Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-06-20
AppoRTsoN BILL.
REMARKS Of Mr. ADAMS on the Senate
amendments To the House bill, Monday, Jun

In the hrst place the question must turn, rs he
conceived, on the htst amendment; that Is, the
nu.odment by which the Senate would strike out
OI79 as the common standard by which represen :
tat,on was 10 be formed, and insert 7o,6sO. The
main question would be on that amendment and
with that amendment he was so sar from eoneurrng,
that IL IL could be placed in any order he would DIS
agree to that amendment, adhering TO the number
assumed by the House.
The bill as amended by the Senate gave 2s3
members, and was defamation OF this House as
nov existed. In Roman history, when there had
been any great mutioy or rebellion IN the army
against the commanding general, he had the power
OF performing that operation, OF dceimating the
army; that was OF authorizing every ten men 10 put
one man todesth. Mr. A. could not conceive OF any
thing more perfectly analogous TO this than this at
tempt on the part OF the Senate to decimate this
Honse rs IL now existed. Instead Of following the
course which God and nature had given, of increas
ing the representation OF this House, the Senate had
determined to arrest the course oil nature, and as
the population increased to diminish their represen-
tation They had now House OF 242 members;
the Senate proposed to reduce that number These
9i2 members were fixed ut a time when the popu.
lation Of this country was ABOUT SlS,ouuVVVi ana
now, with an increase OF So per cent, win poPu
laton Of ~ 900 00O the people were TO be deprived
of one tenth part OF the representation which was
not thought too much for Sl2 100000. lie did not
profess TO he one OF the pure democracy" OF this
country in the in which that word was UNDER
stood in a party point OF view; but he proessed 10
be democrat TO The utmost extent, far related
10 the composition OF this House. This House was
the democratic branch and department OF the Go
vernment OF the United States. IL represented the
People, and that there should be proportion, so lar
as practicable, between the number OF the people
and the number Of their representatives on this
floor appeared to him TO be first principle IN our
Government which never ought TO be violated. lie
never would violate until the representation should
come to what il might in the course of century
until il should be so numerous that the same oelee-
lion which made il necessary that there should oe
n representation Of the people would apply to these
representatives Of the people themselves. This ives
the only objection which, II appeared to him. ought
10 be considered in settling this point.
What was true democracy The theory OF Ma
ture that existed in nature aid in the world. IL
was that Government, so far as the people could be
convened, which should be Government OF The
people themselves; and every thing IN the nature oil
representation was only necessary departure from
this in consequence OF the number growing SO large
that the people cannot assemble 10 consult on mea'
sures Of legislation Representation, therefore, was
n necessary eXpedent, substituted Tor the action oil
the people themselves. So long as the assembly
was not so numerous that it became Impractical
bic for them to act so long the greater the number
of representation was the nearer II approached 10
the democracy of the people This sell-evldent,
and il the principle on which the Constitution
OF The United States was framed.
He old enough TO remember the time when
this Constititi framed-when it was discus
sed and debated by the people in all the States; and
well did he remember that Of the strongest OBJ
jections made against 1t in every part OF the Union
was, that representation was not and could not be
sufficiently numerous. There was, therefore, very
great question in the early periods of the organza-
ton of Government-what the number OF consu-
tuents should be for every Representative Ii was
debated long time what should be the minimum,
and it a great question whether 1t should even
be 30 ,O00-whether that was not too numerous a
constituency. Many OF his opinions on the subject
of the Constitution were formed in the course OF these
debates, which he has followed with intense IN
tetest from the time when the Convention at Phila
delphia issued forth the Constitution till il f.
naly adopted, and until the FIRST representation un
DER the FIRST census was made. Having formed these
opinions at that time, and having considered that, IN
the organic ,,ion ofIhis Government, this House was
emphatically land he perhaps might add exclusive
Ivy the concentration OF the democratic power Of the
people OF the United States in their organ zed form
or Government, he had always adhered, from that
time TO this the principle that ths representation IN
this House ought TO be numerous, in proportion TO
the body of the constituency as practicable TO meet
together, and that, the population increased the
representation SHOULD increase accordingly. That
the principle on which he had voted for the
ratio of 50.l79 adopted by the House, and under
which he had determined not 10 for any pro-
portion Of representation under SO, 900 or above
60, 900; and when a friend OF hs-a most excellent
theoretical man, and a most excellent practical
man, excepting that his theories and practice
did not always agree-had moved large re-
his proposition finding but little favor in this House
Among the many numbers voted on one after ano-
ther on the large numbers there was a large ma
jorty Of this House against them. and he hoped this
House would sdhere TO the opinion on which they
rejected so decisively any of the large numbers
exceeding 60 600 He had been willing TO take the
number the majority OF the House concurred in
between CO., 900 and 10000. If the Senate should
choose to lose this bill and twenty others the sub
ieet, never should his vote go for the number the
Senate had now chosen.
When he spoke Of democracy he hoped the House
would understand him. He was not democrat OF
the "Five Points" lLaughter.1 That was party
democracy TO which he had never belonged; but for
representation in this House he believed he was as
democratic any member in this Houss. il was
representation OF the people of the United States
that vas here concentrated. If they went into ano
Their branch of this department they found no de
mocracy; there was in /; by the Constitution.
What was the representation OF that Housei II
was the representation of corporations. That body
land he did to disrespect ~ was essentially
and necessarily arstocratc. IL was the hrstocrate
branch of this Government. Was not that EVIDENT
Had not Delaware, ito which he was now so desir
Gus of doing full Justice by giving her an additional
member) had ste not been told that II was her vote
in that House which was to be her compensation for
not having fair proportion herel Delaware there,
with her two votes, had precisely the same power
as the great State of New York had, with her forty
votes. on this floor. The gentleman from Delaware
(Mr Rodney represented a population Of nearly
so. 600; the two Senators from New York repre-
sented a population Of about 2, 500 O00-thuy times
that amount He thought that the trainers of the
Constitution in assuming the State Legislatures Of
this Union rs the constituents Of that body, did per
fcctly well: but il was not democratic, assuredy; IL
was the accommodation Of the aristocTatic principle
10 the composition Of the people Of the U. States,
and there were concentrated the corporation priRc
pie the independent sovereignty principle the State
Rights principle, flor which he had the highest
spect representing he did, in part, one Of those
States in this House, but he hoped It
would not be willingly and wantonly brought into
collision with the power OF the people IN this Housel
Let that body perform lie proper functions; let it
be n chain in the organization OF the laws Of the
Union; let it maintain the States Rights TO the full
est extent; out let il not undertake to tell this
House how the people OF the United States should
be represented here. ThLt was a trust committed
10 this House by the People, and, If it was not
made an exception by the Constitution OF the United
States 10 the powers the Senate had OF amending
the acts going from this House, in his opinion the
House ought TO maintain il de taeio and never ALLOW
the Senate 10 dictate to this House what the repre-.
sontation Of the people should be here.
He had attended as much as he could TO the course
Of the argument used in the Senate in order to
nv this amendment lie did not know but II might
lie out of order to refer TO it here; but Of the
mnn poiDts on which the amendment was carried in
the Senate was the argument that II this House
.hopld he too numerous Il would become TOO pow
e,ful for Them and would overwhelm the power or
tho SENATE What was the meaning Of that2 The
Senate chose TO restrict the power Of the people Of
the United States in choosing their Representatives
for fear the representatives OF the people would be
too much and too powerful for that body, and thus