment, have little doubt that the
najoriv would be found West of the Bur
Ridge But whore are TO he found the non.
feeholders' Cerlainly on our side. Then
these are u ma jorify Of the whole, aud have been
quietly looking on for more Than 'weniv ears
ia the expectation that the iTeeholdprs them
selves would reform the State. Let but this f.
nal attempt fail Let he ogarchy support IL
splfthrough the prescu' struggle and refuse the
the powers of Convention and determine al
once, what shall he the future apporionmeni oil
representation, and whai the suffrage. add my
word for IT, the non treehoiers i'll soon be
heard from. They have long seen the frecho
der urging reform, and have Justly expected
reasonable relief from his eIerfions. Here is
now general understanding that TIN. is the Inst
appeal that will be made here Indeed, II has
rrquired some cseriious--some soothing 20 pre-
vent popular movement before now. That
movement will be inevitable il vuu not only re
fuse nj this time What IS just aud reasonable )
but rs il you were the very Convention itself,
you proceed 10 declare what shall be tine future
apporiionmcnt OF representation, what the right
Of sui are. and in this form irnder to us, aud
the peppl,'1ha black pill which will never be
swallowed until physical force shall be resorted
TO and used successfully.
The gentlemen iro,n Westm1rcland has dc.
clare1, thai the friends of Reform have never
vet declared, the nature and extent OF the rctor
nation ihry desired, not On what bases
they wished representation placed. To get the
gentleman right in this particular, as well rs to
Shew thai il were hetTeF 10 exh,ninss into the
truth Of fRct, than 10 ASSET il, I viii read part
of the report of the Conlmatcc on the Shannon
memorial, IN the Session Of 1880. See The
Journal page, So and97 ] The Stanton Con.
| vennoa "i 1910, was respectable and nun,er
Gus body Of the friends II Reform, and they
sought that Reform on the principles
contend for AS had the petitioners in 1901. .. .
- d 4, aud IN almost every wear since. From
| the fepou and resolutions of 1916. 1t appears
! that he Committee recommended equal DIS
| lrihuton among the white population OF mem
hers TO u Convention Those opposed 10 II
! Convention made use Of every honorable ezer-
| ton thai Ingenuity and talent could invent. TO
! divide rs, nv introducing features INTO tho reso.
! iutl ms which would have that tendency. Az
! ter cvetN effort of this kind had failed, aud il
was manifested that a bin must he order,dto he
brought in, In conformity with the resolution, n
! gentleman, who, il will be agreed by all who
knew him, either personally 0r from report. IS
/ one of the most powerful deha,ers ofthe age in
! which we live Mr. Tazewell Of the United
States Senate, propn an amendment TO MIRO
ddee that very pr'nciple-the representation of
slaves, which is now cnntended for, as the last
effort, hope to sustain fallen oliaarchY, al
read, crushed by the law Of descents, and the
act OF DOCKING estates tail-lhs proposition was
seriously debated diem, but its fri. nds were nei-
! thrr so numerous nor SO bold as now. On n di.
vision, they nhmbrrcd hat % TO the best of my
recollection. The Journal does not Nhew the
number, because AT the request OF some Of them
! the count was moi inserted. Here then is re.
cord evidence, (see the journal, p. l7el to shew
how completed the gentleman from Westmore.
land aud his riends are mistaken. After that
session never heard This proposition urged
even IA prlyitaIe conversation, until since the
vote OF last Sp,ing. So completely was it then
abandoned that the Senatorial districts we're in
! that yer, session reformed on the bases of
white population as ascertained by the census oil
! 1910
| Aud the Senate was So reformed ~ the in
stance of the enemies Of reform. We had car
rIed our proposion--hnd passed Convention
Bill and sent IT to the Senate. We represented
such po~eriuI majority that it was supposed
the Senate would yield. To prevent this east
ern statesmen who drenoed nothing so much ms
IA Convention, brought III, as tab to the whale,
that very senatorial bill, which, in the preceding
session, they refused to consider, for want OF
constitutional power, as they said
Nh Chairman, can il he possible tha, the
friends OF Slave representation are ignorant tina,
the Senate ofVrginia is the representative OF