New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-06-17
THEORY or REPRESENTATION.

,,v or,xeY ADAMS on an amendment made I"
:, n. Apponionrnent Bill Of the House BY the Sen
ma. b, which the ratio Of representation snoua
10 raised 80 a, Ia diminish the number OF mem
ter. in the House of Representatives The op'n-
ION. presented arc Of high value from their sener-
al bearing. upon the Theory Of our Government
The bill as amended by the Senate gave 223
members. ard was defamation ot tins House a.
il nov existed In Roman history, "heh there
had been an, great mutiny rebellion IN the I'm.
agains, the commanding general, he had the power
OF performing that operaiion OF decimatiDs The ar
nv: that was, VI authorizing every ten men to put
one man to death. Mr.. A. could no, conceive Of
any thing more pcrec y analosou. To- this than IN.
attempt on the part OF tho Seaa,e 10 decimse thu
House AZ ii now existed. Instead offcllowing the
cour.e which God and nature had given, OF in
crea.ing ths representation Of tins House. the
Senate had determined to arrest the course OF ma
ture, and a. the population increased to diminish
their representation. They had now House Pi
242 members; the Senate proposed to reduce 'hai
number These 9i2 members were liked et
time when the population Of this country was
about II 900 900; and now, with an increase oi
% per cent, with popolaiion ct lo,OOO'Ooo Tue
people were To be deprived Oi tenth part oil the
representation which was not thought TOO much
for l. 900, OOu. lie did not piotes, to be one OF
the pure Democracy Of hi, country in the sens"
in which that word was understood IN Darty point
of view; but lac professed TO be d Democrat TO
the utmost extcnt so far related TO the compost
ton of tins House. This House was the demo
cratic branch and department of the Gov'rnment
of the United States. II represented the people,
and that there should b. d proportion, so far as
practicable between the number Of the people and
.f,k nt, IL.
appeared to him TO be hrst principle IN o'I Gov-
eminent which never ought To be violated Tie
never woold violate il until the seniation
should come to what i, might in the course OF
century-iin,il it should be numerous that the
same objection which made II necessary that there
should be IA representation OF the people would APP
ply to these representatives OF the people them
selves This was the only objection which. 1t ap-
pcarcd To- him. ough, tn be- considered in settling
this point.
What was true democracy The theory OF Ma
turc, that existed IN nature and in the world. IL
was that Government, so far as the people could
be convened, should be IA Government of the
people themselves and every thing in the
iure of repre- scntation was only necessary dePnr-
,nre from This in consequence of the number grow
ing 50 large that the people cannot assemble to
consult Oh measures Of legislation Representa-
tutcd for the action Of the people themselves 80
long as the assembly was not 80 numerous Is thai
il became impracticable for Them act, long
the greater the number at representation was, the
nearer IL approached to the democracy OF the poo-
pie This was seIf-cvdcnI, and ii was the princl-
ple on which the Constitution OF the Gited States
was framed.
He was old enough to remember the time when
this Constitution was framed-when II was dis
cussed and debated by the people ia all the States
and well did he remember tina, of the strongest
objections made against 1t in every part OF The
Union was, that representation was not and could
not he sufficiently numerous. There was, there
fore, a very great question in the early periods OF
the organization OF Government-whai the num-
Der Of constituents should be Tor every Represent
alive 1t was debs,cd long time whar should
be the minimum, and il a great question
whether il should even be $4,000 whether that
was not too numerous constituency. MANY oi
bis opinions on the subject Of the Constitution
were formed in the course OF these debates which
ne had followed with intense interest from the time
when the Convention at Phiiadcp ha issued iorl'
the Constitution till it finally adopted, and
until the first rcprese nta,on under the first ceasu-
was made. Having formed these opinions at thu,
time, and having considered that, in the orgahiza-
ton Of this Government, this House was cmPhati-
cay (and he perhaps might add exclusively the
concentration of the democratic power of the peo
pile Of the nted States in their organized form OF
Government, h. had always adhered, from that
time to this, to ,he principle that the repicsent?-
ton in this House ought to be as numerous, in
proportion To the body OF the constituency, a
practicable to meet together, and that, the pop
ulation increased. the representation should in
accordingly. That the principle on
which hc had voted for the ratio OF 5s,l'9
adopted b, the House, and under which he had
determined not To vote for any proportion oil repre-
s.nta,on under Sc, 900 on above g., 900 and when
q friend of his--s most excellent theoretical man.
and IA mot excellent practical man, excepting thai
his theories and practice did not always agree
had movcda large representation, he had been
exceedingly deli hicd at his proposition finding but
little favor In this House. Among the many mum
bers voted on one after another the large mum
bcrs there was "A large majority ct tins Hous.
against them, and he hoped this House would ad'
here To the opinion ga winch they rejected - de-
ci.vely any ofthc large number, exceeding 10, 900.
lie had been wiHlag To take the number the ma
lorN Of the House concurrcd i'll between 10000
and 10000 IL the Senate should choose to lose
this bill aud twenty others on the subject, never
should ms vote go ior the number the Senate had
now chosen
When he spoke ct Democracy h" hoped the
House would understand him. He was nota DE.
MORA, OF the Eve Points. Laughter, That
was party Demo racy to which hs never had
bclo"ged; hut Ton representation in this House he
believed he WAS as Democrats any member ia
this House. 1t was the representation of the pco-
pie of the United States that hele concentrated
Ii they went into another branch of thu. depart
acrt they found no Democracy: there Was none
IN il by the Constitution. What was the repre-
.cntation Of that House ; Ii wa, the Representa-
lion Of corporations. That bcdy (and he did not
intend to disrcspsct it) was essentially and !nece.-