Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-01-06
aangicd corpses Of our citizens, aud dredched with

J tn, 6est hood of Virginia. So !
seIre sir. TINS is no historical war, fancy.
pcturef tell you, sir. for knoo it, that So sure as
God is in Heavens tho separation Of this Assembly
without fcdressng, in some measure ut least the
grievances of nonroeholdsss, will be the signal for
resistance passive at frsf to the constituted autho-
rites And lie has read in vain the history of past
ages and other 'imcs-and TIE history bf own re-
v"idtionary struggle more especially, who does not
see that even Pdss're resistance and will pro-
ducc an attempt, OH the part of the Government to
enforce obc,li'nce-thut that attempt will arouse the
the result. t.. "' =
carried out Ia it's results. presented by the refusal of
| majority of this Assembly to recognize Tie equal
r'ghts V Me people to representation in the Lec-la-
tive bodies. The other, as have said, was the a
bandonment of long cherished hopes-the sacrifice of
great prlnciplc---a principle coeval with the re-
public itself, and endearcd by its association
with all those early feelings os enthusiasm inspired
| by the story of the revolution. But in abandoning
those hopes, we did but hpw to the supreme law of
nccessity-in sacrificing that principle offered it
up ON the altar ofthe public safety. The choice was
painful, but not difficult.
The friends of reform in this assembly unanimous
~ determined that 1t was due to the country Ia at
tempt, at least TO negotiate compromise basis of
representation. ...r.
| OF November, by he worthy gentleman from Gooch-
land (fovernor Plcasapts.) AS one of the friends
OF reform, AMI ofco cilratol too, he proposed III eli
fect, that preserving the equal representation of the
people, III the most humorous branch of the lcpsla-
turc, we should extend tho number ofths Senate to
tmriy-six, IN Difference TO the expressed wishes of
our political opponents & disr buted the csen,a-
ton III that body, throughout the Commonwealth on
the basis of federal numbers.
n manifest Improvement in the temper of the body
was produced by the proposition itself, but more cs
pccally by the manner i'll winch it announced,
and by the patriotic feelings by which evident
| ly dictated
| That proposition was still OH tho table undspc-
sed of when, on the 18th of November a second
a h-s NJ fin,,,,
f"red TO the consideration of the House by the gem
| tleman from Albcmarle. General Gurdon.) He A.
vowed 1t tn b. his purpose to concIliitc both par
TICS, by throwing out OF Wow, altogether, the veXed
questions concerning the basis of representa- ion
which had agitatcd for weeks, not only this Assem-
bly,, but the whole people of Virginia, and which
had led TO no result, only the absolute certain
ty, that majority of this body could not be brought
to unite In any principle of representation which
should be the common basis Of both of the Lcrsla-
tive bodies He reconm nlcd arbitrary appor-
uonmcnt of representations in which express ref
crcncc should be had, either to the principle of the
equal representation ofthe w hitc people, or to the
principle of the representation of federal numbers
or ~ the principle of compound ratio of white pop
ulation and taxation. or to other of the debatea-
BILE, and long debated, propositions which had dis,rrr
bed the ham of the BODY an spportonment in
winch the sole o5jec: should bc equitable compro-
mise, so lar as any compromise b. equitable, of
the conflicting pre'cusionS of the and the west
with tacit saving If the IN ples on which those
professions were founded, and poStponcment of their
their harmonious adjust ment.
The actual distribution of power contemplated by
his proposition, was, that in House of Delegates of
one hundred and twenty members twenty six should
be elected fromthat nart osVrgina lying west of the
Allegheny mounteins; twenty four from the Valley be
tween the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge; thirt
en- from the Blue Ridge to the head oftide-vater; and
thirty three from the country below the falls of the
rivers" And that in Senite of twen;y-f)ur there
should be ten Srnators from the country west of the
Blue Ridge OF mountains and fourteen from the coun.
Try east of those mountans-Hc since modified his
proposition by changing the number of members in
bofh bodies without changing materially the dist RI
button ofpower. His proposition now under consid-
Grafton is, that 'the House ofDcegates shall con ss
vi one hundred and twenty-scvcn members of VIII ON
twenty nine sha be elected from the dist riot west
OF the Allegheny mountains twenty-our from tic al
ley between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge; forty
from the Blue Ridge to the head of tide water; and
thirty four thence below" And that the Senate sha
! consist OF thirty-two members of whom ''there shall
be thirteen west of the Blue Ridge of mountains and
10 nineteen Ell ST of these mountains"
have said, Sir that the resolution of the gnntIe
man from Albemare offered to the House on the
: 25th of November. had previously examined IN
concert with my friend from Loudoun, Mr. II, ndor
. SON. that OF the gentleman from Goochland bv com
pnrlng Its results with those of the white Formulation
. basis which we considered the standard where
Oy TO measure by the extent of their alteration from
IT. the feasibility of all plans of compromise whatever
% We now instituted critical and uborious examipn,
ton OF the compromise basis proposed by the gentle
"a man from Abemarlc. We took next relative or com
III HpI hpnr
y ings and aspecs-n their operation on eacb sect",
OF the State, aDdon the whole State-in their Drnci
u pies, 50 far as any principle involved and in then
practical rcsuts-in their probable effects on the VA
Tous ana apparently conflicting interests of the diff
icrcnt parts of the Commonwealth at present and or
The same interests, when the relative situation of those
y parts Should be changed, it probably would be- b,
the unequal ratios of the increase of their poDuation
The result Of this examination was deliberate an,
fwe considered preference for the plan of the rcne
man ON AIbemarle, in regard To he presenter mr.
> tH1t As'Ti6ul'on IF Pottct Pooer. we considered
IT. however, great defect in the plan TINT IL nrov
dcd no rule Tor future apportionmcnt so az TO ndap
Itse from time to time to the varying population ~
tie different sections Of the CONFERENCE.-The the NJ
tempt To frame such rule having been abandoned
or rather never made by It's author because bo con
sIdeTcd that the very attempt would bring into instant
conflict the dlscordnni pretensons of the contendino
parties, winch 1t was The main object Of his plan to
Keep IN state OF quiesccncc. But, even in this res
pect, VIC considered his plan more acceptable com
promise 10 me Wea than that of the zen. Ienon from