Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-01-05
OF MIR. si:INN,
Ia opposition to the Bill to re.Sppor,on the repre-
sentation in the Legisla,urs-which bill proposed


Shinn said that he would move to lay tho same for
the present tho table-to DO taken up to. morrow
or at any other time when there should DC full So.
naie-as II was well known TO the Senate that some
Of those most deeply Interested In this matter were
then IN attendance in discharge Of their duties as
members Of the Bank committee; and ure cd as fur
Their reason for laying the bill the table, that il
had been reported To the Senate, within tho Last Eve
| minutes, and had passed tho House Of Delegates
within the last ton mlnu,cs-and that too, contrary
TO parliamentary usage, and conscq ucny took that
portion OF the Senate on surprise, who in favor
lofequazins rcptescntation;-that he had some sas.
tistca facts which he wished to present to the Sc
nate, but which ho had lel AT his roon not antci.
patng that he should be called on to-day to act on
inc oil-and thought that individual, as well as
parliamentary courtesy, to the present. rs veil as tho
absent members, would have rs due weight with
| members, IN inducing them TO lay tins bill on tho
table Tor tho present. MIR Lyons obiec,ng, the So
nae refused Mr. Shinn then said, that being forced,
without preparation, into the discussion of subject
winch was all important TO his consiitucnts-a sub.
Ject which ayed at tho very foundation OF rcprosen
tauve Government, and upon which rests the co
| VI man, he hoped that the Senate would indulge
nun in lew cxtemporaneous remarks, i'm opposi.
tlon TO tue passage OF the bill in its present form
Mr. Sninn said thatb our late Constitution, the
State IS layed off in to four dis,rc,s:-the first dis
.ict Is composed OF all the counties laying between
the sea coast and the head Of tide watcr-bcine 80
counties and cities, with an aggregate white popula
uon oil l1O,53O-thc second district embraces all the
counties from the head OF tide water to III, Rim,
N,ugc' including 81 counties, with an aggregate
wntc population of l9S S6S-lho third district om-
braces oil the counties between the Blue Ridge and
'he Allegheny, consisting Of Is counties with an no
gresate white population OF 1856 796-the fourth ds
He' ,ne'uucs all the counties west of tho Allegheny
mountain. IN all 81 counties, with mn a,,rc,,,s
white population of 23i ia. And the stat. il I,i
U" INTO Two grand Senatorial divisions: one i'm.
o.uui"S an Ihe counties west OF the Blue Ridge con.
o,,",S VI g. counties, with an aggregate white pc.
puation Of 37l $40 other includes all inc cnnn
IN Iha
ass'esa'e white population of 369 3gS. OF these
wv stanu Senatorial divisions of the State Tho rem
Iesen,aton In the Senate is as follows AIN ives, of
ne oe nv "dge rs entitled to l3 Scnators-cnst of
'r " 10 Senators-and sc members Of the House
OF oe'cgatcs west of the Blue Ridge, and IS mem
ners cast OF thot. Thus il will ba seen that while
Inc west has majority OF 2,I72 white popui,,ion
Se' ihe East ms majority of members in the
senate and 22 in the House of Delegates This
however, could not be rcmcdicd but by n chance
OF the Conslitution-unlcss the Eas, would give the
west the additional six members in the Senate md
tne sixteen IN the House Of Delegates. As the
CONSTITUTION says, that in re.appouonins tho Re.
presentation, you shall neither increase nor diminish
the present representation in the respective districts
unless by majority of two thirds Of both Houses
"hch Is tantamount TO a rejection, as tho West
cinnot expect Judging from the course her eastern
brethren have heretofore pursued towards hcr) 10
get that number
MIR Shinn said, laying aside the great Injustice
which the East has done to the West, in refusing
nv nc just Neptcsentation-yet there were great
inequalities IN the representation OF the respective
grand divisions of the State-for instance, he said
there was Pocahontas county, with n population of
Z9Z2, and she was entitled 10 one Representative
whiie Lewis and Braxtion, with an aggregate DO
puation OF 1926, were entitled to but one Renrc
sentative. Also the counties Of Mason & J,ckson
with an aggregate population of IL ,667, with bu,
ono Representative. Also, the county Of Ohio with
population ot 10 57, and but one Representative
Also, the city of Richmond, with n pnpulation Of
20, l53, with but one Representative Thus i, will
be seen, that the vote of one man. in some of the
counties, has as much weight as seven men in ann.
