Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-04-12
PROM -BE wFLLsDuRo cAzErT1.
No V

Eeilce Citi=ens Of Western Yirsinia:
An ,bltrsry, weak and whimsical father once took
IL into his head N;st he would have stardsrd suit
cap gfe made Tor each of bis sons by master work
IN who happcned 20 please him. Hehsd four sons
The Youngest ", and the oldest 23 years old In
Fix of al hunor the old gentleman vowed that be
would have standard suit according TO which every
future suit fogld be made for each OF ms sons ahu
that unlessthey agreed 10 wear then he would DIS
inherit tipta. The three elder who were twenty
three tuen and nncteeen years old could with
ont much Inconvenience wear the tnaniuc6Ie s1it but
w WIN was only lad of twelve snd from his growth
bcgan IN feel himself pnched the very insta ut the
proposition made and the tailor began to take
his measure. But submit he must to choice ofcvils,
either 10 be disiRherited 10 have mis- manhood sta
turs fixed 10 his growth at twelve.
The Tide-watcr Commonwealth is twenty-three,
tho Middle Commonwealth Is twenty-one, the Valley
nineteen. aud the Western or Cis- Allegheny is not
quite twelve years old, according 10 Baron Sweden
6org's doctrine of correspondcuces. But thc shocr
which are To wear, aud the coats which are to
us, while parchment lasts and the new Consii
tuition wears, now mode ready for and II we
oT,ce put them on must wear them while orr Cen
s;iiuiioa lasts.
But parable apart, lct me ask what evil have
done; of what crime guilty, that should be
doomed 70 perpetual slavery 10 the East. | call it
3rpei.1i, because there decades OF years, no
centuries of time. Cycles Of ages, fixed for our
enlargement. r. call it slavery too because are
subjected IN personal rights and il tights OF
property to an Eastern Legislature. We want no
more power than our just share but matters viii
stand under the Amended Constitution might us
wei keen our Liipty-one Western Nssc,n5lyn,cn at
home for any Legislative power which they have.
Suppose It should DO necessary 10 have an army
raised 20 Gue an Flstern insurre;tion, or suppose
the Eastern country! now possessing 100000 negroes
should have TO be put under ratrolc and standing
army kept ~ to keep down the slaves; having a ma
iojy ofsiX Senators and twenty-five Delegates can.
not viii not, East, m Virginia, under tho Amended
Constitution call Out our young men 20 fight her bat
tics. with her own slave; FAX us 10 sustan them
IN doing ii? And is this al impossible event: No
man Of sense viii say it is Impossible. ~ man ac-
guaHsd with the progress OF slavery AID ofthc evils
attendant il ~ u cay say that IT IS mpossi-
be. We mus, ~ be kept in SUB lection that We m1y
he controlled wiicn the Old Dominion finds II neces
cary to control into her service This is the secret
Of The whole inatter-wc must be demi slaves, an
Irish peasaDiry, species of hcliots that old Viz
gaia may by her Legislative power call us into the
field. sr tax Us at pleasure This I again repeat is
thc vince! within ths wheel which is to crush us
Why in the name Of The fire senses, should we be
subjected 10 perpetual scrv!tude if !hs be not the
principle? Why should On Interchangeable representa-
ton, an invaTable quantum cfpolitica power be
sured out 10 u.s. unless TO keep subsidiary to slave
holders, Was there in any age, in any country
government based on arbitrary foundaton;-
~ any country, | ask, protesting republican foiih:
The counties in the Valley and the % counties on
this side the Allegheny, many of them Of immense
territory and resources, never TO have than
90 representatives in both houses, and the Eastern
counties never 20 have less than OF Representa-
tvcs. Yes if four iiths OF the whole population,
white. black and mixed were TO be found these
counties Is fnur6f hs Of all the wealth and taxable
property in ia" Commonwealth were TO be found on
THIS side the Ridge the East must have 81 and we on
y co representa- ives! Is not this rightly denomirc-
led ii: nn?rincplcd principle basis OF govcrn-
m"ut!
bet, perhaps some hoary headed swain NAV say:
1t - rot perpetual, IL 10 not unaerably fixed upon
si FOR Mr.. Madison had a rule of future opportion
mant inserted in the Constitution. And what is t2
Whenever, and before, t,co-Hirs of both houses
ngree to re-apporton representation, then it NAV
come to pass that we may get our Just share. When
igo-fh"ds OF both houses concur And that will be
Wien old Scion rCturns. Yes old Scion will revisit
iffeccc before two-hirds of both houses will AGREE
10 give TO Western Virginia her full share of Legisa-
tive power. When the good men, the wise men, the
aged men, the patriarchs of Virginia the late Con-
Ieatlpn. were not willing that "a lean majority
Should &c ours but by all the in their power op-
posed what cvinced itself 20 be the unbiased calm
and disPassionate viii of majority. not only OF tho
people but Of the represcn ativcs of Ike EreetOhrs
cHn wc expect that ever fio0 thirds Of both houses
wIii concur III awarding justice US, If another
generation: will not say should become more lust
more honorable, aud more generous; but if another
generation should happen TO be just, and honorable
and republican. then may expect such q majority
But according TO the popular creed Of those who ad
vocal Ell the t01thirtS, every generation is becoming
Lees just less generous less benevolent than the pre-
ceiling On thcir own principles, then this event is
never to be expected.
The amended Constitution is palpably defective in
That which is the most essential attribute of every
CtDSttuLoh' Inc power oil adapting tso!f TO the
changing circumstances Of the people who placed
under it. This is the conservative principle of every
such instrument. Without this it is still born. Il
has not vital principle. Suppose the Constitution
Of the y States had only adapted itself to the old
states and made no arrangements for the admission
Of new ) ates upon the then thiny settled territory
which has nearly doubled the original number Of
States, what would have been its fateS Would it not
have died born? And is not the ConstItu-
tiVn Of an individual State as radically defective
which has part of It's territcly thinly settled and
yet makes no arrangement for tic increase of popu-
!9tion in that territory To elaborate this subject
farther would be 70 insult tho good Of the yeo
nanny Of this community.
But there are other great objections to The Amend
al Constitution. il IL IN some respects much worse
than the oid one. IL recognizes principles the most
obhofrent to oil republicans all who regard the
lights OF man. Slavery, that modern Pondora5 box
that curse Of curses, which has deuged every coun
~ with crime, and engulphed it in ruin existed in
virginia, before the old Constitution was promulred
yet that instrument never named it, IL took no no.
tico Of that black cloud IN our horizons il Ief il 10 IFS
own course and 10 all the chances Of dissipation from
every point IN tho compass. But behold in the wear