Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-11-06
SENATORIAL CANVASS

expressed by SAMUEL MD. MooRE, esq. in his
speech to the people of this county, on tho first
day of the October court.
After giving some account of the circumsian
ces under which he had been induced to become
candidate for the Senate, he declared himself
IN favor OF Convention to amend the State Con.
stitntion. He was for having the representation
IN the Convention based on white population, the
principle upon which he insisted il ought to he
based in the General Assembly. He was for
simplifying the provision in the Constitution in
relation to the right of suffrage so as to render it
Ineligible; and he thought the best that could
be done in relation to the matter. would he 70
give to every white male citizen of the State over
the age OF twenty-one years, who paid all the
revenue tax and county charges assessed against
him, the right to vote. He was in favor of .bjen-
MAI sessions Of the Assembly, and was opposed
10 the election ofJustices Of the Peace and Judges
by the people. Entertaining the opinion that the
call oil Convention could not be prevented from
ultimately taking place, he thought it would be
much safer to have ii now than to postpone it.
MIR. Moore avowed himself the author of the
essays signed GA Western Man," to which, he
understood, exceptions had been taken. He
slated that in those essays (Which had been writ
ten as one essay, and divided for convenience in
publishing,) he had endeavored to show the gross
injustice done to the West in the apportionment
oil representation under the present Constitution
the injustice that (as he conceived) had been
done to the West in the appropriations made for
internal lmprovements-an that instead of our
Eauo IT,
oeen alleged, they were made to bear unequally
and unjus,ly on the West. He attempted also
to show that there was no foundation for the an
prehenslon, real or pretended, that if the repre-
sentation in the Assembly was based on white
population, the slave property of the East would
be unjusly burdened, by stating the fact that the
counties of the Valley, and the counties of WASH
ington, Wy,he, Smythe, Montgomery, Greenbri-
~ 81 So" -'' A~~r,y t--------a
that species OF property, and would combine with
inc East In preventing it from being unduly tax
ed. That he had repealed the imputations thrown
out upon the West of desiring an increase of rem
resentatlon only for the purpose of drawing mo-
ney out OF the Eastern people to construct inter-
nal improvements for the exclusive benefit of the
west. Further, he said it had been repeatedly
declared by resolutions adopted at public meet.
ings held in Amelia and elsewhere, and in the
newspapers published East of the Blue Ridoe.
that they Ohe Eastern people) never would con.
sent to submit 10 the people the questan of call
ing convention, or consent to give to the West
majority In the House of Delegates and the
senate, and that he had in the ESSAYS of ga
es,ern Man" asked what we would do. when
The census of 1850 should show maoritv of
some hiiy thousand, and that of 1860 should
snow perhaps hundred thousand majority of
white population West of the Blue Ridge7 He
mad (he said) expressed the opinion in the Sd
NO. of those essays that if under sucb circum-
stances redress was refused to the Western peo-
PIE 'he only alternative left Them 10 escape the
horrors OF civil war, would be division of the
State, and in the 18th No. he had endeavored ,o
show that no injury would result 10 the Yves,
from such division, but that the people of the
west would be greatly benefited, and that the
principal benefit would be their ability thus to
get rid of their slave population.
These were the grounds taken in the numbers
of "a Western Man." and Mr.. Moore said that he
sun entertained the opinions therein expressed |
oy MIN, and that he would not retract them until
he was in error. But, if elected TO
the Senate, he said he would not ONLY not fool
authoHzed to make a proposition TO divide the
o'a'e' but that he could not vote for such prom
oslt'on II submitted by another, without having
hrSt ascertalned that the people of the District
were In favor of it. He claimed the rpht To on. |
Joy and express his own opinions upon the subiec.
% d" INDIVIDUAL with the utmost freeGom but that
acting as representative of the people he should
EEL bound TO give effect to their wishes in pye
eTence to his own. lie had always held il 10 he
he duty OF representative Che said) to obey the
inown wishes Of his constituents, except in cases
INVOLVING violation Of his oath To supoort tho
Constitution, and that he should act on the same
'rncIple, If elected now. A LEADING motive in
ne publication OF those essays, he stated, was
ne nope that they might induce some Of the
eastern people TO reflect upon the consequences
Shlch might result from refusing to call a Con-
'en'ion or submit the question of doing so to the
people. ii elected, he would use his best efforts
o promote the call Of q Convention, and thus the I
possibility of division Of the State wonld no {
prevented. Bat Mr.. Moore said he corecio,oi
uSy oeIieved That If the call of Convention i
mould be PertiDaciousy refused by the East. and b
ialr representation be withheld from the West ]
Tier 1t shall be ascerained that we have great l
majority Of the White population, there will be
% means left Of avoiding civil war but division
+ the State. /
AS 10 MS views expressed in those ESSAYS A. Il
ainst slavery, Mr.. Moore said he could no, no o