Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1831-01-11
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
FRIDAY Jtnu,ry7


On motion of Mr.. Lucas The hill authorizing two
separate elections in the county OF Jefferson, taken
up, and having been read third time,
Mr. Lucas had not supposed it would have been .
ces airy to trouble the House with debate this sub
jet. He had considered il a merely local matte err
which would have passed without opposition But op
position hs wing been made to the hill, when he alb
sent II had been deferred motion Of his colleague
until he 'houi be present, and he had risen to explain
the necessity for the mea,urs. He then went in'o
state Of facts in relation to the grievances sue
by the people OF Harper's Ferry and Smi.hfed from
the Inconvenience they DOW experience, in going
to tbs Court House, d.tance Of eight mil
from each Of those places Some part of The people
lived the other side Of the Sh' nand ,ah, which
generally high at the CT cleo tons anil pre-
yer ted many from voting He trusted the gentleman
from Cunberl dl no, intend 10 throw he p 90
pie OF those places any imputauoD, they in
luxurious and respectable ciz And here he would
observe 10 tn" gentleman from Henrioo. hat IL ever
should go TO Snithheld Wzzard's Clip, he hal
twice chosen 10 pleasant to rail- 1.-THE would find
instead Of rogui'h set OF juggers, substantial Snd
respectable population, with good regulations, goo
tverhs. ani real old Virginia hospitality. Much had
been said o. the evils Of the precinct election system
but IL could not be sustained here tIsetohere, that
those evils could not be rsmedied. He said ese~
because learned individual had endeavored to enght.
en- the Dnblic this subject through the press, the
subject OF precincts In Jefferson County The system,
however, bal been comm need and II would be un .
jus, to deprive Jefferson County of its benefits, when
it could easily be shown that the Two precincts
much needed
Mr. wilson said the gentleman had done him jnsiice
10 acquiring him Of any dspTagement Of the people
Of JeHerSon County, where Of his earliest fiends
resided. Hts knowledge Of the county had induce
him TO make few remark this bill, a former
day. He still thought those precincts unnecessary.
From Smi,h6elC 10 the court house champaign
country, without a single water. course, while from
Harpers Ferry, there 10 be consraced graveIIsd
turnpike. B>siIes, in the most distant part OF the
couny y. there was already precinct, at Shepherds.
town So that there no, a voter in the county who
had 10 travel fifteen miles 10 give his vote. He had
with surprise the manner in which these separate
election bills had swept through tho House. and the
apathy with which II was noticed by many who were
opposed 20 the incipe; but he did think IL n~ces.
sMy for him 70 comm crusade against them, al
tboug Oh, by giving sub senit1 vote on them he dill
wish " 10 be supposed that he scquieseei in the
system He had opposed this bill from any mimi.
cal feeling TO friends from JsHsrSoD; but I q
ground that the system bad one, and that II r.
'on County was not 10 need Of lbe@e prefiocts
Mr.. Leigh had not heard distinctly ths remarks o
the gentleman from Jeferson and he rose 10 ask wis
Their that gentleman had said that his qu
| Sm h6eld was the place formerly called Wizard
Clip, he had minated any disrsspeet 10 the peopIei
! Mr.. Lucas said he had only sudrd 10 II az a piee,
| Of plsasantry.
| Mr.. Lsigb-Thst was aii--and he wished the nam,
had been retansdit wsss far better name than smith
| 6sId. Thsrs was bumor In IT, There Smitb6sL,
| every 1ters--jut there not another Wizard
| Clip in the whole country He was fond Of trscins
| out the bidory Of such names. There was often bu
NOR in their ofgi1. y, Tor in@ianee, were TO ssl
q resident Of CbesteTheid, What eoUntymsn h~ (Mr
l. vas he would he told that he wAsa YeOto Jacket
! and he was prord Of tho name.
Mr. Gsllsgher alluded TO some publ cations 70
paper IN Richmond. relative 10 tbis bill, which hs AZ
| ribu,sd 10 msnbsr Of The House Of Dslsgstss