Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-08-26


themselves upon the Constitution, and defend i,
upon lis merits: and let those who advocate a
Convention rest their cause upon full and man.
ly exposition Of It's defects and vices; and il they
are acIualed by a right spirit and conduct The
discussion in good temper, and upon liberal terms,
on both sides, they may rest assured that the peo-
pie will decide rightly between them.
She spirit ola free people was never yet quell-
ed or arrested By vehement denuncialions or
abusive epheis, when il was aroused and intent
nnon the maintenance or acquisition OF lis rights:
like the waters OF The limpii stream ii may be
directed and regulated in lis course-bu, dam il
up, ard continues 10 gather and consolidate lis
powers, until finally il breaks through is impcii
meni, and, with increased velocity, wcuis lis
way along the onward current, until il disem-
bogues lis liquid treasures in the bosom OF
The Vastly deep. Let Us, then, come 10 the
consideration Of this important question: with
feelings Of mutual respect and lorbcarance, due 10
an honest difference OF opinion, upon measure
which involves alike the weal or woe Of us ALL
My well considered cement tells me j, is right
and, therefore, nv lot is cast Diminishing these
abstract views, then, proceed 10 point out other
objections 10 e Constitution, besides those here
toiole adverted 10. Beginning with the Legis
latlve department, which comes first in the
Order OF lis provisions, The inequality and m
Justice o: representation, a. apportuncd among
the counties, strike our attention with marked
attraction, and with great force. Accomack
with total population OF 1905, Franklin
with population Of Is S32, and Brunswick,
with population OK 1876, have each, b. The
Constitution, two delegates; while Louisa with
a population of l5,4i3, Chesterfield, with pop
ulaiion of l1liS, and Caroline, with popula-
ton OF 1873. have each bul one delegate; that
is 10 say, that Accomack, with population 50
less than Chesterfield Franklin, with popula-
tion ,3lG less, and Brunswick, with population
2sO2 bSs, have each tptce as many delegates,
and, OF course, twice as much political power in
the House of Delegates as Chesterfield; and the
difference aud inequality are Still greater as be-
tween them and Caroline. These statistics, lei 1t
be remembered, are taken from The census OF
1910. Loudoun with population Of 20 III has
three delegates, while Farquier with 81 ST. Allie
marie with 2292i, Halifax with p .93G, and Pitt
syvana with 2G,S9S have each bulhro delegates
that i, Piltsylyania, with population OF 961
more Than LouLon, has 0ns delegate less in the
House of Delegates. Are not these inequali-
Ties in the distribution OF political power too
palpable 10 admit OF defence, and TOO unJnsl 10
be tolerated in free Stale2 Ought not the Consi-
tuition, which created aud maintained them, 10 lie
amended The Senatorial Districts present
yet grosser inequality. The 3Sth District, com
posed OF The counties Of Charlotte &c, has a po-
pulation OF i7i3S, while the 9Th District, com
posed OF The counties Of Tazewell, &r. has hnl
"A ,752. The :,3I District, composed OF Charles
City, &c. has population OF 1889, while the
] lh District, composed OF the counties Of Rock
insham, &c, has bur q, 2St. The l9h District,
composed of The cGunles OF FluyaIna, &c, has
a population OF 1873, while The 18th District,
composed Of lEc counties OF Allegheny, &c, has
but 81. 800. The ]lsl District, composed of Isle
OF Wight, &c, has population Of 4?,3Sl, while
10 q NJ
has but 90 ,4I2. The 18th District, composed ot
Buckingham, Sc, has 4 population OF 50,2l5,
while The 10Th District composed of Shenan-
,loah, &c. has but 10 ,2i0. Or, comparing the
Districts in the Eastern division alone, and for
brevity sake counting in round numbers, The 2Sih
District has a population OF 1000, while
The 30h has but - ,000-;he 23d has 1900,
while the 22i has :s0G0-he 3lst has 9@aD
while The 9th has 81 000-ihe 25ih has 10000,
while The I7rh has but 2SO0G. Thus, without
multiplying other examples, il IS most apparent,
that the people are not represented equally in
either House Of Assembly, whether we have re-
gard 10 the two grand divisions ut the S,atv, East
and West, or whether we look 10 the counties and
districts, in those divisions especlively, and com
pare them separately in each, among themselves.
