Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-26

are minority; ne not Know to whom the gem
ueman referred as having made the assertion. He.
however would now affirm that tho non. freehollers
IN the West are III the proportion OF three To two
Tie had been told tina, census had recently been
ken III Frederick under OATH and that the proportions
were as three TO TWO. and 1000 $500 persons in
thai county were debarred the right of suffrage lie
affirmed that the non-trecholdcrs of this community
are majority and that the frceholders are minor
Ivy. fie'e we have measure proposed which is to
give power to the mino itv. This. then, up to
his idea OF aristocracy. This was what he meant
political power confined To wealth. and distributed
with a paronizing spirit. He contcnded that he
gen lemen who on this floor. engaged III
tanning that principle minority of minority -
He had thus far trav lied of his way To notice the
prncipc on which the ratio of representation had
been discussed
He had said that the principle of the extension of
the right of suffrage had been held in view for many
years, and had been discussed year after year in the
General y scmby as may be seen by reic ence to
the Journals. The gentleman compliments the judy
ment of the minority of the community but poorly,
when he says that the trccholders were imposed oil,
and cheated out OF their votes OH the subject of the
Convention. He knew not how it could be pretend
ed tl, they were not perfectly cognizant OF the pur-
poses for which the Convention was required The
proceedings throughout the country, and i'll the Lee
gislature, were sufficiently known to every one In
l0OG there was resolution offered for taking he vote
Tor calling Convention. At that time it was sup
posed that the question had been generally a9i-
tatcd IN the country, and motion made to post
pOnc the resolution twas considered unwise take
the opinions of the people at the pals unless there
was more evidence that it was the public wish as the
only effect would be to increase the public dssutis-
faction. The people then divided. that pru-
dent men thought ii would not be proper to meet to-
gethcr III Convention. Such was his own opinion a,
the time, and he another member of the Cunvan
tlon who was OF the same opinion. The subject was
afterwards brought before the Legislature and bill
was introduced into the House of Delegates the pre-
alnble OF which was subsequently, modified, with great
proprety, because 1t Wcat too far. The bill merely
provided for the taking Of the sense, Of the peoDe on
q 'ba
rejected I'll the House by small minority. They who
voted torit represented majority ofhc State. THUS
1t appears that al that time The disposition to call
Convention went so far, that bill to take the sense
OF the people was reported the House of Delegates
founded the petitions received from the poo ole and
III which The dlsiranchlsement OF numbers was reel
ted as grievance to be redressed. The grievances
set forth IN the petitions were recItc in the pream
BILE, but stricken out, lest their insertion mrh
have all injurious effect abroad.
BY reference to the Journals of 1916, D. 100, it
would be seen that the Stanton memorial was re-
ceivcd and referred to Committee together with
the petitions from oher parts of the Commonwealth
and report made specifying the grievances
which were sci forth by the people, which underwent
long and labnred discussion in the House of Dele
gates. The report was adopted, and bill was o.
dered TO be brought in. After the preamble this bill
rccited the objects for which the Convention was TO
be called VIZ: to eQuaZc Representations to coualze
taxation, and to extend the right or suffrage to all
who had permanent common interest in nd attach.
meDt to the Commonwealth.
Thus IN 1916 the objects OF the proposed Conven-
ton were fully known and it therefore be man
leSt that the amendment proposed by the cren emau
from Chesterfield, not of a character to satisfy
the demands and the wishes of the people Until the
present session, he stated that he had meyer hear
the description Of cnuress named in the proposition
al the gentleman from Chesterfield and which he re-
garded rs one of his most important objects
MI Leigh IN explanation, said that he regarded
TINS az the most trivial of his objects His great oh.
ject 10 extend the freehold qualiicaut 10 free.
holders who are not now qualified.
Mr.. DoDDRfDGE said there was no such object
contemplated in the Staunon memorial. lie had him
sell never heard OF such tenures the gentleman de
scTIDed TIL now His position was. that the exten
sion proposed by the gentleman from Chesterfield was
not the extension Of the right Of suffrage which was
thought OF and asked IN 1916 He admitted that il
was valuable extension, but it falls very far short of
the object for which the Convention was called He
had no recollection of this sort of freehold What
was required by the Stanton Convention was an
equalization OF taxation, an equalization of represen-
tatIon and an extension of the right of suffrage to all
VINO nave permanent common interest &c. Here
Mr.. DoddrIdge recaptuated the facts he had COM
nunlcated on Tins subject, and then proceeded to rive
history OF the legislation of in reference TO this
same object. bill was introduced, passed and sent
to the Senate, to defeat which the bill TO divide the
State into Senatorial districts was introduced After
all this legislation and all this discussion in the yari
Gus public assemblies and in the newspapers he ask
ed fit was respectful for the white population to sov
II was not known that this extension was not the one
which was required, and all which was renuired-
The gentleman from Amherst (1Tr. THOMPSON SAYS
the objects of the Convention were openly avowed
and discussed and circulated in his district. Such
Mr. Odd ldge said was the case in his district The
iIeeholders, therefore, could have been cheated
none were cheated; there was no man capable of
cheating them out of their 1t was we'll known
now lar II was desired that the suffrage should he ev
tended lie called attention to what had been said
by his colleagues on this subject, and to which he
could not add much. lie intreatcd the attention f
the COMMITTEE to the points which had already been
urged on this subject.
The gentleman from ,,bi,o oo,,
mendlng the state ofour public morals attribu es them
70 the influence OF our governments declaring that 90
vernmentS have an influence in forming and mprov
ing public opinion. That legislation, under rverv
form OF government, has this effect, is a political
truth-it Is not the whole TRUTH however, but onlv
half. wv 0''i!
ne la|-gVcF to be wise must regard public opin-
ION His laws must, in great degree sprino M ont
OF pubic opinion and be conformabe to il; and thus