Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-01-15

their will No wicre--n. -
the contrary, we all know that the ususl
cecang has becn that few SELF elected agitnors calling
themselves the people by way of emnence, have got
geter and issued their orders to their trsty and we'll
DetoVed agents, (al of their way of thinking1
VINO nave coaNed and cozencd all whom they could IN
duce by all of representations to write their
or make their marks, to paper with head to it, sup
pose and tate connected with it that might be varied
at Rbit"m to suit the ofevcry sirner And thus
sur small but active minority has set the ball of aeita
ton in motion, without CONSULTING the peoplc: and has
actually decided for them that This was proper mode
OF proceeding; rather sir rory comrcniont one for
M 4 o,ea purpose So, say again, that the people
eseVcS nave never yet adopted this mode of nstruc-
ton in any instance whatever.
But ask pardon, sir, forget for gentlemen il seems
nave found precedent for this mode of proceeding at
last, ana have found it, too, where did not ex-
Pect, and should be very sorry to it estabshedn
my own distrct-in my own Borough of Norfolk-and
nave been not little amusedto with what lavish
pancgyric they have appaudcd distinguished gentle
man ct that place, (now more for the countcnance
winch hey suppose him to have given this sort Of
thng, by his conduct the OCCASION But, sir The
fact is not so; and il the District and BOROUGH
which represent here-and owe If to That yentlenoa
who is no longer alive speak for himself TO vindcae
INN from the dispersion which is upon him in the
garb OF praisc-Sr it is not true that the proceeding
In that case ean furnish any sanction TO this mode Of
instruction, as il is called, 1t is true indeed that
shortly after the opening of the Late Convention for
amending the Constitution of the State when il was as
eerained that the gentleman alluded to about to adj
yocate and vote for what called the white basis of
representation, IN direct opposition TO the interest
ana TO TIC opinion OF large majority Of the people
OF ms district gentleman of Norfolk, (n0 Commit
zee nun, but acting entirely on his own rcsoonsi-
an instruction to the Delegate to- vote for the mixed
basis, Gas it teTmed,) and tended il about for
signatures IN nat Piacc alone; and having rot num-
Der OF them, Of course, forwarded it TO the member in
bis seat But not to insist might that a proceed
ing relating to matter before the Conventions when
society qu0ad hoc resolved into its elements and The
people were in the act of forming a new social COM
pact can be no precedent for similar proceeding in
different state of things relating a mater before an or
binary legislature sitting under adopted Consiiu-
uon when OF course supeSedes all prior practices in
consistent with its letter or its sprt-not to insist |
say, upon this must remark that that pauer was not
an instruction at all-ior thought may have run In
that form, yet in point Of fact never gi0ped ,
any thing like majority Of the voters of the dsircf
or even Of the borough and 10 will not be contendod
presume that any thing short Of an actual majority o
the voters make instruction. And anonoh
the member resigned bis after receiving H. IL was
not because he regarded it instruction. bm sim
ply because he was brought 70 believe from nat pa
per, anil nc information Wkic he TccciccH f0a1 o.~
Sources that the opinion of tho people of The district
upon the question before the Convention was arana
his own Thus IN his letter to the President e tho
Convention, resgning his scat he says, 'maay Of Wy
constituents mot majority observe 'ave INSTRUCTED
to support the proposed plan Of apuortoningJepre
scnation with regard to white population and 9xaon
combined, and haze TedSOa beiicrc that lure
j0rjfy Of the people Of district concur IN Nc dcsro
expressed in these Instructions. Believing this, he
eiglcd his seat, which he hoagae lie could no longer
hold with honor. But, in thus yielding ~ TIC viii OF
his constituents, did hc mean TO sanction that mode OF
getting up instructions by subserpon as right and
proper by means. On the ooniraryy l SUNK
may venture 90 say from my own recollection. that
he considered altogether Unfair, and nBlsud; and
ii is certain that nc did not ctcciion consider II as
expressing indicating the true slate OF public
opinion n the district for its we'll known, that he re-
sorted 10 another and better mode Of esceraining The
roal minds Of tie people, J rafting tp0a them az iher
assemblies Thus he viaitcd e courts d Princess Anne,
Nanscnond, Norfolk County, and NOtiOlk Borough and
addressed the people there al bryce aud talked with them
afterwards aud finding, IN this 1cag that large majority
of them were against HIM he bowel and retired u "