Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-10-06

,ion Blu, If the same prncipe'SSere adopted III
this State it would produce, wheh apP'e" :, ''s
or New ork the following result: onr chy' At 'he
Ia, STATE Census had less than one aSaM oil inc p'pu-
a,;on and to make a Senate Dls'rc, WIN TOUT Se.a
tors KinGs and Richmond were added. bu' III i"1,
wa had four tcnhS nearly one hat OF ''e .aAa"'e
ro,c-,y which would rive TO tins CITY, were ''e s'
,,s onpor,ioned according to property '"e'e q 'ne
,h;,,.,wo These illustrations are snihcienl |" si'o"
..r.t;c nature and the palpabe injustice, ac-
cordinr to our notions, whatever nos''"'"''' ny ~
os IT, of the Massachusetts, RUE. ;, ::
VI ~ ~ " ,,Lo Constitution of Massachusetts IS III
n, ,ccordance with the doctrines OF John Adams, III
regard TO the proper mode OF chccR'hs anu oaian's
,he ;ff,rent departments of the Government as eA-
pounded in his defence OF me american - J., u
r nb;cb as is well known, he advocates very n'sh-
1 ~ Soo,r;nes In the Convention OF lc2l, ViSnE-
ors ,,,empt was made by Messrs Dearborn, Lincoln,
ChJs and other members from the country TO getrla
of this aristocratca provision. MT. - y
49, i out and TO substitute, in Ms stead, The Deh"
| -; r;nc;n. Of an apportionment according TO Popu
l,tion This motion was opposed py 'hr 'e"e'"",e
~, Adams then in the Convention, IN asiortsPeech
and BY Daniel Webster then resident o p"so', ;"
m sI,bora,e and powerful argument The MOTION iai
~ ,h obnoxious provision was retained, and 10 this
d i i = mart of the Constitution OF massachusetts, Tor
The people of that State are manly indebted loa
Dnre, Webster shall now proceed !" read 10 yo''FF
some extracts which VIII snow you WHAT soi VI ~
mocrat Daniel Webster then was
NJ Webster thus states the question with his accus
toned clearness ,.;on !; II clo,
, III" senators be elected They he chosen III
districts, br shall they be chosen IN proportion I" t
Of each district; other words proor" tac p"rt m"
each di Geir ~ lie public Sarden q s s4f NIL u @ nv
SUPPORT The proposition Of the honorable m.inr ~"
burg I nearn proposes I" divide mr Sa'c wv"
in ZACH district proportion 10 The Pegnann;
lie then refers TO Messrs Child oil PSteld, ana LIN
coin Of Worcester who supported Mr. Dearborn pro-
poston so far as regarded the choice of Senator's with
out explaining their views TO the choice OF Repre-
sentatives and, after some comments, thuS repeats w
preference of the existing provision:
81, has said CONSTITUTIONS as COW stahaS s.s
more than an equal and proper number {" Senators !" e t"n
riucp. without being influenced by regard TO lis local APP
ulratiun II wish 10 look only 10 the P"rVs, ana "
that 10 be soa"d and a1targ give my VOC " ' "
He then proceeds 10 argue in support of his opnIon
and the general course ths argument is ths-that to
make the Senate an efficient chccE on the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES. there should be same dttrence 81 "'t-
rim or characters interest. Of teeag, or sentiment
in the two bodies and that the apporonng OF the &C.
nate according the property OF The different districts
as done by the existing CohStIuul'"' was Jus
and useful mode of cfiecting the ditiercn.e required
This YOU perceive is the very essence oil the Asto
y.ratcal doctrine as defended by John Adams IN the
work to which referred.
| will now give you extracts from the argn-
ment which Mr. Webster offered in support of his doc
tr;pe "The gentleman from R"Xbury Says h")
SCALED for authority this subj lie asked, what
writer Of reputation had approved the prtnc'pc Tor
: which we contend" After some remarks 10 snow mat,
even fno authority could be cited the principle should
moi he eypunred nasmuch as it had worked very well
the standing argument of all the enemies OF reform
: he adds:
put sir take the principle be well established by writers
Of the greatest authority In The n par; mos W No. .
