Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-02-13

TIE distribution oil the members bstweeS The coun-
try West OF the Blue Ridge. S,d he East Of
it, would according 10 The aate basis Of 1880, be as
fellows
To ,hs wes,, 60
To The East, ~
The actual di.uSuion made, i, a, follow:
To the west, SO
To the sasi, rs
Total 1874
Thus YOU perceive, that ewing the subject Gas
ny choose 10 view H., but a. cannot, Tor Reasons
will pres, My a'sigu) in The light eta struggle for
power between all hv country west of the ridge the
hand, and all the east Ok the ridge the
other; we, al the west have made compromise not
being able t, do better, by which we obtain within
four members, out Of 1874, Of the utmost amount we
claimed, principle oil the equal pre- sents-
on Of the free white people OF the conmonwea ia
Now, think that when you ccnsd~r how prod gious
an Increase this is Of the power which you enjoy
der the old cons'uton;l how impei frcty your num-
bers were represented in the convention Itself; how
much more weight you allowed in Ito gov.
ernment than you had in the conventions; and lastly.
how dithcul, II was 10 convince the eastern people,
having majority ofvoices in the convention, that tie
circumstance OF their paying three iourhs Of the
whole taxes OF the state should count for nothing in the
arporiionpient CT representa- ou-yo on viii incline to
consider This more favorable compromise tn might
reasonably have been hoped for, undor such 4 compi
cation OF iuau-r cious eli cumstances.
But we, ri the wet, left in the minority, tits
said, In both OF the legislative boGcs. So should We
have been, Oh the white basis itself il yoa insist,
on con'idering III. Blue Ridge Of noun aims the d
wiling line between the east aud the west But has il
been the dividing line, even in the great political
.trucge which is just over: Where were Loudonn and
Fan lax, and A'bemarle, and Nelson, and Amherst,
ard Campbell. and bedford, and franklin and Patrick.
aud Henry, AMI Piisylvania, at the CONNIE me mt
OF the str,iggle in the Convention. Ony three mem-
bers out OF the twenty from these districts, op.
posed to us. IL l. true, that Movement OF the whole
talent aud influence Ut the east brought bear on the
people Of two Of these districts during the sitting OF
the Convention, wrought them up into penic fear a.
bout the security tther slave property, which caused
them to ooun'er-insruct the very men whom they had
elected the spring before, avowed "white basis
men," But, Instructed as they were, they secured to
by their votes, such as have describ
ed aud which We should have asked in vain from the
east, hut for their assistance.
But the struggle for powcrs row over. The ques.
tons which will hereafter arise between the different
sections OF The state will be questions OF different
Character They will relate TO the spirit Of l,sls
laiion. The people OF the valley, for example, want
good system OF road laws at home, which under the
old government they have never been ali lie to obtain
They want paved roads 10 The markets Of the east
which under the old COVE they would not have
obtained for fifty, perhaps hundred years 10 come.
Lock at tbs lace OF the country in the first range OF
counties east OF the ridge, ard thu character OF the
country between them and the sea-ports OF the east
and then doubt, II you can, that their interests are
identical with ours in these important particulars The
western part Of that whole range OF counties, more
rough and hy by far than The valley we nhstit wants
good syst'm OF road laws at home even more than
we DO. tie, moreover, separated from market by
Ridge OF nountains iH many places As formidable
the Blue Ridge sell. 1 allude TO that ridge which.
in Loudcun i. called the Catoctin, in Prince William
the Bull run mountain, further 10 tie southwark The
Southwest mountain, and which ex:eLd', under va
rous names, TO the line Of n. Carolina. Those
ties are, moreover, separated from marke'b by district
oil country, c"tseI in FauqUcr the Black Jack
and elsew here by various other HaiI es all equally
hateful TO the hardy and much-cnjuring wagner,
becaue the rains and SHOWS and ross &C each
size winter convert into great aud almost imrss
sable slough. The paved roads which will enable tie
people OF these 10 surmount these obstacles
and pass t3torgh this annual swamp, viii he youi
reads 10 market likewise. You may count, then, with
certainty, on perpetual legislative alliance 10 all
rcSd qu liens a 10 all acnaa!e aud proper plans
internal Improvement between the people OF the
Ridge and the people in mcdiaely eat OF it,, whose
united representative vii constitutes majority in
both Of the legislative bodies. Aud what were sour
objects in the great Struggle in which you have N
eugagcd For 10. years? D.dyou want power
purely cis-monidne yo,oer, with the view oftf-
f-cing great useful prscca rssus, And what were
the practical results you chiefly aimed at? Was
the improvement, OF the country by good Ioa.s tile
most vitality important Of d ]? Give the farmer good
roads 10 market, and he will grow Iich apacc lie
will erect neat and substantial barns and hou. es and
fences. in place ofhOse which now dcform the iacs
of Tie country: he will build school houses and
churches, and subscribe Literally TO the endowmen,
Of academies ard colleges In short facility Of
pora,on is Of tie essence of the prosperity Of agri-
cultural community; and IT was the neglect, by The
old governm, nj, oil his imP)rtsn, branch of Iceisa.
lion, which more than ali other wrought it.
downfall
plete. You have destroyed the paraydc government,
not inclined 20 do evil, but impoent for good which for
halta century, has bcnumbed the energies OF the people
" hat more do you wanH
But there is still another aspect in which this subject
may =. viewed, TO which, if have not already cx.
hausted your patience would respectfully ask your
attention | will premise that am fully aware that il
is unpopular view and that it will tell YOU Il uths il
they truths Which you will he generally pre- dispos-
ed 10 reject, with indignation, perchance against
him who is bold enough TO tell them But how will YOU
learn the truth subjects of this nature if the
public servants TO whom you have specially committed
the duty OF searching out, after laboousy performing
that duty, have not courage 10 tell you what they believe
TO be the truth because they know thai is opposed
all your preconceyed notions? Popular or unpopular
here il Isl
We have been accustomed 70 eonsd, r our trans A.
tcehany fellow. citizens natural allies i'm con
tradi tincion frOm f,llow-eiizens OF the middle
country, in that unhappy Of sectional inter- 81,
which the G,qua Distribution OF power IN de by In,
old Constitution compelled us to wag, | ask yo,
gravey 20 conside, whether this not an error !,
p int Of fact. admit that our trans. lie ghany bretlr
aided us in trinsiug about Convention, AMI that
in that respect, they were polc al f~iend.. Blu
TO the reality Of any supposed identity Of inieress
regard to the results oil the Convention have locke,
In vain for the proofs Of It'll have on the contrary
supposed il to be INCIDENTALLY true shat however lend
ly their temper and iecE gs may have been they wen
into the Convention with Interests hostile 10 ours on IA,
principal questions which there to be settled The,
went into The Convention, having 81 repre- ,entatiye
in HOuss Of Delegates OF PA, AMI being cntiled
the "wliite basis" 20 but Al according to In
census a 1920 We went into Inc Convention Vvib D
representatives Of The vaey being emil lei 10 49, ar
cOrding 10 the census. We then were yrisvous
ly undcrrepreSened; they were over-tepresenfed. w