Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1831-01-01

" Is furnished us by the opinions of that qsp,oo
himself: and here pormj; NE 70 congratulate nnvseIl
on having the. weight aud authority o. his nam, IN
sustain me.
When he was first applied In, to become cand,
dat" for the couury, he was asked If he WINS f.,
hoder, IN the county: he very frankly said no: bu,
can procure one and did actually purchase one; - Ln
with his usual condor and fairness acknowledges
Tor che purpose OF qualifying HIM 10 take his seat
It elected; that saw, he admits he did NOT o,,
S25 worth of land in the county of Ijenrco yot ho
dId own the property on which he resided which he
says not in the county lothcrwisc il would have
been freehold IN TIE cornty,) and vet he claims f.
be resident of the county. lndepdl he resident or
the county, while The property on which no oc,ror
resided was no, IN the county? Now il either was
or was not IN the county, fit was IN the county vb
the necessity OF purchasing second freehold; the,
constitution does require 1t; lit Is not so n,nin.
red i'll the bond" eau any man fail tn perco;,o tb
neX'rlcabie difficulty into which be is led Who as
sumes such p ,sition?
But let us take the converse OF the proposition nd
suppose that NJ Leigh mistaken in this view of
the subject and it was not necessary thai he should
nav" purchased 4 second freehnld-what then Is the
inevitable consequences? Why, lnialhblv that if he
could represent the county his town property he
could Uote IN The county. on his town properiv and
thus every freehoIder in the CITY would be made
freebooter IN the county, and the citizsns of Rich
mond would not only have the privilege of sendInu
ttoo mem5ers to the entire exclusion of the county
out me further privilege of voting twice on tho same
qualification. Can man, in his proper reason
believe this hive been the design of the Conyen
on' Is it in accordance with the letter or spirit of
our Consti utiOn or law?
care not, however, for the provisions of anv law
III this matter save the Constitution itself | look To
~ as ny only guide, paramount any law that has
heen or can he, adoned by the past, the prosor or
any future Legislature.
Again, tho ConStit tuition declares that evnrv houc,
keeper and head OF family, shall have paid his
taxes, &c. resident within the county town CITY,
borough, or election dis rIcr shall be entitled to vol
/ for Itat1nh,a cot, l,o(
town, city or borough election district, wherein
they shall respectively livp-tha' is every house
keeper and head of family qualified, SC. shall be
enttted 10 cote Tor members OF the q neral Assembly
IN ne county ,oherei he shall AUe, and every house
keeper, &c resident in The CITY, shall be entitled To
Uote for members Of the General Assembly in The city
gheren ne shall oe; but suppose you rs ablish that
the city is part of county for the purpnses #
representation. and that a resident of the CITY, Is a
resident of the county do establish his incon-
teslihie right to vote III each! Tlev shall vote in
each respectively wherein they shall live But SUP
pnse they live in both, do they not vote in both: in
me CITY as housekeepers the city, and in the county
as hous"keepers in the county? ID res the Constu
ton contain any provision defeat this state OF
things! Is the right not absolutely given? And can
you believe it to have been the desIgn of the Com
Venton, or OF The People TO whom was submitted the
Constitution, and bv whom 1t was adop ed? If YOU
give 1t this construction. you hereafter deprive
them OF the right? | cannot see that the word re
Speet'Uet3, upon which the member ret urned dwell,
so long and SO emphaticay before the Committee
and o which he attached so much importance the
slightest degree changes he sense or meaning of the
sentence
Again. suppose that the city Of Richmond, ms ca
of Petersburg, is actually the case, had been
attached to the Chesterfield Senatorial Districr:
could amy resident Of Richmond have assumed that
he was resident "f two Sena oral Districts at ne
and tn" sam" I'm and would Represent either al his
option? Yet If Richmond is part of the county
of Henrlco. would his have bee tho fact? Could
! ne not as resident of Richmond, have represented
the Chesterfield Senatorial District, while as a resi-
dent oil Henrico, could he have represented the
Henrico Senatorial Dstrict-or as the case oao ,xiss
cannot resident of Petersburg represent the Ches
terrified District, and another resident of PETERSBURG
represent tn" Dnwddie District, resident of the
! county OF DlnWidd'e. and another a resident oil
Prince George represent the Prince George DstrIc,?
thus the little town of Pc ersbnrg fiIrnishinr within
itself the re resen'atives of three Senatorial Dis
tricts.
w can the location of the Court-EIouse or the
jurisdiction Of the county, have any bearing on this
! question? In relation TO the Cour -Hous, being aca
ted In the otv all that it possibly prove is that
i, mas oeen imoroPHrlv aed, and cannot change
the county boundary But ina CINE that he Cour
House NAV legally and with strict propriety b. lacl
ed any where within its Jurisdiction
And then the question arises how far does the
TACT that the jurisdiction of the county extends over
the town. affect his question? I humbv conceive
not at dH-for as well might YOU say that the iuris
diction OF the old Circuit Court. threw The severa
counties over which 1t extended, into one as to SAY
tii Ii'y w IOIcHHlOnu is part OF inc county
because he jurisdiction of the county extends ove
The town And are the gentlemen who use this
argument appraised Of the fact that the Jurisdiction
Of the city itself extends one mile beyond its owl
limits into that of the county, and7hat thus they no
only prove that the city is in the county bur that the
comfy, or p'r'ion Of it is in the city? and ,ct,
shonld the rule not work both WAYS; if because tht
county court has jurisdiction over thu CITY the inhab
tan's are thereby made residents of the county aut
entitled to represent the same why should moi any man
residing IN hat part of the county over which The
Jurisdiction Of the city extends, be entitled to repre-
sent the city provided he has the other qualifications
! required by he Constitution? So much for iurrsdic
ton--if proves any thing. it proves al this; ifess
! II pr YES nothing.
+ Bnt the man hinge upon which his question seems
TO turn - whether the CITY of Richmond is part nj
tn" county, Whilst | am DISPOSED to deny altogsihe,
that 1t is part Of the county, for any concsiyabL
purpose and might bid defiance to the most ingepi
Gus sophSiry to point out single instance in which
II IS S'-v"t if i will aid those who differ with ms
IN opinion | am willing 10 admit. for The sake Of ar
g"msnt' that it is part Of the COUNTY for every pur
pose except for those purposes for which has beer
particularly and specifcniiy erached and off sc
among these are IN b" enumerated t7rG'ion aud rep
reSen7ti N; and for these purposes can no more e
/ n, I,o