Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-03-15
FROM THE wELLspuRa GAZETTE.
No. III

FeHoto Citizens Of Uesiera Pirginia:
1cn: Gordon's compromise became by accident the
most famous Of all the compromises. 1t obtained its
ceieori'y from no sort of merit whatever. Suppose
a pair OF scales IN e%quipoise, or nearly so; take one
pound out OF one scale and place it upon the floor.
the other scale Of course by the law of gravity. prc-
ponderates. Shall we asc,i be any merit. or INV
re,ght to the pound upon tho floor! But if YOU nut
the pound on the floor, into the scale which Inns prc-
pondera,cd 1t has then the merit of giving greater
prcponderance to the descending scale. Such merit
had this scheme.
Gen. Gordon made q good speech in favor of the
lchite basis, and SO did John r.. Cook, ESQ. of tho
valley. They failed not to disseminate correct
principles. For these speeches we never ccnsured
them. But when the era of compromises arrived.
this trying period to oil those who had vanity to think.
or patriotism to desire to BIO tho saviours ofthc Com
monwealth, we found that speeches were one thing.
and compromises another. Unfortunately these rcn-
temen were too much alarWed for the integrity and
safety OF the State. Possessed ofstronp imaripations
ana fruitful iancies, they saw streams of blood, flames
of fire, villages and hamlets in smoking ruins. and
heard the screams Of widows and the cries of orphans
all over the Commonwealth where no other gentle
man hau eyes TO see, or cars to hear such terrors,
consequential upon our holding fast our principles,
upon our maintaining the doctrine of the white ba-
SIS, and upon our remaining firm in the doctrine OF
equal rights to which these gentlemen had ayowed
allegiance. 0"SN
Oar sagacious, polite, and powerful enemies. good
Judges too, OF human nature, knew how TO fatter,
and whom 20 flatter;-they knew how TO alarm.
when to alarm, and whom to alarm. And whether
they suspected terror, vanity, or extraordinary pat
riotism Ia werk in the bosoms of the compromis;n1
friends OF the white basis, they knew how to admins.
ter alternatives, stimulants, or sedatiyes. ACCORDING
to the indications Of the symptoms iust as the patient
required. Hence 1t was that Gen, Gordon's scheme
was well managed, and Mr. Cooks patriotism much
respected.
We saw, indeed, the jeopardy in which cur hopes
were placed, and feared that some person on our side
OF the house, might take it into his head to be a me-
diator and the saviour OF the country, and wbc,bcr
from vanity, or patriotism. IA mntterpd NOT &c III, ne
tempt were made. we anticipated defeat We saw
100 that when we were almost equally divided a
strong temptation presented itself to any who wish
ed Tor the distinction, who was ambitious of tho
honor, OF being the keystone of some rrcat arch
stretched over the watets Of strife. The evil antici-
patcd was unfortunately realized. And no gentleman
,o"o ftePped o"t 81 our Tdnksto make a compromise
,nuolrtnS The principle ecer got back again.
The eagerness with which our antagonists seized
the compromise was honorable to our cause, though
fatal TO our triumph i'll that Convention. Posterity
cannot iaii TO view their almost unanimous acceptance
oil the compromise as an unequivocal surrender of
their principles; or at least, an UNREASONABLE CON.
cess'on to the strength of the cause we plead. T.
must be viewed In this light. One party plead
for one scheme or form of government. the other
party plead for another, and almost opposite scheme
of government. In the mean time a plan is proposed
not regarding either scheme in the abstract. One
party accedes to the new or third scheme, the other
VIII not; what is the conclusion The partv which
accedes abandons its own scheme from principle or
from policy; if from principle the other triumphed in
reason, If from policy it ~triumphed in strength.
Gen Gordon, feeling the greatest solicitude for the
safety OF this iavorite bantling, watched over it with
all paternal anxiety. Its health and prosperity en-.
crossed his whole soul. Like q kind and afcctionate
father, he was willing TO hazard every thing for il.
lie would not permit 1t TO form any alliance with any
other scheme or principle. No principle could COM
pound or ANA gamate with it. 1t had no sort of afi-
nifty for any one truth in the science of government.
lie would not suffer any rule of future apportionment
to be appended TO it. He refused il the aid of even n
conservative DrInClDlp lost N should Iotroo, cor. "a
merit or its support. lie would not even give per-
petuity TO 1t upon It's own rationale. This made IL
%palatable to the East, and they adopted it because it
was n n~oprnclPied compromise.
Still the West and their real friends in The Eas,
d!d not quite abandon oil hope ofdefeatinr this proiet.
Assurances were given from sundry gentlemen that
II Gen. Gordons plan should be rejected, or if a ua-
Jority could not be obtained for it. they would rather
than the Convention should rise without submitting n
Constitution, agree to the white basis in the lower
House, having some guarantee in the Senate. A.
inongst these was the venerable Chief Justice. But
Just at The crisis when this supposed state of thinus
was aSccrtained upon another question .upon Tho wbito
basis IN the lower House and a federal Senate, | saw
when that condition of things actually arrived which
required from them this concession to the Common
wealth, Just at the moment when the House stood
equally divided by a vote of 40 against do. ;ben il
was divulged by Mr.. Loigb, the oracle of the opposi-
ton, that he could from UNREASONABLE authority ir-
form the House That Gen. Gordon's compromise would
be acceptable to the Valley, that gentlemen from Tho
valley had given assurances or lie had lea rncd from
s' ~ H VIII
some quarter that the compromis, would be accepto-
bic to that portion of the Commonwealth. This de-
cIaration from Mr.. Leigh astonished the rerormists
VINO TO that moment supposed that in good faith tho
whole Valley was with them in heart and hand. Who
1T was that bad informed our opponents, who it was
that had given them such an assurance, every coun-
tenance on our side ofthc House indicated an anxiety
To know. One gentleman arose and cxhonera,ed
himself from the suspicion. This excited a still
greater interest TO know who could have authorized
Mr. Leigh to report that he had good authority to
assert That the Valley would accept the compro-
misc.
Mr.. Cook then arose, ~eulogized the compromise.
assured MS that be Ind been 'Me uacompro,nisnr
JrieHd Of REFORM gave us an assurance of his patriot.
Ism, a dcVe,opement OF his fears, terrors and antici-
pations, and informed us Of the extreme west how
much Justice this compromise administered to lis. Sc.
&c: This advertisement oppcased our curiositv
and pointed to the source whence Mr. Leigh had de-
tIyoo ms mIofinat,on. lie was followed by Mr.. Hen
derson from Loudoun, who unfortunately seemed to
have made Mr.. Cook his ".Nqsnus .4polio," md govc