Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-05-05


| be able TO carry his wishes for reform, however
J strenuous may be his exeriions. The limits Of a
letter designed as reply to few short enquiries,
4 forbid my presenting other views, such may
:, be found connected with the natural and social
rights which necessarily 10 be limited. defin-
ed and secured by the fundamental laws OF every
woll-organized society. The right to life, liber-
! ~, and the pursuit Of happiness stands foremost,
YET they scarcely surrass the second class, the
right TO protection and 10 acquire property. The
machinery OF government is complicated, and the
fundamental law must have regard TO this COM
pick condition OF man in state Of civilized soci
ETY..
! As TO the second enquiry. on the reduction Of
| The number of the House Of Delegates, with a
view TO despatch, economy of time and money,
&c On this point there exist no difference OF
opinion, presume, among old settled men; men
who have had some experience, and who go 10
the assembly TO do the business of the country
In popular governments like ours, the relation
between constituent and representative requires
that an intimate knowledge Of the representative
should be possessed by the constituent, that he
should be accessible 10 oil, and that opportunity
should be afforded frequently TO the people to com.
municate with their representative, that they
may DO enabled to judge of his capacity and fit
ness for his station, and Of his diligence and fidel-
ity in the execution Of the trust reposcd in him.
But, for this purpose, ii is not necessary that
ry man should be the next door neighbour to his
representative. Nor that there should be a rep
resentative for every square mile in the state
The ease OF communicating with the Representa-
tive, and the power OF exercising proper conroui
over him, would be as great, If there were but
one delegate from each coHnty, as there exists in
the case Of two. And the advantage of xpediting
business, and the saving of expense, and the in-
creasing Of responsibility, would be augmented in
ateniold ratio. Dininution OF numbers incress-
| es responsibility. A large body of men do fear
| lessly, what small number would never attempt.
The expense OF the Assembly has doubled in
twenty years, and all old members agree that the
80 NJ hnstn I'll,
| number was much less than il is now I should
| shut my eyes against my own personal experience
and conviction, did not say that the numbep of
| the House Of Delegates ought to be much reduced
On The third question OF more equal distTibu-
ton OF the representation, and Of the basis on
which it ought to he rested, greater difficulty &C.
ours in saying what ought TO be done.
On the FIRST proposition, that of a more equal
distribution of the representation, answer decid-
eddy in the affirmative. II is preposterous sup
pose that, in convention, the representation will
be permitted to remain as it isl That Warwick
with population OF sixteen hundred souls, should
have an equal representation with Shenandoah
which has population Of eighteen thousand souls
or that Preston, with population of three thousand
souls, should have an equal representation with
Aibcmarle, with population Of nineteen thousand
souls. 1 disregard fractions There must be a
re- organization OF the representation and it must
be fixed by greater regard than now exists. to
the population
As 10 the basis on which the representation
should be fixed, greater difficulties will beencoun-
tered. Questions will be presented for fixing ii
on the basis OF white population alone. Anoth-
er for fixing il ON the basis of mixed population.
taking probably the federal ratio. And, thirdly,
Tor combining the population and taxation as the
basis. This is one OF the thorny subjects which
the convention must decide.
The experience Of last winter on the Conven.
ton bill showed me that more prudence. modera-
ton, and sagacity, would be required tor adjusting
THIS point than on any other question which will
occur. The West Is arrayed against the East on
this difficult subject. Our country holds the ba-
lance between them. The country between the
mountains and tide water must be the umpire. In
this 10 presented a question OF power, and not of
rights, and so maintained by the members from
the West. ii is advocated, not with view TO do
justice to the citizens on the ground OF right, but
rs a contest for power between the people beyond
The mountain, and those upon tide water. The
tsrmer contend that taxation should be disregard.
ed; that tho ratio Of population adopted for our re-
presentation in the federal government shall be
overlooked; but that white population alone shall be
the mode and standard ofrcpresentaon because it
viii throw the weight of political power into the
hands OF the people OF the west, Will give them
the dominion OF the state, and the sole power o!
laying taxes and distributing the public funds tina,
| the government is in the hands of minority,
\ which is species Of tyranny they will no longer
bear. On the other hand, 1T is cont Tended that the
country below the mou ntains pay much the
greater proportion of taxes, is almost the excu-
sve proprietor Of slaves which pay more than
100000 dollars OF revenue into the treasury and
| that 10 take the white population alone as the
basis, would be TO put it into the power of the west
I which in comparison with the east, may be said
TO hold almost no slaves, impose heavy taxes and
burdens on the east, by taxing the slaves in which
| the west have no common interest. Nor is il 10
I concealed that the people Of the west think and
say that although in our relations with the federal
government they not disposed to give UP the
| proportion of slaves which augments our repre-
scnation, in congress,yet in dividing the state into
districts 10 effect tile election OF members to the
| House Of Representatives, the white population
alone should regulate this district arrangeme and
III our home concerns, the slaves should be thrown
out of the question that thereby their sentaon
in congress may be greatly increased. while that be-
low the mountains must be proportoDabIy din;n-
ished.t ltbehoyes us 10 consider that Virginia Oh
this subject stands in two-iold relation, the one
bearing upon her own internal concerns and peoples
| the other bearing upon the federal government
| and the people Of the other states. Ii may be
called mixed relation. Should not statesman
consider that if we altogether renounce this prin.
| ciple, and set aside its obligations amongst our
selves, that it will afford a pretext to the federal
government to follow the example, and to set IL
aside in our relations with that government This
principle which operates so strongly 10 maintain
Virginia's weight ia the national councs.by keep
| ing up her Numbers in the House of Represent.
tivcs is by no means popular with those who have
| always been jealous of her influence. Will they
not with avidty seize on this subject, backed by
the authority OF decision at home to DESTROY her
weight, and thus reduce her TO the scale OF one
Of the smaller states, The power Of the states
hostile to this principle of federal numbers is daily
increasing. Their disposition 10 disturb the re.
pose oil the Union on this subject was manifested
on the Missouri question. There are many new
states south Of the Seth degree OF N. Latitude, Ia
be brought into the Union, 10 be carved out of the
Arkansas territoTy,--out OF the Florida territory