Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-01-23


aanizatom. No possible injury could result 10 tn
State by no: going into the election for they had hcl
two Senators 10 watch their interests and would
have until the fourth of March. 1t said that tE;l
could not get through the elections by the twenty
third February; but because they could not ge
through al, this certainly reason why the!
should not settle many as they could MIR. Goode
at some length, advocated the proprety of delay.
Mr. TUSsrALL replied to Mr. Goode, and con,cnde'
for immediate action.
MIR. McPHEssoN moved to substitute the 9Th hlarcl
FOR The l2h of February He was afraid that then
friends might be entrappcd into fixing the 18th
other early day. He would call Oh all their friends
sustain their party, and to stand By another like thu
others. lie anxious to take the sense of the HOUSE
on the question, and their action III taking the S,h n
March might have some influence with their po,ca
friends else here lie contended that in the late Pre-
sidentia Election the will of the people in favor OF
the present Incumbent and therefore the present House
of Delegates did not reflect clearly the will Of the peo
pie
The SPEAKER announced that he could not move 10
amend the amendment TO the amendment
MIR. McPHERsoy then moved the indefinite postpone
ment of the subject.
MIR. SMITH of Isle of Wight should support the mo-
ton just made; he had come to the conclusion TO vote
nganst going into this election at ALL He did so from
the fact that The numerical ma orty OF the people had
gone against Gen H., and also majority OF the coun
ties and districts of the State. lie was therefore for
postponlng the matter until the people had expressed
their opinions the subject.
MIR. IRVING Of Cumberland said lie delighted at
last, to find that the candor of the gentleman from Isle
of Wight and Of the gentleman from Page, had laid
bare the views and intentions of the party who were
disposed to defeat the election of Senator represent
this State in the Congress Of the U. S.-These gentle
men IN support OF the motion for the indefinite post
ponemcnt Of the whole subject, had taken the bold
ground that in the late election of President Of the
w. S., the numerical aJory Of the people OF Virginia,
cast in favor of the present Dynasty, that there
would be misrepresentation of tho opinions OF that
numerical majority should this House, at present
constituted proceed to the election of the Senator
Now lie would beg leave to examine this proposition,
which seemed 10 be confidently relied on by gentle
men, and TO expose some OF the consequences which
would flow from the recognition OF any such principles
When the Constitution of this State was formed, IL
would be readily admitted by any at all acquainted
with the history of this State that the great subject Of
controversy between the Eastern and Western sections
Of the State, TO the basis Of representation in
the Legislature. On the side of the West, il was con-
tended, that the arhite popuation and only the white
population, the true basis OF representation. On
The side of Eastern Virginia. it contended, that
the basis of representation was one of persons and
of pr0perty THIS great controversy which shook the
State 10 its foundation, was finally settled by geo.
graphical compromise, which compromise was based
upon the principle of property being entitled to repre-
serlaton In other words the representation that was
awarded Eastern Virginia much larger than she
would have been entitled to upon the basis Of the
mercal strength of her white population, and given
with view o. protecting her peculiar property from
the unjust legislation Of the portion Of the State not in
teresied IN smch property. Now would ask If The
principle contended for by gentlemen be recognised by
Eastern Virginia, whether it would not be 4 virtual
abandonment and surrender of all that conended for
and obtained for her in that formation OF the Consu.
ton al cas, 81 far as the selection Of her representa-
ton in the Senate of the United States concerned:
In the late Presidential election there vote Of the
white population Of The State; in election Of that
sort the minority Of the white population must control
the vote Of the State. But the trainers of our Con-
slitution had secured 10 Eastern Virginia control in
the selection Of this House, greater than she enti
tied 10 by virtue Of her white population Now, he
could conceive no subject upon which this influence
given 10 Eastern Virginia in consequence OF her pos
session of this peculiar property could be more pro-
perly, exercised than IN the important function OF the
selection of Senators from this State TO the Congress of
the l.. S. The proposition simply tIls-ihnt as
the majority Of the qualified voters of the State had
supported the election Of Mr.. Van Buren,, therefore
this General Assembly, representing as did, the coun
ties and districts of the State, was not properly con-
stitutcd for the purpose Of eecting Senator Of the
e. States from this State He would call the aten-
ton of the gentleman from Isle of Wight and the gen.
teman from Page 10 some other Of the consequences
that would result from the principles they maintain.
lie would suppose of those gentlemen 10 be can
ddac for election to this Ilousefle makes full and
complete disclosure Of his political opinions and OF his
political preferences. He elected upon the promise
and the pledge tina! he tc0nd vote, that nc Tod not
vote for particular candidate. Now was lie 10 under
stand that a Presidential election should in the mean
time, take place, in which the political party BY which
he was elected should be defeated IN the State, that that
gentleman deserng the party that elected him. be-
rayas the friends who trusted bm, and giving the vote
of the majority of the State and not OF his own immediate
constituents He knew that he would not lie knew that
that gentleman would be found redcemlng the pledges
that he gave and fulfilling the promises he made to his
constituents becomes Of the right olnstuciion,
ethis principle be established: Did not gentlemen who
made SO many professions about the right OF nStruc.
lion perceive that it the principle he admitted, there
was an end all obligations Of the representative 10
the constituent body Did not gentlemen perceive
this principle, that the majority of the qua~d voters
of the State having the right TO control the State Lee
gsaturc and that the Legislature bound TO reflect
their will would bind Eastern Virginia, hand and foot,
TO the sway Of Western Virginia: He was not sur
prsed that Western gentlemen should contend for such
propositions but he confessed his surprise that any
man in Eastern Virginia, of any party, should sub
scribe to proposition utterly at war with one OF the
main principles of their State Constitution, and as
surrendering Of the main guarantees for the pre-
sevation and protection Of the property of this section
of the State. He was aware that the principle was
once boldly avowed in celebrated State paper "that
the representative in Congress was not representative
of his constituents only, but representative OF
the whole Union Since the recent coalition between
certain distinguished gentleman OF The South and
the party now in power, he had supposed that that
principle, together with other very important doctrines
of that celebrated paper had been abandoned, at least
for the present lie was sorry to find the same doc
trnc, which then received so little favor, brought into
reousition on this occasion. The doctrine nou was,
that the members Of that House TO look, not 10
their immediate constituents, but TO the vote oil the
State The gentleman from of w. takes the ground,
entitled 10 representation in the General Assembly
have expressed opinions in the Presidential election
different from what would be the opinions of this Legs
ature He denied the fact. On the contrary, the ma
orty of the counties and DISTRICTS according to an ac-
curae calculation he had seen made, had gwen ma
ori,y for the President elect But, he would ASK
rthe gentleman right in his premises, what weight
was il entitled to Was there any man who would say
that the same issue tried in the Presidential and in
the State elections: Did gentlemen pretend that the
CHARGES made against Gen. HARRISON whether false or
true, would apply any candidate the Wing party were
likely to take up He contended then, that the people
of the counties and DISTRICTS in the spring elections tired
the ISSUE the Senator in their separate counties and
disriets-and that the people Of The State in The tall
tried totally different issue in the Presidential cleo
-: 18th tho tr;LunoI nd The issue tried were differ