Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-02-28
Virginia Legislature.
DEFERRED PRoCEEDLvGS.--CS Second day)
HOUSE or DELEGATES cancsdoy, Januara q
ELECIIoN OF {. : SENATOR.
NJ.

So freely indugcd-l ask the attention of the House
only 20 lew remarks, directed chiefly 10 ore point
Near the conclusion Of the Debate on Yesterday
thought heard reiterated an old charge avans MIR
S, on account OF CLAUSE of one OF his speeches in
tue virginia Convention The patience of the Houec
was so completely exhausted nj the time that could
mol tcn IN courtesy tax 1t farther But, sir opporu
my OF noticing IT now occurring, perhaps that charge
ought not 10 he passed, sub Slcnyi0 III il should 90
forth from this House with the sanction of a member
ana wth no opposing remnrkif the commentary which
we nave heard here should chance To- be read where tho
text Is unknown, il might in aid of that which he
pafu%ah presses and partizan politicians have already
zone 70 render Mr. Leigh odons in Western Virginia
SIR the charge you have heard pcrhaps often heard
qua now repeated tais floor is that MIR LEIGH
IN That clause of his speech alluded to- attempted 20 de-
Eaue ms ieiow-clizens OF the West by placing the poor
nooing class among them upon equality with the
Eastern Slaves.lf this reprcsen ation were true why
Is that the eloquent voice Of The lamcned man. who
IN mat convention so ably represented the District from
which the charge comes was not raised in LOFTY and
malignant tones against il? Why is il that there was
hearu not word 10 rcpcl the dispersion from any single
one OF inc Whole Western Delegation: Were they not
bound, and were they disposed to manain in that
body the honour and dignity we'll the political pow
or OF every class of their constituents? From week TO
week, IN stern debate upon the great primary principles
OF government unyielding they Mr. Leigh and his
Eastern colleagues al every pointthey conicted with
nm ana them upon almost every leading proposition vet
no one was found TO charge him with this odous
uS 10 degrade any class of their Western feowciti-
Sir. if this representation wrre trne nover mo ,r
would MI Leigh obtain the vote of those whom i'm
part represent, or mine for any digned public station
yh nj
uV, n'u mus asporsed any portion ef felow-citi-
zens however humble might be their circumstances
But sr the people of Augusta have looked into this mat
ter Tor themselves That speech of Mr. Leigh has there
been thoroughly examined; and they have seen known
ana ieit that this whole charge was miserable nisre
presentation Although they have differed and do differ
and Doubtless wall always continue to differ toto c0lo
wiin Mr Leigh as to the proper basis of representation,
anu upon other great questions discussed in the Com
scnuo' YET they reEard him as having, in that body
uitniuy ana powerfully sustained the viii of his CON
stituenis and his hcResf convictions however Gro
nconS as - The true Palicy of the State They look
upon The zeal. the fidelity TO his constituents tho M
ganc powers of intellect he there displayed i'm connex
ION with AIS patriotic and noble stand or Liberty and The
Constitution IN the Councils of the nation as n sure
guarantee that ne VIII never bctIay any trust which the
state may choose To rep7sc in hu1 If The charo c
true, surely IT must clearly appear in the clause from
"heh IL IS deduced Examine that clause. What il?
IL, nc resolution OF The legislative committee " says Mr.
Leigh proposes to give full representation 10 the I,bour
OF the West with an exemption from taxatoa while The
labor o! the East viii be subjected TO taxation dcrv
OF representation. In every civilized countrv undcr
the sun some there must be- who labour for tLer dali
bread either by contract with sbjeciion 70 others or
JOY themselves Slaves IN the Eastern part ofihs State
hs e place oil The peasanFy Of Europeofthc pcasanry
enta- iaonTcFs III the Notwithstanding Staies of t<
WI ms Una Geo. ihs igss';oon, the rPu
luton beyond the Alcghass ;-,ss-L must be some
peasanry and the country fills up they will surely
have morc-thatis, who tend the herds and DIG the
soil, who have neither real personal capital of their
and who their daily bread by the sweat Of ther
brow These by this scheme all toll represented
bat none of onr slaves.
