Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-09-22

clzre what tho principle OF representation ought To
-, and shall be, in ali time TO come" &c
= Mr. Leigh, lpagc 1891 said-"Tbat a reference
had been made to tho colonial government TO disprovo
the statement Of the gentleman from Norfolk lie
vemment for the accuracy Of which he would vouch
CT briefly th,s-By the constitution OF July 1871
les above cited the right Of suffrage was given TO the
'inhabtsn,s-aferwards,i it seems only ireemen were
allowed 90 vote [saves having probably not been
only house Keepers: then, all ffce-
gain: them reeholders and housekeupers, who,
only, answerabe for levies: then by Bacons laws,
eli ifeemen, again. But IN 1877, the KING instruct
ed the Governor, that the members of the General
Assemby should be elected by freeholders only, &c.
&c] So, Mr.. Leigh ssid-"It appears that Bacon, a
rebel was tho first who adopted the notion of uni
yersal suffrage the country, and that he had 1t
1 IRON the soldiers Of Crowelrs army!!" IAnd this
assertion Mr. Leigh makes, in the very teeth OF his
own quotation, which attributes the origin of unver-
AL suffrage to the ordinance of 1921, which, alter
wards having suffered short restriction, was revived
By Nathaniel Bacon in 1916. and exploded by Kingy
cdct, establishing the freehold suffrage the year at
ter-apPareny for the sole purP OF fastening The
odious imputa'ion of liberal principles on rebel snd
Bacon for the first tim" is called rebel to dseredit
liberal principles. you'd not the gentleman, had
ne lived in the memorable Of the revolution, have
denounced Washington himself and the host OF wor
thes with whom he acted rebtes against the vest
ed rights Of royalty, and that too with as much plau-
sibny to call Nathaniel Bacon rebel, who acted
upon precisely the same principles, by anticipation
just one century beforewould he not have read tn
"
that time, with even greater show of allegiance to
his royal master. than he could pretend OF iraterna
love- when he read the act OF treason to his congre
grated fellow citizens of Richmond IN 1924? III the
affirmative Of these questions be not evident yet the
sequel will remove all possible doubt
Mr.. Cooke said-"Iie had not learned the colonia
history of Virginia from the notes OF the Revised
Code, but from the documentary and legislative re.
cords set forth at length .Hennings Statutes al
Large" He said, Il thank the gentleman however
for calling the attention of the committee to the his
tory Of suffrage in Virginia The learned gentleman
has ventured to TO this committee that the idea
of universal suffrage never heard of IN Virginia
till it started in England by those crazy en,husi
asts, the 'agitators, IN the time of Cromwell aud
that II was through them, introduced INTO the colo
sy. confess heard this statement made with nc
nall surprise The fact is, that 1t had existed in the
.lony, from the earliest period Of it's legislative hrs
nry. and was first assaied in the time of tho 'agta
prs' Of Cromwell With the exception Of the inter
al of year. [1655] universal suffrage prevailed in
'rgna from 1891 till 1910 in the year last men.
ned, an act passed declaring that none bu,
.reeholders and housekeepers, who only answer
able for leves should thereafter, have any voice in
the election of Burgesses This limitation of the
Get forth one of the grievances by which the
popular insurrection of 1876 vas justified. I call
popular insured iion, because the phrase is more
agreeable to my republican notions. than the word
rebellion, used by The gentleman from Chest erfrld
rMr Leigh.l Rebellion sir! then what were the
of l776. but rebels against the royal authority?
Nathaniel Bacon rebel! who perhaps only wanted
a wider theatre Of action, and a protracied span
of exist enee, to be the Washington of his age He
rose arms, against oppression, aud o democratic
legislature. or, under his control, while re
dressed many real gri,vancs repealed this limit nton
Of suffrage ,mposd in 1870, (page $40
Mr. Laigh (pag 398 said ''Sir these housekeepers
nnd ic7-ors FIR Eve years, stands in relation IDS
their landlords, which the influence of the and
the dependence of the other. in my opinion, al
most inseperably incident; and therefore they are
he uat cla " upht tn
be admitted to the polls. am sir, for retaining I'M
changed, uniunpaired, the principle Of freehold quail
cation of the right Of suffrage established BY the
existing constitution and laws" &c THE friends
of IN vcrssl suffrage, or, las il is fashionable to
call it) general suffrage, themselves obliged aa-
init that it is not natural right [yur alnsion TO Ro
bnBnn Crusoe and his man Friday convinced them
Derhdp-l: for, the first stroke of the pen, they
Guide from The polls al the women wthout exception
thnt is, about half the community; and then all mi
nors that = about half IF the male sex; and then all
puuoors and conricts'-So that this right which Gen
ilsfnco claim of the natural rights Of man
common 10 all mankind. they themselves propose ia
c0Gine 10 less than one fourth of the peopie! page
G91 The question is, what justification is the most
Iust, the mist politic' &c. Believing as do most
CorsccatoUsly believe, that the landed freehold uual-
iioalon is prelerabl" to any other that can bc de-
vsed am bound to maintain it 10 the utmost ertent
TO my poor ability" Mr.. Leigh has spoken one Of
his ruling passions-he seems to have a very decided
one, either IN the contempt or fenr Of pooert2 In
every paupcr he pictures his ina ginaon he anees
an abioct wretch ready to be bought and sold-or
else, rufisB robber, who only wants the opportu
nifty to rifle his purse Mr. Leigh seems to have con
caetad rather too bad opinion of mankind gene
rally except for the reehodcrs of the little county
o. Warwick; which being the smallest county in the
suite, had the greatest proportion of political power
noder the old constitution. Potoer sndyveaHh then
bold very warm contest in Mr.. heigbs mind, and
perhaps he has not yet been able to decide, which is
entitled TO be considered the best test Of virtue AZ
l65asng other classes Of citizens enough he ays
spaQe 400 The wealth of this commonwealth can
rot hrIbc The eeholdors ofthat little despsed county
Of WARWICK hope not; but the contrary is not
barely ihsinuated, but too broadly charged sgsinst
the honsF OF o:her clsssns not TO be considered at
last very excepti"nabs departure from the fair
ness well dignity Of debate And when he
gbcs aud aunts his opponents for including yo-
children, paupers, aud co1Uic,s, along with
househeepsTs and terInorS in the xtcnsion Of
l noed not suy in terms, what is the level beneat
which he has descended, in the jealous Cu6ment M
his assumed duty in defence of the Uesed power OF
the minority.l
Mr.. Leigh, little further back page SAB, seem.
TO pretend 10 better knowledge of the rood h1uIrs