Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-03-26

citizenship and his horse expire together b.
ricd i'll the same grave. Or suppose his mare s{
neither die OF the cholc OF old age but one oil
those gentlemen called horse thieves should take
hiking to her and ride her off some night. where is
his vote? Under the whip and spur of tho horse
thief It's no better with the house kceper who
has slavc-no better either hypothesis IF the
slave should not die, but if he should run off into
knapsack into his majcsty's dominions and makes a
tender of it to George the Fourth.
But IN the absence of these contingencies there
| are others still as fearful. Suppose the housekecp
crs horse or negro should mover die or run awnv II
is in the power of one than the half Of tho leg
slature, nay the power of one more than the half
of the quorum of the Legislature by takjpu the tax
of horses, or of single negro, dsframchisc eve
ry housekeeper and head of a finally in the Com
rnonwealth who are by the Convention allowed IN
vote tor the new constitution. IF then the "heads
OF families" thus enfranchised should ever vote
more than once they owe the privilege not to the
constitution but to the Legislature. It is not a con-
stituona privilege secured to Them but legislative
right vouchsacd at the will and pleasure of one
than the half ola quorum of the General Assembly.
BUT again. west OF the Blue Ridge ten votes will
be given on single horse for one given on sinple
negro. On the East of the Ridge ten will be given
on sSnSle negro for one given on q single horse
Take Richmond city and the town of Wheeling for
example. how many votes will be given in Wheel
ing on single negro, and how many votes will be
gwen IN Richmond on single horse! Answer this
question and then you may see in what Ieopardv is
placed the vote OF a western housekecper and head
of family IF the Legislature should take tho tsy
of horses mules and asses alas for the enfanchsed
housekeepers west ofthe hills! To reply that one
more than the half of ordinary Legislature is too
honorable for such decree, would be to contradict
Judge Green's data which makes self interest," the
emily prin,un mobile and it would be to Calculate
more upon the magnanimity of our Eastern masters
than they would allow us-than thew have vet an.
| thorized.
But once more on this subject, suppose that ma
jority Of General Assembly or one more than tho
halt OF quorum would be always willing to bestoyy
vote upon our poor housekeepers and heads of fam
lies, and suppose 1T should become unnecessary be-
caiise OF the improvement of our revenue which -
quite possible, to continue taxing horses or neproos
| one or both,-what then? The benevoIence of the
majority towards these unfortunate housekeepers
must induce them to tax them for other purpose
than to give them vote What O. oredica mert
and how probable tool! Yes housekcepers thew
must tax you because they wish you to vote; they
must taS you to make citizen of you. Your paving
Tag ior your own heads avails nottingham is no
revenue tax You must pay tax upon the head of
horse, mule, or ass. Ii you had Sir Isaac
NeWtons head upon your shoulders, q wife such as
solomon would approve, house and the full of it of
chuareh, ana mad not horses. mules, asss or ne
sroes mead on which to pay tribute you have no
vote IN the great wise, enlightened highminded and
republican state of Virginia.
One word to the respectable yeomanry and free
| Western Virginia. You have often said that M
class ofinhabtants is less worthy of citizenship than
the poor houskeepers and heads offamlies nor is
vote more to be feared than theirs Il will Won saw
humble the responsibility of the elections or selec
tons of representatives. Grant for the sake of
gument, could you not then .neutralized the in
huence ofthat vote by bringing to the polls your own
| adult sonss Would not they with you have secured
your interests and your wishes by combining with
;ou. How impolitic then to disfranchse von1 own
sons Freehoders of Virginia, / say how irapolitic
to dsfranchise your own sons and to enfranchise a
class which you fear more than any other. Will YOU
Ofa fOY a if,,yio,
whom you call the least deserving and DISTINGUISHES
those most deserving and whose assistance YOU will
SO much want upon your own premises if the new,
| Constitution be ratified!,
So much for the extension of the rjoht of oa
IN the better Constitution. 1t is really and in fart
Illusion, perfect acy to boast of superiority in
this comparison 1t is very limited very ,,rec1,.i
ou' and very 'mpoiitc extension viewed in the most
favorable light.
But after all how much is it worth to the prosne
and honour of the Commonwealth, and to Western
virginia to extend the right of suffrage as far as spe
Gifted! 1t is not worth the wing of moschcto. whe
ther every man, woman and child black, white ana
muatto, were permitted to vote ACCORDING to the
Amended Constitution. OF what use is MANY voters
they have no representation; if they have nc power
beyond the yard! IF one man be elected b,,
5tpe hundred votes, and another by ue thousand and
when they meet IN the CAPITOL if the vote of the one
weighs as many pounds ounces and pennyweipbts as
the other what was the of the ortyzfve hundrsI
votes given for representative more than tho o
extension of the right of suffrage when tina. extern
sion cannot gain us one scrupe weight of power in
the Legislative department of government. The pre-
sent DoIRnal or pretended extension will not give to
the West one grain of power million of ages if
the Amended Constitution should be ratified and
tinue SO long.
Under the Constitution of '76 we have 50 repre
seDtatves in the house of delegates from the &c
counties west of the Alleghany-under the Amended
Constitution we shall have 81 representatives. This
I'D house OF l34 members is less proportion than 81
IN house 2l3-we lose about lis of our power in
the house OF delegates by the Amended Constitution
In the Senate it is abuot the same it was. Thus
the Amended Contribution shears us of our former
power, and is 80 much worse than the old Consttu-
tlon that 1t makes provision for Our ever gaining
an atom more-Under the Conslitation Of &c, we
might IN proportion to increase of population get
new county, and with it two representatives but
now II we make q new county we must lend it q
representative from come old county and do without
ourselves For 1t is decreed that although the coun-
tics west of the Allegheny should increase and nu-
tipy seven fold, they must be confined and chained