Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1830-03-25
P. DODDRiDGE.
Egtroct from Mr.. Cooke, Letter No. IT.

/ We have been accustomed to consider oul
/ trans Allegheny fellow-eitlzens as our natur
al allies, in contradistinction from our fellow
| citizens of tbe>sniddis country, IN that unhap-
| Ply WAR OF sectional interests which the ane
| quail distribution of power made by the old
| Constitution compelled us 70 wage. i ask
! you graveiv4o consider, whether this was no;
an error in point of fact admit that our
trans -Alleghany brethren aided US in bring
ing about sCenv ention. aud t:iaF, an tlttlt
| respect, they were our political friends. But
as to the reality Of any supposed identity of
interests, IN regard to the results OF the Con
vention, have looked in vain for the proofs
Of il. Ihaye, on the contrary, sunposeA il to
be undeniabiy true. that, however friendly
their teplpeg and feelings may have been, they
went into Convention with Interests hostile to
ours on the principal question which was
there to be settled. >IY@yIyeat into the Con :
ventien ~hagiag 50 representatives in
House Of Delegates of 244, and being emit
tied, even on the '.whiie basis to but AZ,
according to tie4oensns Of 1899. -'tPe went
into Convention with 2s representatives fuf
the Valley being entitled to IS, according to
the same census. Ne, then. were e,rieEously
He went into the Cau
vention 10 obtain from them, and from the
tide Water people, such part of the excess of
representation as would place as .e;l fair and
equal grounds. fAey went into the Conyen-
ton, Interested in retaining what they had on
the score @! representation, aud obtaining
what they could IN respect TO other matters
And, however tsue and faithful they may
have been, in feeling and in fnet 30 The white
basis, and TO our interests, at the commence
mcnt OF the session, It caaaot be denied thaf,
when the white basis had received It's death
blow, they pretty clearly Indicated that they
were neither ignorant nor regardless of the
advantages which they enjoyed under the old
Constitution, On the score of representation.
do not know that we have any right to cen
sHre them for doing what men have, in all
ages, been prone TO de- mean, for taking
care of themselves, and leaving us TO take
caro- of ourselves. Butt cannot be tiea;ed
that they did, in fact, pursue this old and
beaten road viii not say that they desert
ed Us. But, after fighting by our sidcs-c,uing
the greater part Of the session, theyseertainly
made a proposition, towards the close of
which, had it proved successful, would have
kept us, and perhaps enr chiidrea after as.
IN state OF political vassalage, | allude TO
proposition made Ivy Judge Summers, a
prominent trans Allegheny Delegate ON the
;sth>oi January, to leave the distribution Of
power among the people of Virginia as it
stands, with the exception of some trivia,
notifications, which the resolution itself will
Show This resolution, on The very face of
it, was a proposition made by the extre,ne
West, having So members, to the extreme
Hast, having 10, TO unite. IN the future Coy
,ernment Of the Commonwealth, against the
midland and vaiey districts. containing ONE
halt Of the white population of the State, and
having, both together, bat SO members. 1t
was proposition toperpetuate this ineauaE-
ty:--a proposition tempting tn the Eastern
people, but odious and hateful to us of the
Valley, and equally SO to our ,neighl,ors at
the Eastern foot Of the Ridge But the pes-
pie of the East were either too Just 10 accetie
TO a proposition so fatal TO our lust preten-
SONS, or too acise to adopt course of policy
which would have convulsed the State, from
the fails ofthe rivers TO the base of the Ale
ghany. The proposition, though sustained
by plausible and ingenious argument, vas
therefore rejected. You cannot fail TO per
ceive, in this memorable fact alone, abundant
evidence, that on the great and princinal
question Of a new distribution of polite.
power, the middle country were our ~ ~
allies .'prai
But the war of political interest," :.
at an end, and ], for one, SO, = happily
sed to forget this little peh,' i:ear1i'y d,spc-
Allegheny fellow III J'ahf pas Of our
not ho,Yeyer nd brethren. They will
we. ofthe save any right to complain, il
valley, draw an inference Of prac-