Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-01-27
gard to the convenience comfort and facilities of its

and predominance of some portions The rest.
is TO be presumed that both the personal and proprietary
rights OF the citizen have been sufficiently guarded oy
the construction of the elective franchise itself out
its proper elements. The unequal apportlonment OF q
is in truth invasion "f the right ITSELF for who vii
venture to say that the exercise of is free and peree
when il placed in subordinaun to the exercise Of The
same right BY another!
Your Committee cannot believe that an objectlc-
would be raised to the apportionmen of represenat
according 10 The numbers OF qualified voters IT 1t were
original question, and uninhuenced by the eyen
of earlier periods In looking back the past hsto
Of the country, we find train Of circumstances unia
vorabe 10 the adjustment Of the subject upon core.
principles In the first place, The origin and progress
the colonial government under which presenatives .
the people admitted to participation in public If
fairs, subject to controlling foreign domination,
not such as 10 cali for or even invite ea
quiry into the true basis of Legislative authority. IL
resentation grew with the growth Of the country, IT,
into such unseemy shapes and forms Knocked I'll 4 ii
proportions Next came the Of the Revolution ~
wing birth amidst convusIye troes 10 former State
Constitution which perpetuaed county representation
in the House Of Delegates both by retrospec,ion anc
in perspective leaving to the Legislature the power Il
form new counties, without comforting any to correct
inequalities then hand, thereafter to The
natural consequence was, that represen taon relative
ly amongst the numerous constituent bodies, became
almost matter Of accident, within, or preu-
dice, 10 the nearly perfect disregard Of all such
deraous popuation territory, wealth and revenue
The mere progress of time could not bring much i'm.
provemeut 10 such untoward and hayward course
Of things nnd it gave rise to an extensive discomfort,
which, with other exciting causes, ultimately brought
about the Convention of 1870. The proceedings o.
that highly respectable body are well known as well
as The fact that Of It's members advocate
for the county representation it then Stood but
happily the ardent and long prorac'ed conflict which
the subject of the proper basis Of apporon-
ment prevented the adoption Of any ruling principle,
/ ntoIf of n
all its lubors, arbitrary adjustment of the contro.
gersy, temporary expedlent, the latter of which
carried by bare majority.
II will thus be that the existing apportonment
of representation has been brought about without the
concurrence of those TO whose pre- udice has been
established by the operation Of circumstances over
which they have had no control 1t was supposed By
the heavy minority in the convention to furnish album
dant OF complaint the part Of their constitu.
ents But if just them II cannot be now in the very
nature OF things for great changes have since that pc
Rod occurred all the elements usually referred to
relation 10 apportionment, however regarded whether
as substantial, or merely plausible. The memorial IN
der consideration, with the statistical tables accompa-
nyng it, shew that the ten years which elapsed between
1890 and lcI0 shave reduced The white population oil
The Eastern division i32 and augmented that of the
Western division 52237 The slaves in the first diy-
sion have been reduced 81 999 and those of the second
Augmented ls7. The valuation of the lands in the
Eastern division has diminished Sl9,o42 lo4, and that
ducng the land tax in the East at the present rate Of
taxation, sd $50 per amman, and augmenting that
nually paid in the Western division $2 S73." In regard
to the present inequalities of representations the memo
rial and tables further show the following in reference
To white population and qualified voters in the four dis
ric,s "The Western District sends 81 Delegates, rep
rescniing white population Of 157S and of
qualified voters $50 each. The Valley District y Dele
gates representing average white population Of 5472
and Of qualified voters Gil each. The district from the
Blue Ridge to the head of tide water ~ Delegates,
presenting 4,13S white PERSONS and 512 qualified voters
as the average of each. The Tide Water District 80
Delegates, who represent average white population Of
49, and Of qualified voters 53S each. The present
formation of the Senate, which gives Is members to
the Western division, and ID to the Eastern presents
the following inequalities in that body Each Western
Senator represents average white population Of -,
903 and of qualified voters $3.50 while each Eastern
Senator represents an average white population OF H.,
AS, and Of qualified voters 23i2 The memorial fur
Their states, II is presumed the result Of Of lis
detailed statements, that the present aPportonmcnt
leaves in the Western district nearly three eghs of,e
qualified voters without representation III the L"gsa
tura.
Your Committee beg leave 10 remark here, that in the
direct application of the principle Of apporonment,
cordnG the numbers of qualified voters, there might
be some inconvenience arising from the want of data
to ascertain the precise numbers nasmnch the full
vote OF the State OF any portion of it is given
at anv one election and the polled vary consider
ABLY at different elections. But it is believed there is
no material variance in the relative proportion which
the qualified voters bear TO the white population in the
different parts of the Commonwealth; that The white
population will always serve guide to sufficient
approximation to accurate result For the sake
therefore of convenience, your Committee recommend
The adoption of that criterion.
If YOUR committee are correct in the views above pre-
sentcd, it will be seen that the principle OF apporon-
ment according TO the numbers of qualified voters is
clear and distinct in ITSELF and adequately certain III IFS
convenient application and uniform IN It's operation
throu phout the whole Commonweall On The other
hand, none of the other principles suggested by its OPP
ponents whether tina, Of wealth, taxation, combined
with white population or of Federal numbers, can be
uniform in its operation throughout the various portions
of the Commonwealth, and in TRUTH IS not intended to
be thus uniform, but the reverse The principle is not
adopted for the purpose Of giving greater importance
and weight the individual proprietor, for in that re-
spsct il avails him nothing the accession of political
power derived from his fortune being thrown into The
scale of the district or division to which he belongs,
while it is wholly imperative in The neighborhond
or country of his residence. Thus contiguous conn
ties or contiguous propretors, whatever may be their
relative wealth or poverty, are not affected by It IN
reference TO their relative political power their partI-
cpation in that being numerical only The manifest
purpose of distributing the surngan power, from any
other consideration than that of individual quallfca-
t,on is to secure sectional ascendancy which could
not otherwise be preserved; and that indeed is openly
avowed.
Your Committee, however, are far from lmpugning
the motives of those who differ from them in opinion
upon this question Of apportionmen;. They do not be-
lie We that any considerable portion OF their ellow-cit
zcns are DESTROYS of either retaining gaining political
power with u view to its mere exercise. lfsuch were
the fact there would he much less difficulty IN the ad-
justmen of the subject than exists at present. Ibe mo-
lives Tor controversy lie deeper than consideration so
superficial They must be sought on the one hand IN
feelings of insecurity and disrust, and on the other IN
the mortified sense of political humiliation. Hence
your Committee have been desrous Of ascertaning the
true principles belonging to the subject in the hope
that if successful themselves, the public mind might be
brought calm and careful investigation than
has been heretofore bestowed under The unproPitous
circumstances then existing In this spirit they have
endeavored to keep out of view all exasperang topics;
and in the spirit they will submit few additional
remarks.
1t is obvious that the whole controversy has grown
out of a supposed conflict Of interest between the two
great portions of the community, though your commit
lee sincerely believe that no serious conc, Of the kind
has in point of fact existed. On this point, both par