Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-02-09


ito be the of majority Of this body, that
"uuwieldy house Of delegates should be reduced iu
number and the expenses CT the government diml-
'nshed. Other useful and economical reforms. il
I "was known. would receive its sanction. Ii was
"ascertained, in short, that although the equal re-
presentation of the people could not be carried 4
great approximation towards II was attsinable.
/ Under these circumstances the alternative was
"prcsented To tho friends Of reform, the hand,
l"of abandoning the contest, and dssolvng this
sembly, without forming any contribution, or OF the
'other, of endeavorng TO effect something like fair
compromise. on the great and veXcd question of the
"basis of representation.
Il contemplated, was my duty, with STEADY
"eye tho alternative thus presented saw, the
zone hand, the continuance for indefinite period,
"of that gross inequality OF representation which has
except Virginia, for thirteen years, in state of
mol and confusion: saw the hopes OF my disfran-
"chsed feow-citizcns blasted and their passions
''aroused and excited. | knew that large majority
the people OF Virginia considered themselves n;-
I"Qunousy held in state OF political bondage I
kncw that threats had been uttered, within the last
eighteen months--not loud and brawling mena ccs
| ''but threats, which, by the in which thew
we're uttered, manifested cool, stern, deep and
"determined purpose-threats that if the non free
"hoidcrs did not obtain Justice. IN tho convention
"then anticipated they would no longer submit to
'the laws and the constituted authorites-that they
"would refuse to labor OF the roads,' IA rank and
"palpabe grievance that they would refuse to pay
county evies and taxes and to perform militia duty
THAT. If he constituted authorities attempted 20
penalties they would resist force with force l
knew, by the result of private census that in the
county OF Frederick alone, there were no less than
'iro MoVsQnd tco hundred OF these DISTINGUISHED citi
"zens-men of full lgc-and that they bore to the
"frecholders the proportion of nearly nine to FIVE
Il shuddered n The probable result of conflict.
"begun by stubborn refusal to obey the constituted
neutrality-suspicious. next TO an attempt, by
those authorities, to enforce obedience by the posse
"comtdtus-then u tumutuary and successful rcss-
tance ripening fast into organized insurrecion-a
military array FOR its suppTession-the passions of
1.-THE oppressed and DISTINGUISHED classes at length
aroused to irenzy-and then-a civil war with all
''s concomitant horrors-houses, villages and town.
"reduced to ashes, and MANY stricken field sirewed
'wlh mang!ed corpses of our citizens, and drenchcd
'wIth the best blood of Virginia.
believe inc, sir, his is rhetorical war, no fancy
pcture. tell you, sir, for knor IL, that so sure
las God III heaven, the separation of this assembly
WITHOUT redressing, in some al least the
grievances The nOn-freeholders will be the signal
"ior resistance, passive at first 10 the constituted
authorities. And he has read in vain the history of
past ages and other times-and the history of our
"own revolutionary struggle more especially, who
docs not that pGsSice resistance must and
will produce attempt, the part of the govern
"nlent, TO enforce obedlencethat that attempt will
arouse the passions of the oppressed and that civil
"war will be he result
This Mr.. President, one Of the derivatives .
ca red out to its results, presented by tho refusal
"of majority OF this assembly to recognize the
equal rights " The people to representation i'll the
Legislative bodies. The other, have sand was
"ihe ab1ndonn-nt OF long cherished hopes--the
"sacrhcc of great principle-Aa7 pEiscisie coeGaI
'wlth the republic itself and eudcared to us bv its
association with oil those early feelings OF enthu
sasm inspired by the story of the revolution But
ain abandoning those hopes, we did but boW TO the
sup enc law ot neceSsIty-in sacrliicir. that prin-
i "Ipl" We offered 1t up the altar oil the public
"safrtv TIL choice painful, but not difficult
In conformity with the views expressed in this
eXtrac, the whole western delegation determined to
accept reasonable compromise basis, If such could
be Obtained, in lieu of the white basis" in both
hou- OF the legislature. will repeat here in
detail, the history | have given elsewhere of the
events of the three weeks which followed this reso
luton Suffice 1t TO say, that all the compromise
plans. and there several offered by the eastern
members, Were successfully Withdrawn or rejected
that soon became obvious that the choice must be
made between the plan recommended, in the first
stance bl Gov. Peasants, which made white popu-
latlon the basis of representation 10 the house of
delegates, and federal numbers the bass the senate
and that recommended by Gen. Gordon, and forming
at p esent part of the amended constuton-tha
the was, at first considerable difference of opiuion
among }Orty n1e to the relative merits of those
Plans-hat. oIfhe 29th Of November, all the mem
'bers ofthe Ly nine, residing east of the Blue Ridge
(excec~~Col. Monroe whose opinion was not known
Concurred in formally recommending TO the thirty,
SIX western members plan Of representation essen
TALLY the same with Gen Gordon's-that The west
meGlbers generally rejected the recommen.
datIon, and expressed their preference for Gov.
MEMBERS of the forty-niue, thereupon expressed
their Willingness to unite with the 10 support of
that pian-that Mr.. Henderson and myself expires
sed preference for the plan recommended by the
eastern members, or Gen Gordons, but promised to
vote for the other, as q compromise plan which we
hoped would unite all partiss-that the tern plan
four times offered to the house in one shape or
other, from the Goth of November 10 the 10Th De-
cember inclusve-that 1t was each time rejected
though Mr. Henderson and myself each time voted
for lt-and lastly, that the 9th Of December i'm
medlaeIy after its fourth rejection, Mr. Henderson
and myself, Gen. Gordon's plan being then under
consideration, signi6ed IN the house our individual
preference to the aforementioned plan explained the
reasons which had till that time induced US TO vote
against 1t, and voted far it. 1t was carried by
vote OF % TO ii, and finally became part Of the
constitution now submitted 10 your consideration.
From the 10Th Of December ill the final vote on the
l4th Of January, zcalously supported, os have
already told you, The constitution containing this
compromise plan Of representation I, alone, Of
the hirty-sx members west OF the ridge, voted for
its final adoption; Mr.. Johnson, who had on the 9th
Nc, .,... & -.