Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-02-10

= COUNTY,, 81
The valley, -
Piedmont, or the middle country, a.
lie Underwater country, sc
Che distribution OF the members between tho
country west Of the blue ridge and the couxtry cast
of It, would, according to the hi,e basis Of $780, be
follows
70 the west. 60
To the cast, "a
Total, 13s
The actual distribution made. is as follows:
To the west. Sc
To the east, rs
Total, Ia4
qhus you perceive, that viewing the subject las
many choose to view 1t, but cannot for the rea
sons will presently assign in the light of struggle
for power between all the couu,ry west of
the ridge on the hand, and al, tho coppry ca e
OF The ridge on the ether, we, tho w<ec: have
made compromise. no, being sbis t.o-sfstets by
which we obtain within four members out of Nj
OF the utmost amount we claimed, on our oyn prn-
cipe OF the equal representation OF The free white
people OF the commonwealth Now, think, that
when you consider how prodigous Increase this it,
OF the power which you enjoy under the old consti
tutiou;f how mperfeciH your numbers we're repre-
sented IN the convention itself how much more weigh,
you are allowed III the new government than Won
had in the conventions and lastly, how difficult it was
TO convince the eastern people, having n minority uf
voices ia the convention, that the circumstance Of
their now paying thIeetouyihs of the wlulc taxes OF
the state should count for nothing ia tho apnortion
ment OF represcntaion;-you Will incline 10 consid
er this more favorable compromise than M chit rsa-
snnably have been hoped for, under such compica-
ton of inauspicious circumstances.
Rut we, of the wet LEFT in the minority. il "a
said, in both of the legislative bodies So should
we have been the white basis itself If you ins,,
on considering the Blue Ridge of mountains as tho
dividing linz between the east and the west. Bu;
has it been the dividing line. even in the great
political struggle Which is just over Where woro
Loudoun and Fairfax, and Abemaria, and Nelson,
and Amherst and Campbell, md Bedford, and Frank.
lin, and Patrick, and Henry and PttsylvGna. at the
commencement Of the struggle in the convention,
Only three members out of the twenty from, these
dist riots, were opposed TO US. It is ,roc, that
movement of the whole talent and influence of the
east brought to bear on the people OF of these
districts, durIog the sitting of tho convention
wrought them up into panic fear about the security
OF their slave property, which caused then, to coun
tcF-nsruct She veiy men whom they had elected the
spring before, as avowed "white-bas men," But
ms fUcted as they were they secured TO W. bysthcr
votes. a constitution such as have described and
which we should have asked in vain from the east.
but for their assistance.
But the struggle for power is now cvcr. The
questions Which will hereafter arise between the diff.
terent sections Of the state sill be que ons of diff
fcTent character. They will relate to the spirit of
our legislation. The people of the valley, for exam
pie want good system Of road laws at home,
which under the old government they hsve never
been able to obtain. They want paved roads 70 the
markets of the east which under the old government
they would rot have obtained for fifty, perhaps hun
dred yeaTs to come Look at the face OF the eoun
try IN the fret range of counties of the rdge,
and the character oftho country between them s. the
seaport- ofthe east then doubt you thu ihoir
interests arc Identical with in these important par
tcu!ars. The western part of that whole rance Of
counties, moro rough and billy by far than the valley
we inhubit wants good system of road laws at
home even more than we do 1t is, moreover sepa-
rated from market by ridge OF mountains IN many
m f,rro iIohI 10 tIo Il
Jude to that ridge which Loudoun is called the Cat
octin, in Prince William, the Bull un mountain fur
Their to the southwark, the South west mountain and
which extends, under various Names to the line of
n. Carolina Those counties are, moreover, sepa-
rated from market by district of country called in
Bauquler the Blackjack country and else where bv
various other names, all equally hateful to the hardy
and much enduring WAGNER, because the rains and
SHOWS and rosts Of each successive winter convert n
into one great and almost impossible slough The
paved roads which will enable the people of the. =.
counties to surmount these obstacles. and pass
through this annual swamp, will be your roads 10
market Likewise. You may count, then VITA GER
tainty. on perpetual legislative alliance as 10 oil
road questions TO all reasonable and proper plan.
of internal Improvement between the people west of
the Ridge and the people Immediately east of it,
whose united representatives will consulate ma
jority in both of the legislative bodies And VIVA,
were your objects N the great struggle in which you
have been engaged for fourteen years? Did YOU
want power purely az els Unortane potcer with the
VIC" VI eHcCng great llsefu practIcoI results And
what were the practical results you chiefly aimed a2
Was not the Improvement of the country b good
roads the most vitaly important OF all, Give the
farmer good roads to market, and he will grow
rich apace. He will erect neat and substantial barns
and houses and fences, in place of those which now
detorm the face ofthe country: he will build school
houses and churches and subscribe literally 10 the
endowment ofucademIes and colleges In short, ia
cIy OF transportation IL OF the Of the pros
perty Of an agricultural community; and il was the
neglect, by tho old government, of this important
branch ofiegsloton, which than all other eau
scs, wrought it's downfall.
In this aspect Of tho case, then your victory is CON-
pIetc. You have destroyed the paralytic govern
ment not in lined to do evil, but iinpocnt for good
which, for half a century has benuubed the encr-
gles OF The people. What more do you WANT
10 begin at home Frederick county gains under the new
constitution an absolute increase Of power in tic Ii0o Of
Delegates OF 40 cent and Jefferson county absolute
increase OF 60 per II the House of Delegates been
Ie at z1, and representation had been dSbuied is
undef The rev constitution, Frederick would have had 20
delegates and Jefferson 10 or delegates The valley
al Ina nNn.a