Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-01-07


tlr best blood Of Virginia.
Believe sir, TINS Is rhetorical var no fancy
picture tell you sir, for knoc IT, that St, sure as
God is in Heaven, the separation of this 4 ssctnby
without redrcssing, in some measure at least the
grievances of non-frcehoders will be the SIGNAL for
resistance, passive at first the constituted
rites And he has read m vain the history of past
ages aud other tmcs-and tire history of our own re-
evolutionary struggle more especially who does not
see that even passice resistance must and will pro-
duce an attempt on the part Of the Government, to
enforce obedIencetl,at that attempt will arouse the
passions OF the oppressed and that civil war will be
the result.
Wits. Mr.. President, was one of the alternatives,
carried out to ITS results presented by the refusal of
majority OIL TINS Assembly to recognize The equal
rights Of the people to representation the Legisla-
tive bodies. The other, as have said, WIS the a.
abandonment OF long cherished hopcs-the sacrifice of
a great principle principle coeval with the re-
public itself, aud endeared to us by its association
with all those early feelings of enthusiasm inspired
by the story of the revolution But in Abandoning
those hopes, we did but bow to the supreme law of
necessty-in sacrificing that iinciple we offered it
up oil the altar ofthe public safety. THE choice WIS
painful but not difficult
The friends OF reform i'll this assembly, unanimous
ly determined that it due to the country to at
tempt, at least to negotiate compromise basis of
representation.
Fhe first attempt of the sort made, ontle 18th
OF November, by the worthy gentleman from Gooch-
lana lIrovernor Pleasants.) As one of the friends
OF reform, and of Cancellation too, he proposed in eff
feet that preserving the equal representation of the
people, III the most numerous branch of the legisla
turc, should extend the number of the Senate to
thtry-six in Difference to the expressed wishes of
our political opponents 81 disr buted the representa-
ton IN that body, throughout the Commonwealth OH
the basis of federal numbers.
a nhnifcSt Improvement the teln1er of the BODY
was produced by the proposition itself, but
pecidlly by the in which it was announced
and by the patriotic feelings by which it evident
ly dictated
l1rIt proposition was still OIL the table undispo-
srd OF when, on tn. 25th Of November, second
Plan ot compromise basis Of Representation wis of
lGrcd to the consideration OF the House by the gen.
tlenan from Albcfuarle, General Gordon.) He a.
vowed 1t to b., his purpose to conciliute bnth par
ties, by throwing out cf view, altogether the vcxed
questions CONCERNING tile basis Of representation,
which had agitated, for weeks not only this Assem-,
bly,, but the whole people of Virginia, and which
had led to no result only the absolute certain
ty that majority of this body could not be brou ght
TO unite in any one principle of representation which
shcnld be the basis of both of the Ievsla
tive bodies. He recommended an arbitrary uppor-
tonment oil representation. in which no express ref
crence should be had, either to the principle of the
cqnai representation ofthe hite people, OR to the
principle OF the representation of federal humble rs
or to the principle of compound ratio of white pop
uatIon and taxation. to any other of the lebateu
pie, aud long debuted, propositions which had distur
TED the harmony of the body; apportionneut, i'll
which the sole obieUt should be an equitable conpro-
MISE so Tar I'D any compromise be equitable, of
the conflicting pretensfoHs of the and tho west
V'tn tacit saving OF the principles on which those
pietelslons Wurefouuded and postponement of their
discussion till some future period more auspicious to
their harmonious adjustment
J. The actual distribution of power contemplated by
his proposition, was, that in House Of Delegates OF
one hundred and twenty members sstwenty six should
BIZ elected routhat part Of Virginia lying west of the
Aneghany mountains; twenty four from the Valley be
tween the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge; thirty-sev-
en- from the Blue Ridge to the head oft water and
thirty three from the country below the falls of the
rivers And that i'll Senate Of twenty -four, there
should be ten Srnators from the country west of the
| no IHr az
! iry east of those mountains.-He since modified his
proposition by changing the number of members in
both bodies, without changing materially the dstri-
button ofpoWer. His proposition 0nder consid-
eraron IS, that "the House of Delegates shall con sst
OF one hundred aItd twentyseven members of wh ON
twenty shall be elected from the district west
OF the Allegheny mofntains twenty four from the Val
ley between the Alieghany and Blue Ridpe; FORTY
from the Blue Ridge to the head of tide water and
thirty four thence below And that the Senate shall
consist Of tbirty-two members, of whom there shall
be thirteen west of the Blue Ridge of mountuins and
nineteen eHst of these mountains"
have said, Sir that the resolution Of the gentle.
man from Abemarle offered to the House on the
s5th of November. had previously examined in
concert with my friend from LoudouD, Mr. He ndcr-
spn that of the gentleman from Goochland by CON-
paTInS its results with those Of the white population
basis, Which considered the true standard where
by to measure by the extent of their alteration from
1t, the feasibility Of all plans of compromise whatever
We nov instituted critical and laborous e1zanna-
ton of the compromise basis PROPOSED by the gentle
man from Albemarlc we took next a relative or com
arative view of both of these plans, in all their bear
ngs and aspects-in their operation on each SECTION
of the State and the whole State-in their prnci-
pies, so far any principle involved and in their
practical resatsin their probable effects on the va
rlons and apparently conflicting interests of the DIFF
terent parts of the Commonwealth at present aud on
The same interests, when the relative stuotion of those
parts should be changed it probably would be- by
the unequal ratios OF the increase of their population
The result Of this examination was deliberate and
well considered preference for the plan of the gentle
man i'om Albemarle, in regard 10 The present or ac
tuA distribution IF political p0Oey. We considered
It, however great defect in the PLAN that it provi-
dcd rulo for apportionmcnt so as to ndopt
ITSELF from time to time, to the varying population of
the different SECTIONS of the COMMONWEALTH; the at
tempt to frame snch rule having been abandoned,
or rather never made by its author because he con-
s'Gered that the very attempt would bring into instant
conflict the discordant pre:cusons of the contcndipg