The Arkansas advocate., 1835-11-20

1t was the most advantageous that co,,at had for the county, whose rights and ;a. ~ ests i was charged ;o take care of s.s, saa ported this apportionment, which pa.a pp the Territory 63 members in Conyent;as :: o preference to the 42 first proposed, beeassa 1t gave to Pulaski three votes, inc N,ass Ns1a and South being equal; whereas by ,h. s.A portionment of A she only eaua,led s p
 oiii, wi,si voting; ,,i:h i:!s ;ile Ssoui and ,rs , not so fully hold the balance in her hanas ~ She could only produce lie !sy the as,' a,,ss if 42-if 63, she could give the yictors ts'' z either. In this measure. so advanass.s"' us I though, to our county, had the srps' m;s' fortune to be opposed by the two o,Ls. members from the county. Col. Calda'.. and Col. Fowler, both my friends, wbom T have ever supported. This measure a..s also violently opposed by the nret1bers f,oas .ss tbe northern counties, who labored to da stfoy the county representation of n. member from each county, which the sas. ral counties have ever eninyed, and to oes. representation solely according to num5e,s which mode, as those counties {l3 in pTrs' Der, and embracing only about one fdnsh of the Territory,) are more populous .asa all the balance of the twenty beside. vonIS have given them majority of three or fan, votes over the whole Territory-wouIdhas has. taken the balance of power from this cfn,n,s and placed If in their own hands. fIavps a majority of five, in Convention. ,b4S might have made such Constitution ss would have enabled them to retain inc con trol of the Government. They. io ,h;s event, might have removed the Seat of Ca. vernment, the mere possibility of whieh might have deeply injured the present pros. perity of our county. Having the power. after the State Government should be esta' blished, these few counties could have so9 the Seminary lands, and expended the en. tire proceeds within their own limiis. and deprived Pulaski county and the balance oe the Territory from any part thereof. The existence of 50 dangerous power in few counties could not benefit them without ma. terially iniuripg the remainder of the Teri. tory. Fears, leaIousies, and disturbances in the country, would be the unavoidable consequence. Injury 10 our own peace and prosperity would follow in the tram. therefore felt it my duty to Pulaski cosnv
 and 10 the whole Territory, to oppose iAis
 measure of the northern members. It was presented, with slight modification, to lbe
 Hoase, by one of them in shape of an amendment. voted against 1t. was
 here again unhappify separated from my ass
 sociates from the county. They voted for
 1t. The above are the oniy contested cues.
 lions which came before the Legislature oh
 the subject of representation, and those were
 the votes 1 gave, and the reasons for them.
 The present apportionment leaves Pulaski
 county III the same situation which the first proposition of 42 did. On aceount ofihess votes has clalnor been raised against me. among my friends and neighbors. From mistaken or wilful malice, il has been saidE voted for some sort of slave representatIon
 If we have had slave representation hereto. fore, which think no one can assert, then have done sos for only voted for the same representation which has existed among us, and for the votes being given in the same way. It IS absolutely false ihatl ever entertained an opinion or supporteda measure favorable to slave basis of repre- sentalson. \ can only ask the public to Judge for themselves, and challenge my en- etnles to produce proof of their assertions. ] shall be ever ready 10 meet them. l have alone labored to preserve the rights and powers which belong to our county, and to prevent one section of the country from ha- vlng the power to wrong and oppress tho other. Government, to be republican, should project all. and not allow one sec ton so much weight as 10 iniure others. Our county, as we are about forming Constitutions, is deeply interested in ibs subject. representatives should pledge themselves to do every thing in their powet Tn Convention, to protect her rights and in. terests, and to establish such representa- ton, by the Constitution, as will guard all the various interests of the whole country. large majority of the States. and the Un- ted States, by their Constitutions, have SC. cured this object by making each branch of the Legislature a check on the other, by gt vlng 10 each different basis or for nation. The two branches are made different IT their organic principles aud nature, 50 ibat they may operate each as check upon the other. One, the House of ReprcsentatNssr Is founded upon numbers of people-the other, the Senate or Council, upon districts of inhabited country established by law in each of he States having this feature n their Constitution, the free white voters Of the State, each with equal powers, eleeflhs members to each branch. find this prln. ciple existing noi only III the Federal Con