II is True. the Legislature may re-arporiion once
in Ten years, beginning with The year 1871 the re-
presentation Of The counties, ,ties towns, and
The number Of delegates from The aforesaid great
districts, and The number of Senators from he
aforesaid two great divisions, respectively, shall
neither be increased nor DIMINISHED By such re-
appoItionment And s'aicr the year lS4l, and
al intervals thereafter OF not less than ten years,
The General Assembly shall have authority, two-
MirdS If each honSc cOncH1,isS, 10 make re-appor-
lionmen,s Of Delegates and Senators throughout
The Commonwealth, SO that the number OF dele
gates shall not al any time exceed 1850, nor OF Sc
majors 81 The power YES ed in the Legislature,
by the first OF these provisions, has net vel been
exercised, because neither the West nor The East
has fell any concern in The matter, since they could
NIL increase ~ diminih The number Of Senators
and Delegates, nor affect in any manaes The fixed
settlement OF political power between The two
great divisions Of the Stale. And ] suppose no
body, not eyea The trainers OF the Constitution,
ever dreamed that the ttro.thrds OF each House
would ever be obtained, under HE last provision
aforesaid, for general e-appnTtunment, allho'
he Limitation contained in il might be deemed a
sufficient safeguard Tor The East. | conclude,
therefore, the error is In the Constitution, and can
alone be cured by amending The Constitution And,
indeed, what an anomaly in legislation would
The proceedings 10 apportion under The iirsi pre-
vision present! Would there DO separate com
miltees TO report, the oGe ior the West, and The
other for the East And would the Legislature
thus apporiion their representation separately ard
distinctly as il each was iinic Prsi1,,a in IL
self? To do the work satisfactorily for each OF
the grand municipalities, il might become neces-
sary Tor the Western members 10 resolve them
selves into separate legislative body, TO apPor-
lion their own representation, and The Eastern
members 10 do in like manner iuc M;mStrcs. For,
il is certain, that il ihe number Of Senators and
Delegates can neither be E.rfeased or DIMINISHED,
the Eastern members would care but little what
might be The apporlionmen, in the Western d.
vision, and the Western members jus, as lille
what might be tie aprorionment in the Ia stern
division. And hcrce, the constitutional injunc-
liun in this respect, has never been observed By
The Legislature, and probably never will be. II
is morally cer'ain, lhatir0-ihuds Of each House
can never be obtained in favor OF 4 general re-
appo,itonmcnt for The whole State; and, therefore,
Inc inequality in The representation Of the conn
ties and Senatorial districts which have shown
10 exist, constitutes strong reason in favor OF
Convention TO amend lie Constitution. In TACT,
as the Constitution now stands, the Eastern divl.
sion, with population of free whites OF 3ba, S9S,
have perpetual power 10 lesisaic Tor The Western
DIVISION with free white population OF 3Il,-
$40, "in al caus rda.evcr." Aye, worse than
,his-for while Inc difference in population
continues 10 grow yet wider and larger in
favor OF The West, every decennia census
exhibiting lis swelling thousands OF majority,
still the East maintains, and, il the oppo-
nenls Of a Convention can have their way, will
forever possess, in The Senate majority OF 6,
and in the House cf Delegates majority OF %
members. And wha. ia the argument in favor
OF preserving this overwhelming Eastern supre-
macy7 Why, that slave property exists to
much larger extent in the East than in the West,
and the power is necessary 10 protect j, from un-
due or oppressive taxation. Let il be borne in
a.. IL. hoe mot, cd IN
other Slave holding States, where similar dispro-
portion of this species of property exists in differ
ent sections, and where equality of representa-.
ton has acted like a charm, in uniting the whole
people as ono, both in feeling and interest. Look
to North Carolina, Tor instance Stale which,
from The conlened and tranquil character Of her
people, has obtained the appellation Of The
"R,p Van Winkic" OF the South. And here
you see, that the Western counties, (eyen IN,
Gliding those which lie on The rich valleys oil
The Calawba and the Yadkin) namely, Moore,
Richmond Montgomery, Randolph, GnIliofd,