Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-12-06

nicnt attack; and wo shall escape that catastrophe
wlrich is sure ultimately To onsSo from continual
ton IL slavery.
II il DC as';cl how VIC shah DC enabled to get
rid cf our slaves 10y dividing the STATE the answer
is ready. We may adopt provision IN our con
stt:u,ion, providing that every slave bora after It's
.duuon shall he free 1T certain are, or II they
be- no, sent out Of the Commonwealth before they
attain u certain agc they shall be seized Ivy the
shcriiTs or other officers, aud sold at public auc
ton to be carried out of the State, and the pro
ccods paid to their owners. In either oi these
modes we should get rid Of all our slaves IN u rea
souablc t:c without the slightest expense; and iii
tine latter mode, there would be no improper intcr-
ference with private property. Slaves row living
and who unfit for liberty, wonld ROMAN in
houdare: persons in the habit of derc" ,.Dr on
their services, would havo them long hey
lived, and the succeeding generation would lear" -
dispense with them. The owners of slaves, born
ttcr the adoption of the constitution couid either
sell them or set them at liberty. In either casa,
they should he required to send them beyond the
limits OF the State. II tho of all tine
slaves bora after the adoption Of the constitution
should desire to sell them, they Nigh: probably
find ready maric, for them beyond the li,uiis Of
tie State; for c whole Slave population Of West
crn Virginia being but 81 23S, the increase
Gt three and i,aif per cent. thereon, is Sfo,
uurrler small thot their sale would scarcely aG
feet the market; and the proceeds world bring
considerable of money mo the State, until
they were all disposed OF. Bat apprrlund most
o ihci would hc liberated, ana the hanh Of charity
would he open every where To afford them the
means Of obtaining such an education would lit
them for the enjoyment Of liberty, and OF removing
10 sou!D other ccantry. In such undertaking,
we might safely calculate az receiving assistance
from every part of the Union. Should We hc asked
if we cannot get clear of slavery without division
of the State, Tie answer must bc 1t is doubt
fail 1t 4 majority Of the people of Eastern Virginia
seriously wish to part with their slaves and they
have not the ability 50 send them all OIL, if they
were so disposed. and such is their jealousy of the
Gonorai Government, that thoy would rot consent
To receive aid from shat source, which alone is able
to send off such numbers as they own. And il is
certain we could get no law passed on the subject
of slavery applying only TO this side of the Blu.
Ridge, which would enable us To effect our ohjca,
without division.
As To any supposed advantage growing out Of
our connection with Eastern Virginia, defy
the ingenuity of man TO point out which we
may not enjoy i'll an equal or superior degree, as
separate State.
Some objection 70 a division Of the STAG NAV
be started on The score of the expense Ne should
&c at III erecting State House aud q, her buildings:
bat we arc deceived il the citizens q: any OF our
towns would not he disposed erect The ncccssa-
~ buildings, at their expense, for the advar-
tagC OF having the seat of Government among
Them, as we are told, done by the citizens of
Frankfort IN Kennedy. At all events the expense
woud be too imcons!Ierablc to deserve much con
slderation. Bat the expense OF carrying on n SC
poratc Government, may he supposed to be more
serious objection to dividing The State. In an
swer to such an objection, should it he raised, we
have only 10 sa-, that as far as we capable of
Judging, the taxes paid by the people of Vets
crn Virginia viii he sufficient TO meet all the OK
pcnscs OF Government. All our officers will he con-
,mt with smaller silarics than those OF present
Government, and we shall require smaller num-
Lor. The taxes paid l,y Western Virginia, accord
TO the latest estimate, S57G, 800 95, per
GEaum. Suppose both branches of the Legislature
] 20 consist Of 50 members, (Which is considerably
larger than our present representation, and abun-
dainty so for any useful rurPosc) and each mem
Der to receive three dollars per day, and the scs.
sIons TO average 60 days, their daily pay VIII
amount TO s! 400; but let allow for the whole
| expense CT the Legislature $525,000 year; give
I'tiic Governor salary Of $4,000; Auditor of
Accounts and Treasurer each 81 .5G0 an Attorney
I%iencrai and Register of f!o land Office each
! = ,OOD; 20 seven Judges of the General Court
(our present number West or tie Blue Ridge 500
each; and to three Judges of Court of Appeals,
1850 each; and tie whole will amount to tho sum
OF 1900 leaving balance of S276G9 81, to
cover The other expenses of Government; sIm
/ whie.. appears 20 abundantly sufficient But
suppose W should have to pay something moro.
shall! be fully comi cnsatcd for Shat, by having
all we pay spent among ourselves, instead of
being carried entirely out of the country.
Some of the citizens of the Valley may consider
the fact of our trade being principally carried on
with ESicrn Virginia, furnishing ground Of OBJ
jeciicm 10 dividing the State, but we con "css we
cannot conceive how any sound objection can grow
out of that circumstance. Trade cannot possibly
be inuriously affected by the division of the State;
the Eastern people will continue TO trade with u.s.
precisely long they find it to their interest TO
do so, aid and no longer, whether the State is d
yidcd or not. They lay no restrictions on our
trade, which will not operate equally upon their
own, without violating the constitution Of the u
States; and interest would prevent their dom So if
they could, AS 10 their ever improving the chan
nes OF commerce al intercourse be:wxt us, past ey
pcricncc has shcwn every calculation of that sort
30 nc entirely chimcrcal: besides division of the
State will rather accelerate than retard such inca
Sures on their part; they will then become appre
honsive of our seeking the Baltimore market and
dcprvIng them of The benefit Of our trade Others
may fear that the Allegheny people may be
disposed to load us with undue proportion of
taxes but it must lie plain that such an apprehension
is perfectly groundiess, when we reflect that the
principal object OF seeking division is to get rid
Of our slaves that all taxes must be uniform through
cut the state, and that there is no other subject of
taxation Of which they have not as great propor
ton as ourselves; consequently, they can levy no
tax which vii! not Do as much felt by themselves
as by US.
Ii we succeed in getting n division of the State
western Virginia will form as large State as need
DC desired. Our free population alone, according
10 The census OF 1880, at the present ratio of re-
prosecution, would entitle TO eight member i'm
Congrcrs, and our whole population TO nine, or
nearly, which is equal 20 the representation of soy
en'een OF the twenty-sour States, now COMPOSING
the Union, by getting clear of our slaves we shall
he able to maintain relative strength A State
OF that size manage its internal concerns more
ddVani"geousIy than Il larger one. Aud as 10 seru
rty against foreign enemies, all look not TO the
State. but to the Gonrra Government for protcc
ton against them The citizens Of Rhode Island
Illinois, or OF Delaware, as secure from foreipn
dWwrcSslOu ms those Of Massachusetts No, VI