Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-01-07

show that they have not II il only necessary to state
the fact that the disrict reported by the Commi,-
tee composed sf the counties OF Bedford, Franklin and
Paiek, contained by the census OF 1920 white popu
l.ton Of 22.956; that composed Of the eounties Of
CsmpbeV Pitsylvania AMI Henry 1854, while that
composed Of the counties Of Halifax and NiecklenbnrS
contained only l6.3l0-,hat composed Of the counties
OF Buckingham, Cumber and Powhatan Is 500
and that composed Of Petersburg Prince G-orxr Sur
~ and lie OF Wight only 1874 j, WAS not my in.
tenton make speech upon this subject but simply
TO submit these lew statements in explanation Of
reasons which have induced this motion-and with
them leave II TO the Convention.
MIR. LEiGH said, he hoped such instructions would
not be given TO the committee, as II would only ore.
rate to tramMe them and sill farther increase df.
nculty hich was already greater than any could
possibly conceive who had not empted the task ~.
signed them. The committee hat, done their best: hut
as 10 perfect equality, the thing unattanabe, lire.
gard was TO be had to existing county limits. The
committee had made the several districts, upon tho
whole, a. nearly equal as they knew, how to make
them Where county was defective In its represen.
ta'ion in the House Of Delegates the committee had
eneavored to cor Pensate the inequality by increasing
' weight IN the Senate. so as ora the ,choie. to do all
the justice in their power. The whole effect of the
present amendment would be TO cucumber them with
new ammels.
Mr.. Scorr spoke for some time without being heard
distinctly by our Reporer-the House he ing in some
confusion When he was heard, he was de wing hsv.
ing supported The compromise Of Mr.. CoRpoN on the
avowed idea uf its having been based upon either uf
the contested principle. which had been proposed a.
basis OF representation; he advocated il with the ex.
press di'avowal OF its being established on the white
teman from Campbell had found an occidental cope.
dence between OF iis numbers and the white ba.
sis according to the census Of 1920 but had equal
ana even greater degree OF coincidence with the plan
o. the gentleman from Northampton (Mr. Upshur)
M - concluded by entering his protest against being
unde Stood advocating this that principle Of re-
presentation as involved in the plan Of the gentleman
from Aibemare: il had been ought orw ard az com.
promise, and as such he voted for IT,
Mr.. CLAYroR addressed the house as follows:
know nothing whatever OF the basis on which The
gentleman from Albemare, founded his plan, but Z
irem the results Of calculations take for granted
however, that he must have had some gene.
raj basis which has induced him to select this
lar appor,onment in preference any other; and a. the
gentleman from Fauquer denies the efficiency Of the
the white population of 1920, with an arbitrary vzsi.
ticn Of mere fractions. must be permitted to submit
to The House the result, Of few more calculations
upon that subj ctl have she that the division of
power in the Scnae between the East and the West
the only variation from the white population of 1920
giving fraction to the East. Let us now examine
the appoI onnent in the House Of Delegates. The
whole white population Of the State in 1920 was 603
OSl--divde this by 1877, the number of me mbers in
the proposed House OF Delegatessnd the result gives
47i9 as the average number entitled TO elect delegate
upon That basis-Compare the spportionment In the
House OF Delegates as proposed by the gent
Ab"marie, with this calculation, and the result Is
fel5ws
The Western district. white population. 1873. ll2-2s
members Is one Tor 4 800, the Valley whie population
III ,O50-24 members IL for 50Ij. Middle district
white population 49, 1910 members is one for 679
Tide water district white population l6l ,6s7--24
~ eac
rici only slight fractional variation from the white
popuaon OF lS20-takng the average OF the districts
an the result is; .767 varying ely Is the precise
number given by the equal resentation of tho
white population as ascertained by the census Of
eighteen hundred twenty. Sir all these results may
be purely accidental, but TO my mind they look much
Ike design and as have been unable discover any
other bass which would produce results
so nearly TO those arrived at by the ge neman from
Aibemar'e, my mind could not avoid the conclusion that
ib. Is the basis Of his proposition But, Sir grant
to the gentleman from Fauquer, that il is mott only
ask that his basis, whatever may be, whether il be-
The white population OF 1920, that Of the gentle nan
from Northampton, that Of any other gentleman may
be fairly worked out TO its scsuisthat that whichs
Convention has established just Cor the whole Stste
may be equally applied TO all its pArs-end not alter
their establishing one rule (arbiirary il you p.easel
for the Sste will fit another equally or more arbitrary
ia its character for districts by the operation Of which
the people OF that particular section the State have
the honor in part to represent, lose large Dor.
ton OF the political power, they would be justly entitled
il the gene rule you have adopted were fairly and
justly applied But, sir, have the committee .dopted
any such just rule in their apporoanient; they have
adopted any rule whatever, approaches nearly
to the federal number nsceraned by the census Of
1920, than any other have been able TO discoyer-and
surely it will be con,ended that this is the bash a.
dopied by the gentleman from Acknowledging even
h the application OF thisr unjust as is has been
unjusily applied the particular section OF copntry in
question. s upon federal Numbers. the two upper
districts South OF James River and East Of the Blue
Ridge, are quite too large.
Sir, ! know not how other gentlemen representing
tina, section may feel upon this suhject-but, cir,
very 10 constituents, ale
ter giving my consent TO any hich would
leave III ,OCO white per-ons unTepresented in the two
Senatorial Dsricis embracing that section OF country
with which they locally unted-aimo.t sufficien-
cy 10 ene them 10 another Sena tor. Sir, this njus-
tce never shall be done TO them with my eon.ent--I
never can, WILL vote for any such arrangement
| But the gentleman from Chesterfield says, that any
person who will attempt TO make equal arrange
men observing the county limits, will bnd il a diff
cult task Sir. have taken the trouble to re-arrsngs
the Counties composing few OF the districts as report
ed by the Select Com niitee according TO the white no.
puistiou OF 1922, and will trouble the Conv enon with
OF the results, which think they will perceive
less unequal than those Of the Select COMMITTEES
Five districts arranged by this Select COMMITTEES Q
! White population Of 1920.
Bedford 1883 Charlotte sOo5
Franklin S,227 Innenburg 1878
Patrick 3776 No,towsy 2sOI
| - Prince Edward 1927
| % $50
| 1880
| Campbell SAT-