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


statement of Mr.. Leigh produced universal asonish-
ment; perceiving which, he renewed his assurance,
that he relied implicitly the information he had
recslved and added, that he believed tcds soes TO
htnsfor the government Of bis conduct Mr. Pow
ell and Mr Mason of frederick, the colleagues of Mr.
Cooke penetrated with astoniShnIent at slr Lelghs
statement declared to the Convention their dIsbe
l!cf that any man from the West could possibly vote
ior hr. Gordons scheme; and the latter expressed
his opinion that whoever had made this con,n1unica
ton to Ar Leigh must have mistaken the trle inn
port OF some members conversation. Mr. Neale then
stated to the House that he had given to Mr. Leigh
the information in question. DO you inquire who
authorised Mr. Neale to make this statement? Or,
IN other words, from whom he learned the truth of
What he thus communicated Ifit not OF her.
wise known, what followed Immediately after would
furnish the answer. The vote was taken my a.
mendment, and lost by an equal division of Dc on
! each side. This vote can be seen i'll pages l26 of
the Journal By examining the ayes and neos. it
VIII appear that the rain TINT all the Pai
leg would desert us, only operated to take from us
one OF our friends East of the ridge. This constan-
CIV and honorable dealing of our friends East of the
Allegheny ought to be remembered; and should in
spre us with confidence in their support that future
trla winch cannot long be averted. Let any one
take the tables Of 1920, and calculate the overwhelm
ing majority OF frecmen represented by the 43 who
voted with us, and repress, he his wonder that
one OF our members should Immediately surrender
himself to the 40 who represented the minority.
Our misfortune is, that although no other Western
man followed the course of Nessrs Henderson and
Cooke, their own vote enough to turn the scale
and blast our hopes. The question then RECURRING
on Gordons plan, both these gentlemen out
In animated speeches III support of il, ard in vndi-
cation or their own course In the speech of Mr.
Cooke he disclosed all that had passed at our meet
lngs 1t would be difficult to say whether these
speeches produced most of ioy amon1 our opponcnts
or of grief and dismay among our friends The bat
tle.was lost We were divided and defeated Cor
don's plan was adopted by vote of SIS to IL On
| this vote Mr.. Cooke divided from the West 500
| l27,h page of the Journal.
1t was our misfortune that in most Of the Eastern
districts in which VIC found friends, there were con-
siderable mnorlties opposed TO us. There we're in
the convention opposed to us the heads of the Rich
mond Bar, two Elk Presidents, und the Chief Justice
OF the United States the Governor of the State with
the District Attorney, two Judges of the Court of
Appears, and one Judge of the General Court. These
were all at home, The votes of the two late Pres
dents and of the Chief Justice on important oues-
tons, were specially noted in those Journals which
contained the speeches of members. These Journals
ana the speeches opposed to US were packed and dis
trbuted IN districts where the people were divided
to produce effects injurious TO our cause
| Perhaps 1t might be truly said, that Mr. Cooke
wrote and exetted himsclfmore than any other man
| in favor of a Convention He published n pomnbIot
which was circulated at Richmond durnr the session
OF 1898, signed An uncompronl sing friend of re-
form" His princ pies correspondent with the assn
med name lie vent so far to point out FEAST
BILE mode by which majority of the people could in
troduce government Of their own adoption without
the aid Of the General Assembly in which pertect
~ agreed with him. He had then no horrible fore
bodnlgs OF a civil war. These never tormcnted him
until the roth of December last, when he oudIv mr.
ged them AS reason for supporting Gordon's nron
osition. Who has forgotten the pointed address of
! this gentleman to the West, when he hailed and in
pnked us as brothers allies Join our friends in
the Valley and East for the redress of those mrip
vances under which we alike suffered! His an
Peais were then made to every thing the trans Al
I icghany country, animate and inanmate they were
heard resoundng tom the valleys to the tops of our
Mountains, until they sunk in the 'smournful melody
of groves" Oar adversares considered hiswritinos
intammatory; but they we're charmed with his voice
on :he 10th of December.
The remaining history of the Convention is short
" 18th our divisions on the fatal 10Th of December
ended the possibility of unanimous secession and
consentaneous action of the friends of reforms and
knowing this adversaries became more hold and
completed the work of the Convention in manner
to suit their owE views They reconsdered the vote
for eccting the Governor by the people. On this
occasion four OF our friends separated from u.s. and
the election OF Governor Was given to the General
Assembly. The 18th clause of the Sd article of tho
Constitution vas proposed by AIR. Cooke. On this
occasion he again voted against the whole Wes,
by TINS provision 1t is made the duty of the General
Assembly, once in every ten years, to re-annortion
Representations But in doing this they are never "a
disturb the distribution of power established bv Cor
dams p'nn. This reapportionment is to be done with
IN eacn distct and division in the same manner as if
each district division were, for this purpose sem
arate provlnce-l will not say Commonwealth 'phns
the new Constitution proposes to give us 81 mon
bers in the House of Delegates By Mr.. Cookies
uio Vi apPo'"o'iiie!iI our NUMBER Is never to be
increased, not even 1t our population should out
number all the rest of the State.
Mr. Madison proposed the 5th clause of the same
article which Immediately follows that of Mr. Cooke
and may be justly termed its twin brother Bv this
article the General Assembly have power, once in
every ten years after 1871, to apporion reprcsen
taton, so that the House of Delegates shall never
consist of more than $50, nor the Senate of more
than So members. But this power can only be eyer
clsed By too thirds Of the members of eacb House
Mr.. Chapman moved to strike ont "two thirds sun
posing that when the East were demandinpa MAORI
ty OF twenty two members in the House of Dele
gates, and of six in the Senate, they asked power
ana aii security enough. Mr. Cooke voted against
Chapman's amendment, in which vote he wos 5nineJ
by two or three others from the West, and by about
the same number the adoption of Mr. Madison's
resolution Lastly, on the passage of 1he Constit,
ton all the Western members voted in the nerative
except Mr.. Cooke. phe result of our labors is en-
rIous indeed We demanded the passarc of n law
Tor calling a Convention. and orr rnastnrv IN H.