treated natural lar have maintained a incr u it M
that as object Of society the porctrn OF s"nthms
in which the possess unequal shares II li>i ua tie
weight OF each person lr common councils si"na n '
Such l. the sentiment oi
ro,us refers support OF II, I" Sevca INSTITUTIONS
among the ancient states. :, ~,
tI,ot IN Webster
, precedents and authorities not in Thomas Jefferson
and The Democratic principles OF the Deciarao OF IN
dependence, the Constitutions OF the new otates
framed after the triumph Of lc00 but IN the institutions
! of ancient times in no of which were the primer
. pes of Democratic liberty, understood IN our
= country at nj carried out lie proceeds: "fhose au-
: thors who have written more particularly on the suH]eci
of political institutions have many OF them maintained
! similar sentiments" 70 this effect he quotes from
MontesQuicu but soon leaves him to go TO an author
: about century older, for whom he seems to cherish
peculiar reverence and who, It appears expresses ms
own sentiments more exactly:
oflh ingenious oi political writer's SAYS h Wen
sis Mr. Harrington q" Gter t no" r'aa as "a" as ." q"
!, Serrcs."
ltcal philosophv-,hat which the great eXpounder OF
the Constitution thinks peculiarly worthy oil attention
!, "now"- G. in ISL and in the l. S. Of America :
Let us hear what Mr. Harrington says, that ingenious
:, writer so much the taste of MIR Webster and whose
hs American Democrats have so slnp s So NE
$. and follows PROPERTY. lie maintains
e that government founded "gma'cIy founded
. and that government founded diregerl Of
founded in aud can only be maintained b! military
>; force"
!, Here fcow.ci,izens, YOU lave the principle of Mr.
Q Harrington, whose book Mr.. Webster so highly ap
proves, and what is but rank arisocracyte vcsting
OF the sovereign power in particular class the holders
r of property But hear little of Mr. Websers
;, quotation from Mr. harrington:
"if one man say he, Harrington, '.Lc
an ,IS this n% nscs i"U G % fr" ~ M
J. people be landlords, rHES is 1T u Commonwealth
That is, the sovereign power according to Mr. Ha r
rington and Mr. Webster should be vested in the hold
} of Tend, to the exclusion of not only Of the vast
mass who property Of any kind, but 10 the
o cuson also Of The of personal properly how
large amount ard this sovereignty 10 be par
celled out among the landhuidcrs in proportion 10 the
/ extent OF their respective domains. So that wealthy
or fortunate proprietor who may acquire tile 10 of
the wide pralrlcs Of the West, is be lord or Grand
Sgnor of The tract though process Of time it should
be filled with thousands of hardy yeomeu, unless the
Grand Signior willing To part with hls power by
d selling out the fee But hear Mr.. Webster little
y further
at strange, says Mr. Pope, of
# ons, lhst Harrington should be The first find ri
dc"i ant emoas HrHh thai OF PROPERTY being the true
Q n,ss aud Of rowrH."
But though Mr.. Webster, in his zeal TO support the
authority Of his tavoritc author, thus draws from the
rich stores OF his general reading, passage from Mr.
Pope, he proceeds 10 correct mistake into which the
great ethical poet had fallen, respect TO the origi-
gindlity Of llarrinaton's views
"In Truth says Mr.. Wcbs'cT,l 'Mr H. Not the first
Ttm POLITICAL II may he
found Aristotle, Lord Iurom, Sir Walter Raleigh other
writer's Harrington however, 10 be the first writer who
has illustrated and expanded The rEiScirIE, Tic
feet and prominence 7" iis seni
[ ncnt, sir Ii seems /" me Ia he plain that.
IN the absence OF military force political power NATURALLY and
cocs the hands which hold the rE0rERry'
Can any thing, fellow citizens, be distinct, I'M
ambiguous, unequivoca than this Mr.. Webster not
only defends the particular aristocratcal provision
tanned in the Constitution of Massachusetts; but, in
doing at great pains to lay down, in the ceares
and most positive terms, the general principle Of arso
catical domnaton press his preference for it, and
TO vndcac ii the only true and legitimate basis Of
government, He draws his principles not from rhos
Jefferson, whom he now so much adnires and rcvcrcs
not from the Declaration oflndependence, which airns
II to BE sefevidcnt TRUTH that all men are created
EQUAL, and that Government derives lis just powers
FROM the consent Of the GovERSED (and the honest Ia
borer, mechanic merchant, is surely among the
g0rerntd, even though he may not foot of land)
ppt from, fbp