Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-12-29
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VIRGINIA CONVENTION. :
DEBATE ON BASIS OF REPRES ENTATION
IN Committee Of The EI,ltoie on the Conreatio,.

IN COMMITTEE Of The I}t0fe on tie Conreatio,.
SArURp AY, Nov. II.
Mr. SriNaBD again rose and addressed the Com
ylittee in substance, ms follows:
nndClsorel yesterday To show from the reason of
tho caae and the concessions ofny opponents, either
directly by fair implication, that their argument OF
entiicts unfounded, and that the epilhets they
have attempted TO asen to the doctrines maintained
e me and my coadi tutors, liayc been sc.tuou
stjned end wantnn!y applied by them.
thought that / sal isfTctor,lY showed from bot u
shirces t,at'the question, how tar the general pfiuc
pie, lnsistedon as the sole and exclusiye rule in the
c's' rncin OF republican gove.Iuo,r.', ought to be
carsrd que ton Of degree and not of prime pie:
and thai what We llvc to determine is, lat what point
that princle is In be norsccted travcrsed, and mo-
diied by other aud tontrohng principles, which all
must admit ought To ne sconsulted-i Adapting 20
ycrninent to the aeaai state III. society
Str,nt nc now 20 aleGlp further liz, trttion i!y
siowing what must be done ii they shall prev all in
establishing their proposition, either in The fuym Iii
Siich 1t has been reported by the Legislative Com
uttre, or according to the gloss which has bacn p,t
up"n II By the gentleuan ICON Augusta Pheis elc-
lucnary proposition Is this, that all n,a bv ma
tire equal, all baye right to enjoy equal nor
lions OF p'ica! power; and they insSt that talls
nitst be carried on. orth"re is no such thing as
HePubhc Now vii give them this prnciPe ana
lel them apply II to a mature condition OF society
and then sec how far they will be compelled 20 re-
rounce some por ion of it. In The nature of things
70 the OBJ en:ion of the desired equality, you mist
nave gwen, hrst be lHass ca which the principle ia
to operate dividend; then the given number OF
Representatives divspr; and applying this dvispr
10 this dividend, the qnnti.nt viii! be the number of
indy iduals to be represented by each Deleuate-
Then you come to the existing society-and you find
dividing lines all over he State which have existed
sonie OF thetn for two Hundred YEATS and the ynpp-
latlon scattered "a unequal masses within these pes.
- The Number wblchyour qu0tlcn indicates for one
representative is of colirsc ul.varyiTg Quantity
While the numbers 10 which it be applied are all
variable Oae county contaIns 5000 free whites
another county SoOo---and yuur cuoient is 5000
what you 10 do? must you break IN the county
lines? Must you add one county to another and sub
divide for the average2 Ists 30 be vo,lr proccss9
Is such process practicable? Pie gentleman from
Augusta, am sure, docs look to such procnss;
rome OF the gentlemen avow themselves in favor
OF 1t. II would be cutting up not one nor two
nor three of your countless but every existing parti
ton of tue State-cvery one--NithotIt exception
All the present lines, all of them must be obIittratcd
And even when you shall have been reconcle to this
by any practical process to cut or and to define the
several portions TO be taken from, one and added tn
another SO as to proa;ice perfect equality between
the counties districts, is beyond the power OF man
If the principle cannot be thus applied. what is to
Pc dones " hat must be its effect in PRACTICE
!lcfe you have ore county confirming 5000 iniIabi-
tants and another containing $500; while your inya
riable dvisor is 5000. VIII You rive the former of
These counties Representative Suppose you Go:
AID what will you alloy to tho second. Not any
more but say, you give it two YET apprchcad vol,
would not give two to county containing SIX or Sc
ven thousand And what then? Tyhy then county
containing 5000 will have two Represent atiyes willie
a county containing or700o, will have one Repre-
sentatlve and hsis heir exact mathematical pro-
porton 1t turns o,it in practice variant and nne-
quail that o gives 2, and 7 one, and3 many as 7.
shall not pursue this view of the subject farther:
there can be necessity of pushing it to other OBJ
vious consequences before this Assembly.
My next voucher for clearing away the incuu-
brances to title to Republcansfn is the GJo,lstj-
tuition of this State-wlch shews tie principle en-
boded and ina concrete form and in that form con
secTated by authority which gentlemen invoke IN
their aid and then disParage. Thcy all euogize in
the most exalted Strains he wisdom the virtue the
patriotism of our ancestors, and yet they enaeavor
TO make their principles condemn their own work
Eheir PATRIOTISM their virtue, their WisdOGn their in
teigcnce ali forth order the more to con-
the principles they laid down. but ali thesc
cannot mitigate the sentence of condemnation which
is pronounced upon their la5nrs and the Structure
Wireh they Themselves rcarod these very rriDci-
pied
But the gentlemen have a salvo G,r discreditinr n.
one timc authority which they cry up ms irrera-
gable and inlaliible in every respect in which.,hry
want to make use OF IT: and that is1tha While be
principles they laid down. are the result of mature
reflection, the happy iaductions of saracnus minds
from extended view OF past times, all hcsc quill
ties were dissolved and dssipated by the hurry and
alarm III which they eH tnir work. That
assumption has been shewg to he inconsistent with
historical facts
Phey go in pursuit Of some pretcxt, OF which to
Clscyedit their own auth0giy. 1t is Catholic. rs far
they chose to it, and here ical Just as far as
they wish to reject it. They indul ed themselves in
an elaborate examination o analogous provisions in
tho Constitutions Of our Sister States.
The gentleman from Ilpudour In particular Pre-
scncd us With most claborGc md extensive analv-
SIS this subject I'LL With a view TO rnnntain the
authority of the BIZ Of Rights, and to rc?udaie that
Of the Constitution
Pc give dc emphasis 20 tIt5sc prccCdeu.s, it
pleased that gentleman not only % bring before us,
In detail, various Bills of gs, adopted IN different
parts Of the Union; but TO apprIze the Committee,
with than usual suiemnity, that these were not
the work Of mon, I'M undated by the presence of an
enemy at their doors, and by tie roar Of hostile car
non; but the mature results Of profound and tranquil
investigation, when pence in all our borders aud
their authors enjoyed the advantage of the expert
encc Of the Revolution and the councils Of many Of
the master spirits OF that epoch. "a these things
we're brought IN solemn array, and for what purpose,
10 cast discrcdt the work Of our proreators But
surely, the evil Mus Of the gentleman from Ioudoun
must have been presiding, when nc vas alIurcd to