Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-08

on 10 apprehend that laws viii be made, BY which
heir slaves viii BIO taken from them, or restored 10
liberty.
Tie non. slaveholiing members of the commu !
,ity are struck dumb with astonishment at this
angular and unexpected demand. But when
hey have somewhat recovered from their first
surprise, they endeavor TO convince the slave
holder Of the unreasonableness of this strange pre-
tension.
There ere, say they, very plain and obvious |
reasons why man should have one vote: he Is an
intelligent FIRE" agent, with one mind, and one
will. But IT Is very difficult 10 understand why
one man should have more than one vote, or more
votes than another 1t il clear ,iat the Great
Spirit made us all equal first; for we know that
we and our fathers have lived in a state of equal
ity for ages past, and we have no tradition OF any
other state. Ii each man have one vote and only
one this natural and original state of equal will
be preserved under the government we are about
to form. Butit for any cause more than one vote
be given 10 each individual of any particular class
the natural ancient and we'll establish ed principle
o; equality il abandoned, and there is substituted
for il a principle Of inequality, vague and ndefi
mite i'll its character, and without any perccpiible
foundation in reason. IL we conce,,e to YOU now ,
for the sake Of peace, three additional votes for
~ i've slaves you possess, what principle is TO pre-
vent you, at the next election, from demanding
FIRE, additional vote for each slave, BY what
process of reasoning have you ascerained the
precise degree Of political power which You must
hold in order 10 be in the Of this
description ofproperty' Why SHOULD not the ben
eft Of the rule be extended to the possessors Of
hocks and herds, more valuable than all the slaves
that the valiant and successful warrior among
you possesses,
But. again, If we depart from the simple and in
teliigitie rule of the equality OF men, and endea-
vor 10 substitute for il new and Fictitious rule.
should endeavor TO give il at least Sembidnce
OF justice and equality. If property is TO be re-
presented, its representation ought TO bear just
proportion TO its value Each mans property of
every description, should be fairly valued before
we go into the election, so that there may he as
signed TO him just much, and no more, political
power, the amount Of his property, relatively to
the amount of every other mans property, enti-
ties him TO. And we must also, before each cleo
ton, make estimate Of the danger to which each
mans property might be subjected by unjust leg
isiation, and give him just much political power
as will prevent such urjust Legislation and protect
his property. But you see at once that such an
exact adjustment of the relative weight of each
voter in the election, or even an approximation TO
il, is wholly mpracticabe. And in attempting 10
support the proposition that property ought to he
you are led, by very few steps, TO
The impossible, and so 10 the absurd.
The STAKEHOLDER advances nothing, in reply 10
this course OF reasoning, except the repetition OF
his fears that bis slaves will be taken from him
and this apprehension being considered by the as
SeinbIy mere pretext, by means Of which he
seeks 10 secure 10 himself an undue weight in the
election, he is told that he must content himself
with single vote.
The qualification and equality of the voters hav.
ing been thus defined and established, every OBJ
$ taclc to the commencement of the election seems
20 have been at length rernoved.-But it is not
The appetency for power presents itself anew, in
the shape OF claim, preferred by the smaller vii
lagos, TO have regulation adopted, by which they
shall have the same weight in the council with the
larger.
They found their pretensions on the established
usage, in time of war, when, only, the tribe has
possessed any sembiance OF a government, to add
init the most distinguished warrior of each village
into the council of war, without any reference to
the number Of warriors il could bring into the field
The council of war having been the only govern.
ment which had ever been recognized by the tribe,
and they having always had an equal voice in that
council they contend that they have vested and
right TO an equal weight with the lar
ger villages, i'll the government about to be formed
To this the people OF the latter reply, &" 1t is
tirely ridiculous that one man should pretend 10
govern 81 20 men as good as himself For that
is, in fact the proportion that the smallest of your
villages bear TO the larges, of ours. Some OF yours
have scarcely dozen fighting men, while ours, on
the other hand, number their warriors by hum
dreds. AS 20 the usage you speak OF, ii grew up
in times when the principles OF government were
reither Understood nor regarded. To tolerate an
unjust usage, is thing; give il the sanction
Of deliberate appreciation and adoptioD,is ano,h-
er.-We have right, as being the majority OF the
tribe, to reject your pretensons; aud no case can
be imagined, in which the exercise of that right
would be more plainly Just, than in this. III you
ask what rigi| the majority possesses TO control
the minority, answer, that it is founded In the
nature Of things, and III neccSSify. When diffe-
rences OF opinion a.ise IN the councils OF an indie
pendent community, as there Is no superior tribu
nal 10 decide who is right and who is wrong, in
regard to any particular question, some positive
rule or arbitrary regulation must be adopted, ac-
cording TO which one or The other opinion shall
prevail; as otherwise its deliberations would never
come 10 an end, and anarchy would ensue. In
other words, il must be assumed, taken for
granted. that one side or the other is right. Now
if tie attempt were made 10 Introduce the rule
that in such conflict OF opinion, the minority
should be assumed 10 be right, the majority would
not submit 20 it, and the rule would consequently
be mere nullity. IL is therefore necessary to as
sumo that the majority is right; and the majority
has natural right to govern, founded this ne.
costly, Of in other words, founded the nature OF
things"
The resIlt, then, Of this supposed convention, is,
that citizens Of mature reason free agents by stu
alton, unlicensed by crimes, and having sufficient
evidence OF permanent common interest with, and
attachment to, the community, the true ele-
ments and basis of political power. Aud that, in
apportioning representation, which is political pow
err, among the different districts or geographical
divisions Of commonwealth, there should be Civ |
en- 10 each district number of representatives
bearing the proportion 10 the entire represen-
tative body, that the whole number of such citi-
zens, in the district bears TO the whole number in
the commonwealth. And as 10 the proportion of
such citizens 10 the entire free population is gene.
rally the throughout every part of a common
result, sufficiently to the true |
result, will be attained, by assigning to each dis |
rict a number Of representatives bearing the same |
70 the whole representative body, that
The entire free population of the district bears 10 |
The entire free population Of the commonwealth.
If the principles which have thus underworld