Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-02-03

The Special Committee to whom was refer
red, by an order of the House, the memorial of
the citizens of Kanawha county i'm general
meeting assembled, on the subject ola reap
portionmento Of representation III both branches
oil the Legislature, as also the resolutions on
the same subject adopted at general meeting
oil the ciiizens of Greenbricr county, beg leave
respectfully to
REP T.:
That they have given TO the subject thus
referred to them the consideration due to its
great importance and deep interest. In doing
tins, their attention was Of course in the first
place directed to the nature and extent of the
powers IN relation to the superintendent of re-
presentation conferred upon the Legislature by
the constitution. These will be found in the
third article of the amended constitution,
which provides that "the Legislature shall be
formed of two distinct branches, which to-
gether shall be complete Legislature. and
shall be called the General Assembly of Vir-
ginla; that one OF them shall be called the
House OF Delegates, and consist of l34 mem
hers, to be chosen annually for and by the sew
eral counties, cities, towns and borou-hs of
the Commonwealth, whereof 81 delegates
shall be chosen for and by 26 counties living
west oil the Allegheny mountains 25 for and
by the IL counties lying between Allegheny
and Blue Ridge of Mountains AZ for and by
the 20 counties lying East of the Blue Ridge
OF Mountains and above tide water and SO
Tor and by the counties, cities, towns and bo-
roUghs lying upon tide watero The article
then proceeds to distribute amongst the com
ponent parts of these great districts the num-
her of delegates allotted TO each respectively.
ltnext provides, in the third section, that "ihe
other House of the General Assembly shall be
called the Senate, and shall consist of So
members, OF whom ID shall be chosen for
and by the counties lying West of the Blue
Ridge OF Mountains, and 10 for and by the
counties, cities, and boroughs lying east there
OF and Tor the election of whom, the conn
Ties, cities, towns and boroughs shall be diyi-
ded into 30 distrcts.'' 1t then proceeds, in
the same section, by allotmcnts of the compo-
nent parts, to form the Senatorial Districts i'm
each of these two great divisions. Provision
Is iii the next place made for reaportonmerts
by the Alb and 9th sections. The lih section
prcscrlbes in relation to the four great,istric;s
that sit shall be the daty of the Legislature 70
reapporlioa once iii ten years, TO vii, in
the year 1871, and every ten years thereafter.
the representation OF the contics, cities, towns
and boroughs of this Commonwealth, in both
of the Legislative bodies: provided, however.
that, the number of delegates from the alorc-
said great districts, and the number of Senators
from the aforesaid two great divisions respect
lively, shall neither be Increased nor diminish
cd by such superintendent" The 9th sec
ton prescrlbes, i'll relation TO the two great d-
visions, that the General Assembly, after the
year 1911, and at intervals thereafter of not
less than ten years, shall have authority, two
thirds OF each house concurring, to make re-
! appor'lonmen's of Delegates and Senators
throughout the Commonwealth, so that the
number OF Delegates shall not at any time en-
@tSu lou, no! otSenators So.
The period at which the eneral Assembly
is thusauhorized by the Constitution to make
the frst re-apportionment OF representation in
| pom OF Its branches, without restriction or
limitation except rs to the number OF the dele
gates ana senators respectively, having now
arrived, the object OF the memorial of the citi-
zens OF kanawha, and of the resolutions of
! the citZans oil Grecnbrler, above mentioned.
Is to invoke the exercise of that power by the
] Legislature at It's present session. The reso-
luIons state briefly the iact,t hatit appears from
the census of 1910, there is a majority of
white inhabitants west Of the Blue RIDGE of
mountains, whilst the country east Of the Blue
Ridge has majority OF six representatives i'm
the Senate and of TWENTY-FIVE in the House of
Delegates, making an actual majority uoon
JOINT vote OF both Houses, of twenty-eght
Ihey assume the true basis of representation
to be white population, and they seek a reap
portIonment upon that basis. The memorial
goes at large into the whole subject, contain
ing an elaborate and able exposition both of
facts and principles, representing the existing
state OF representation as unequal and uniust,
condemnng any substantial inequality a.
| tho
wealth, and asking redress at the hands of The
Legislature. In addition TO these evidences
OF public sentiment, coming from sources en-
Titled to respect, it is we'll known that the
citizens OF other Portions of Western Virginia,
without having addressed themselves directly
to the Legislature, entertain similar views OF
the subject, for the expression of which they
iook to Their representatives in both Houses
1t thus appears that the subject referred to
your committee is one of unwonted n,acni
tude, and involving as it docs a question of
political power between two great portions Of
the Commonwealth, is liable to be disturbed
by feeling and preiudices unpropiiious to the
calm, careful and deliberate consideration
which the interests OF the Republic doubtless
require. Your committee will, however,
state briefly the general views that have oc-
Cured to them, i'll the hope that a more tho
rough investigation may lead to accordance
IN Just aad fixed principle of representation.
such as al enlarged and liberal regard to the
public welfare ,,ox- ronIo,-