nd yet IN political economy, tho latter Eli ;hc same
place Now mark the proposition for which Nj Leigh
was contendng, It's soundness do not admi--but as
understand IT. 1t IS this That the labor OF the country
in the West, contributing revenue considered as la
bonr merely without the incident of property connected
with it, should not lie represented i'm q clus;on ro,,
representation Of like labor in the East contributing re-
venue lie goes on TO remark substantially as | have
read, that his labor beyond the Alegheny was found in
the ahorcrs, without property, who there ne rormcd
il, and ihat for IT, therefore, taxes were nal-vbir
in the East this labor found in tho slaves who ner
formed 1t tTc AMI that for it, therefore, in the East
taxes were paid That this labor, contributing no revc-
nuc, by the resolution of The Committee TO be re-
presented beyond the Allegheny by representation Of
the aboTcrs who PERFORMED il; while in the East
whore ii contributed reycnuc it TO be represent.
ed, because there be no representation of the
slaves who performed it there. And set in political
economy the latter fill the place with the former
Mark the words, an political economy fiji the same
place. Docs be say they equal No; stlcv fiji the
same place intellectually, morally, politically, or in
any other respect! N0.Onjy lin yOityicGi ccoRolay'-
which phrase uuquesonnbly means. no more than as Ia
the labor performed, and the taxes paid by them The
whole meaning OF this clause then, is this and nothing
more--that beyond the Allegheny, the laboFinp man
without any property 10 Tie labor of the country per-
formed by him and the taxes paid by him. and in no
other respect fills the place which The slave docs in the
East IL amounts to nothing more than thstIat por-
ton of the labor Of the country beyond the Allegheny is
done by laborcrs, without any propertyin the East il
il done by snves-that the former pay no reyennr--
the latter also appeal to all who hear me- for
the alrncss of his construction If it could be doubt
ed look at the context Is the charge there supported
ton than that which have given TO the clause erprcss
~ rebuttcd As if strictly guard against all miscon
struciOn, Mr. Leigh adds Slaves indeed arc not and
never viii be- 0mPayae 90 the hardy pcasantry of the
mountains, III intellectual power, in moral worth IN ali
that determines mans degree in The moral scale and
raises him above the savage" Away then SIR ,,i,b
this charge against Mir. Leigh has no f-undnon in
nny just and proper meaning of the clause from which
II mas been drawn, and ly the context is utterly re-.
tuicd Mr.. leigh inclined to throw contempt and re-
proacl upon any class Of Western feOwcitizcnsi
u cannot be. Listen TO his remarks in this same
speech: nave as sincere feelings Of regard for that
people, as any who lives among them" AOain-
cciual culture oi moral worth, in the West nave
watched young merit there. ia It's dawnne in It's rise
nnd IN IT'S meridian, with hearty good win and sincere
delight and saying this, | think may safely voucb
any gentleman Of the West who knows mr. for NV wit.
ness Sir, 81 canunt be- This Shole charge instead of
being supp RED by any GT construction Of his remarks
IS by thcm stamped with the most complete refulafop
appeal 70 The Western gentlemen in Justice g. dis.
tmgnished llow-czen, to correct any erroneous ian.
preston which may prevail respecting them.
Mr. Speaker. II any doubt coad prevail as 60 Mr.
Dcghs conhdnG aud sincere regard for the great noly
o the people every where IN our country IL would be
moved by the sentiment be expresses the uson of
most graphic depression in hc speech to which have
before referred SIR that DEPRESSION is SO truly and pow.
cruiy descriptive Of the present inics and tho evils
which surround u.s. that il you win pardon me- will
read tall u viii not do Van Buren,, nor Kendall nor
Barry wrongnor viii h msrcpfcscnt any Of The whole
rite of occscckcra and icoh0ldcrs who 90 for eo-
~ aud ihc spDils' u is 10 them mirror, renccuna
Themselves it TO picture IF our country danger
and some of cur country wfongs
Sir (said Mr Lciah) ! fear we arc ~ ihc habit Of
counting ico much upon GIc putty and virtue Of cur
society permanent secofy goinst all political evils
told Che committee Yesterday that Intended 10 opcu