Their county. lie asked il this was right: he said.
no. But in addition 10 the mandates ~ tho Co,,,;
tuition, requiring n rcnpportionment every ten wears
he laid down tho broad ground that all men were
porn each others equal, and that an equal number
oil sutfrases should be entitled TO an eouaI numhor
oil representaon, no difference what might be their
respective localities. lie said locality could not
charge justice. voter living in Brooke or Cnbell
county, ought TO have the weight in le sisaton
as he would have in Pocahontas or on the Sc, coast,
tie sa'd laying aside this proposition so self evil
1ent 10 the most humble capacity, and which rested
Tor It's support on the platform OF mmu,able Justice
that the Constitution itself recognized il as true
from the Tact that required frequent reappor,ion
nents oil representation, in order that any inequality
IN representation might he equliizsd, and REGARDED
1t as the solemn duty of the present legislature 10
remedy this crying injustice by equazing the re.
presentation, thereby carrying out the prnciple |
mat oil men, 10y nature. equally free and indie.
ehoent anu nave certain inaienble rights, Of which
Ihey cannot. by any compact Of their own diyest
their posterity.
Mr. Shlnn said. that should the Legislature refuse
10 re-nppofton the representation of the State upon
equitable terms, that il within the enr. control
d. those for whose benefit Government was insi-
, n.edIand That was the PeOple-and when he said
feopie,' the term was general, without reference
10 any particular class of the communty He said
mat all had an interest IN society, be they rich or
poot ana mat Government was intended for the
projection oil the poor and INDECENT, well as the
rich and haughty-and when il should come shoft
d erecting this end, that il was one of the naturnl
'ghts oil man, either 10 alter, change, or entirely
ioolish their present Constitution, and 10 adont
'uch other as to them might most congenal
with the principles Of the equality of man He
aid, he believed in the doctrine TINT "for NATHAN
L" ,"v" liberty. II IS sufficient that she knows it
'hu 10 DC Tree, II - Sufficient that she wills IL - H.
"'u' nc was one OF inc last men who would recon-
memo Vioient measures Tor the oblenton OF eon,mno
ustice-but there was a point in DEGRADED buu,ni |
Y, 10 remedy which, lin the last resort, even bya
tevolution) would be virtue IL was not agninst
-swiS the Sixteenth. that the Nation revolted, but
was against the despotic principles OF the Gov. |
:rnmen. But in the case of Charles the First, ard
James the Second, OF England, the dissen,ion and
evolt was against the personal dcspotism and ty-
amy oil tho men; thus, in each case, as in the A.
nericon Revolution, il wns principle that led 10 the
evolt--, was an attempt to degrade humanity by
comforting exclusive privileges upon one portion Of
he People, or Government 10 the exclusion of the
)ther.
Mr Shnn said, that while the people in the
Western portion Of the State have the snme attach
nent 20 their Eastern brethren, and as DESTROYS TO
continue that frier dly relation ga had the British
Colonies IN america towards their mother country.
80, like them, the Western people are willing 10
sever The ties OF friendship which have so long and |
win lew exceptions, so happily subsisted between
hem and their Eastern brethren whenever IL is
manifest TO them that the East is treating them with
INJUSTICE and IndignIiy-and this Injustice he be-
eved, was most concusively proved by the s,ats.
yes oil the day-as they showed that while the
w est had majority Of white population, that the
East had large majority Of Representation and
also they showed that while tho lands in the West
had increased IN value since the last assessment
about one million of dollars, tha; those of tho
East had decreased about one million of do lars
and that while the population OF the West had |
since the last Census, about one hundred
per cent IN some counties, and very largely in ALL
that the Eastern counties had invariably decreased
and That this decrease was principally occasoned by
inc removals from the barren shores which have been
eraVelled by the surges of the ocean, as well as |
from the sandy plains covered with the pine and tho
cedar, TO the fertile forest Of the Western portion |
OF the state, rs well as to the plains in tho great
Valley Of the Mississippi. And he, for one, would
say TO his Eastern friends "come on we have lands
10 abundance for you, easy TO ob.an rich and pro
ductive, with all the substantial ncccssares Of life
around you in Hbundance-togethcr with generous |
and ho5pitubie people.
MIR 8. said, that If the East would examine the |
subject with minds unbiased they would SEQ That |
the West possessed ono Of the chief sources of |
wealth, 10 wit population, for without population
IL