Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-12-15

course which they ought to pursue At the last ses-
sion, there was Senator, member OIL thelr own
body, absent under peculiar circumstances, and con-
sequently Of the districts entirely unrepre-
scented. They then looking, as they had right
to do, to their House, and taking care that no
constituency was unrepresented there-and Tor tnis
purpose the question was postponed until mat gentle
should be in his seat, had sufficient notice to
enable him to be there.-They not then nquring
into the state Of the lower House they were TO pre-
sumo that that House had done right they could not
ascertain their reasons and when they sent them reso
utIon they must presume, they had right TO presume,
that that House had decided properly and acted right
far the particular circumstances Of their own House
concerned. So much with regard to precedent. II
any Senator absent from his seat, owing to the
sickness of himself family then, indeed he would
be as ready as any one to postpone TINS election
until such scat again occupied but they could
justly delay this business because the seats of ano
Their body not filled The argument of the gen.
enan from Nottoway that the late Presidential cleo
ton had shewn that the true of Virginia would
not b. expressed by that House, singular one
Had that gentleman reflected upon his proposition:-
Was he clear in his mind, that his position was .
correct one: Was not that gentleman aware, that the
election of 4 President of the Y. ). very different
from the election Of Legislature for Firginia-thai
the constituencies essentially different? BY the
Constitution and laws Of Virgin, man might vote
Tor delegates IN as many counties as he held freeholds
ii he held rcchods in six counties, he might vote IN
those six counties if lie physically capable OF
reaching hem but in the election of President of the
U. s., every man had to go TO his own county and
could give but vote Did not the Senator from
Nottoway see that there very different constltu-
ency in the two cases, and therefore, that his views
upon this subject were entirely erroneous: He felt
convinced that lie would find himself mistaken in sup
posing the people opposed 10 the policy which
they DESTROYS of pursuing. lie would warn the
gentlemen the opposite sde revolutions never went
backwards. What the state Of things when lie
took his seat in that body but year ago. The proper
ton in The Senate then Is 10 IL now 1t was tie
what it would be in another year, time would tell
Mr.. SMITH submitted that the gentleman out Of
order
The SPEAKER admitted that strictly speaking, he was
but he had allowed other members TO 60 beyond
the subject Of the motion, he could not restrain the
course now.
MIR. PEyroy said that he had done. lie was only
anxious correct the impression and the opinions of
gentlemen who assumed that they not expressing
the true Of the people Of Virginia. The last
sion they stood in the Senate I3 to 10 they
te--and the constitution OF that House. in l-Il, would
depend probably npon the course which gentlemen
would take upon THIS verybIGeSton.
Mr.. CocKE found himself differing on some Of the
positions which had been laid down By both parties,
and he therefore would trcspass for n few moments,
10 explain the which would induce him to take
the which lie should adopt. His recollection as
to the motives that induced the delay the last session.
was, that the final issue, which they were about 10
try depended upon the result of the contested elections
III the other House. This ample reason for de-
lay, and if he believed that the result of the contested
elections in the other House would change the relative
state of parties,-that it would produce lie, give
the ascendancy to the other party-he would now, as
then, vote to postpone the question They had now on
vote the power and he did conscentously believe
that whatever might be the result OF those contested
elections, they still would have the ascendancy in
the two branches of the Legislature. lie DID not say
.,la IF f,c- thor
i, had been by of caucus, which gentleman
the opposite side had nsnuated, or whether he
and his friends had talked the matter in their little
private social partes-or whether, like the other side,
they had met, and called their meeting love FEAST or
conference, or had made of any, OF the various
names by which gentlemen on the opposite side had
lately exhibited themselves.
MIR. AlcMuLLEx submitted that the gentleman was
out of order.
The SPEAKER decided that he might proceed.
Mr.. CocKE said that delay the matter rs they might,
gentlemen the opposite side could not alter the re-
suit Of the election, come when 1t might. Ihey were
told that benefit 10 result from delaying 10 60 into
the matter, would be, that gentlemen would be inrcby
reminded Of the will Of the people III the shape OF m
structions but would that alter the result Were
there not as many Democratic counties changing SIDES
al the late Presidential election there were Wings,
setting aside the all-powerfu argument that the con-
st,uencies not the same II then, this was the
case, would not parties be left in the same relative po
ston which they now occupy: Being firmly persuaded
of this, and strongly impressed with the necessity Of
causing the Legislature of Virginia TO be fully repre-
scented in the Senate Of the United States, he could
see no prudent ground for delay, and must therefore
record his vote against the motion. Ills irend Mr
Peyton, had antic pated him to a certain extent in
many Of the remarks which he had intended to offer
1t was entirely false assumption, that the the
Presidential Election any index Is TO the course
which it was their duty to pursue.-The constituencies
were entirely different and he presumed that it was
their duty carry out the will Of the parties who sent
them TO that Housr.-Not on was SAID by the Sena-
tor from Augusta the two classes Of voters entire
" different hut the questions at issue placed before the
two constituencies essentially ditierent-They all
knew that at the spring elections the principal question
was Rives Rves; while at the PRESIDENTIAL Elec-
ton the question was, Abolition or no Abolition, sell
llnp poor white men and women for debt, selling
poor white men and women for debt, with other
grave questions of similar character Thus, then,
the questions issue essentially different, and
there could be doubt that the questions to which
he had alluded which had been most lndustrousiy
placed before the people of Virginia, had had consider
able influence in giving majority to the Van Buren,
Electors. Thus, then, the whole argument with refer
encc 10 this point, utterly iaacious But 1t The
argument was good for any thing, it would be TO pre-
vent them going into election Al all. According
to their showing, at the spring elections the People
went one way-in the fall they went directly con.
trary way To carry out their argument, they should
have no election at all, but go again to the People
But was it moi their bounden duty TO make this cleo
ton without further delay, He believed that it was
their duty to have gone into this election last year,
and that they were nhciing grievous wrong upon
Virginia by keeping her unrepresented in the Senate
of the United States They were there, in conjunction
with the other House, as the General Assembly of
Virginia, 10 discharge those duties required OF ihem
BIZ the Constitution, and TO sarry out the will Of Their
not in the spirit Of party or OF faction,
but Legislators, called upon TO make this election
by every consideration of duty and patriotism He
would not 10 go into this election it, as lie had
before Observed the result of the contest in the other
House could alter the position of parties, and affect
the result Of such election-for their duty tosee
that the true Of the people reflected there
but believing that such alteration would be effected
he should record his against the motion then before
the Senate
Mr. BouLDIs was surprised TO find the opinions he
had expressed so misncrpreted or misrepreented as
they had been. He held that Senator of Virgin
should represent The political capacity OF the State en-
tirely and with the view of ascertainng clearly the
vote Of the people upon this question, he proceeded to
make certain remarks To show that the political capac-
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