Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-02-11

I
display the force and dcxtcri,y with which
Ih'y could WELD their weapons. L could not
prohielt them this indulgence. Ihcy were mem
eers OF the Committee to whom 1t was propo'
sea TO rc!or thus resolution, ana might nave
moulded it to suit their views. AS they nave
SAID so mech about the property feature, Wal
take passing notice of H. do not concur III
the abstract opinions of the gentlemen OF the
| West. ! cannot concur with the hopeless, ultra
ahSolutism of the South. Il has been the course
| OF Legislation here, to consider slaves as eNcu-
siVely persons, as exclusively property, or as
partaking Jointly of both, as the cXigcnclcs oil
The Commonwealth have required. Under the
Constitution o! the United Si2tes, slaves are
deemed persons degraded, 1t Is true, INTO two
| hIthS, but nevertheless as persons, ana repre-
senation is claimed for them as such. Under
several of our laws, they are deemed exclusive
! ~ persons, inaSmuch as the master cahdot XIII
them as he would his OXcr; nor can he main
or disfigure them-hc cannot give them the car
marks OF his cattle or his sheep. For offences
they are tried as persons, an ', w:h the except
| ION of the Jury trial, TO which they are not
cntitled) can claim at rlgh;, and are cnti-
tied to counsel to defend thcm---to all the
tormalit es of law and oil the rules of ev dcncc.
In most of our police laws, they arc deemed
| exclusively persons. aud for violation of them
are punished as such. This, then having been
| the approved course OF our legislation, the pee
| pie, through their representatives, have the
right TO legisatc upon them in this instance,
either as persons or property. as their wisdom "
the eXigencieS tho commonwe ali h shall direct.
| The gentleman from D:nwlddie, General
BrodnaX) dcnies to the non Shareholder the
right to vote upon this question, yet hc admits
that this body can decide it. The npn-slavehod-
ers, SIR, constitute numerous body OF opr
! constituents. Tie admits the power of the re-
preventative, but denies this power to his const-
tuent. This appears to me strange and incon-
| 10 ri,. 60 Of,
power that he denies to the creator; to the
agent what he denies to the prncipal; TO the
servant that power which he denies to the mas
ter.
lGcn BRoDNAx rose to explain. He had ar.
gued that the Legislature WAS NOT TIE cnEA-
! TuRE or THE PEOPLE. in consequence of the
DIVISION of political power which was agreed
upon by the late con> ention, by which the pre-
IP"hdHrancy was gwen 10 the East, and il
would DC departure from that principle to sub
NIT this subject to the voters of tho statc1
/ Nlr. RANDOLPH. The gentleman either makes
a distinction where there does not exist a DIFF
/ ference, or he argues because the people Of one
portion otthe state have acquired more power
/ man the people Of another, that the people of
the whole state have lost portion of their
rights conclusion 10 which | feel assured nv
constituents will not be disposed to come.
me plan suggested in the amendment is so
distant in its operation that it affects orr chill.
Shareholders, should possess slaves certainly the
non-SavchOder would have an interest in the
= instant increase of them, and right to decide
any question affecting them by his vote now.
Ch the contrary, Ii often happens that the chill
dren OF Shareholders do not possess slaves. |
NY. speaker, know many Instances Of this:
they would be less interested in the decision
than the non-slaveholdcr. Perhaps the gentle
man intends to offer US some law ofcntail which
shaii keep these estates perpctually distinct III
their descendants. If you deny the nOrsIave
holder the right to vote upon this question. in
Which his property and the lives Of his family
arc interested, is 1t not Just that he should have
some sufficient guarantee from his wealthy
neighbour, the stakeholder, that his wife and
chldren should not be butchcrcd by his slaves;
suppose, sir, hydrophobia REQUIRED so often in
d"9s as TO produce sense of insecurity in the
people OF this Commonwealth, the danger of be-
ing bitten at any moment while EMPLOYED in
the'r daily avOcations; would the gentleman from
D!nWlddIe, contend that none but dnghnlders
ought TO have the right to decide the question
whether Tie dogs should be DESTROYED or no. +,
arc not the children of the non doGholder rs
ijke!y to be bitten and to die of this FRIGHT u
disease rs The family of the dogholIer? Vet sir
you will not allow the non-slaveholder 10 vote j.
the decision touching that property hose bene
nus acknowledge he does not paTticipatc bu
IN whose inconvcnences and peYils he has NOR
than his fall share. 1t is well known that i, IN,
uoeh TN practice, If not the policy Of The larp,
siaVeholder to make the poor man the inslrumen
OF 'heif police and their punishments TO thei
slaves: which has begotten hostility between tb
save and the less wealthy, that makes their con
di'ioh the most pcrllous in all nsurrectionary
movements. The gentleman from Brunswick
lNr ShcH) who amused us so much yestordav
with bis wit and his genius, in converting q
grave sutJcct into one OF merrment and laugh
| ter, admitted that if the public safety rcrnired
/ IT, n no H.. :
! the people, existed, this property might be li,n-
'en. NOW, sir, this case Of the sAIUs pnpt1
"''h"uSh not existing at this moment, NAV be
proven WIN the accuracy of arithmetic nj ca
cuiation, with the certainty of mathematical do
"'"nS' fa'Io"' WIN all those proofs that brine
CONVICTION 10 lhe human mind, to exist in n GER
tam fHture. Let us see the proofs I Will
quote, IN part, the statistics of the gentleman
, from Dnw!dd!c, whose accuracy rornot Ln
| questioned. Judging the future by the past in
~ years the colourcd population in Eastern
| pNginla, VIII exceed the white 900 COO Tn
inc last AZ years, The whites in the same dj, :
! trlct nave increased > per cent: tho bIucks
lG6 per cent 40 years ago, the wh,fcs ovc,oJ >
ed the coIoured 25 ,OG0: the coourc6 now cxcccd
! the whites 81 OUC; Il nett gain Of ,Ln
| blacks over the whites in forty vasrs
! lO6,oOC; and these results too, during an eynort
! alton OF near 100000 slaves since tho vo,r
'9O, now perhaps the fruitful progenitors ofbalf
ll'''C NJ !" uo"Gi o'ateS' by reference to GOcu-
incnt NO. 10, on your table, you will perceive
that in the year $50 Of that part OF the poou-
latlon OF ten years old anG Under, the blacks ox
coed the whites 90 per cent? over tina, aoc ONLY
) per cent, Whit a change viii not re year,
make Tor the worscS when these children shall
be grown What Will not 10 year,, with lis
ge'm'trical progression evolve, when they shall
become fathers and mothers, and some Of them
graadmo,hers' If expectation ceases, some Of
those now within the hearing Of my voice, NAV
i've to sec The colored population of Vmrinia
100000, or $500, 900: children now born NAV