Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-03-12

others are merely collateral or incielen-
'al;" that persons as contradistinguish
ed from property should be the consti.
taent element OF equal representation,
End any departure from that basis, is
so far change from a representative
republic to a mixed monarchy" This
! question is not TO be settled by charges
such as these, nor the powers claimed,
I to be granted 10 these demands.
The bill ofthe majority gives to each
County the same representation that
the Counties respectively have in the
! House Of Delegates. The remarks in
relation TO the distribution of represen-
tation apply equally TO the House Of
lDelegates and the Convention. The
gentleman from Wy,he, (Mr. Leffwicb)
knows full well the unequal distribution
Of slaves, property, taxation and popu-
lation, between The two grand divisions
Ioft State. He.knows that some re-
tlatlon between federal numbers and re-
presentation, between taxation and re-
presentation also, has received the
sanction of the wisest statesmen and
the truest patriots of every county,
He knows, when he offers the white
basis and proposes to exclude all rep
resentation oftaxation and federal num-
bers, that heis aiming a deadly blow
at slave representation in the Congress
of the United States, and levelIng his
arguments against the compromises of
the Federal Constitution; that he is
reckleSsly pulling down all the consti-
tutional Safeguards to property; and,
when he looks at the Republican pre-
cedents, sanctioning the relation be-
tween taxation, or federal numbers and
representation; and when he examines
the actual condition of things in Vir-
ginia, and sees the stern array of num-
bers on one sid e and property on the
other, he candidly admits that there is
sufficient to blind the judgement of AIRY
man, and if he resided on this side of
the mountains, his Judgment would
most probably be blinded, and he would
advocate Eastern interests and refuse
to surrender Eastern power. / doubt
it not, Mr.. Speaker, and before l close
my remarks, | trust l shall be able to
Iadduce sufficient reasons not only to
Justify Eastern members in supporting
the proncipes of the bill; bu, to remove
many of these prejudices which now
sway the the judgments and control the
votes of Westesn members. To effect
this desirable object, l proceed to point
out the relative strength Of the East
and West by the varions plans Of or
ganization.' Ifyou organise the Con-
yention on population alone, the East
is entitled to eighty eight members, and
the West to forty-s;x. To do this, we
must resolve ourselves into state of
nature, where call men are equally free
and independent" give up all the So
cial rights derived by compact when
we entered into state of society, alb
solve ourselves from all privileges
flowing from a Convention. They know
I that numbers are against them, if they
I go back TO the "inherent rights of man
in a perfect state of nature. They pre-.
fer to organise on some arbitrary basis,
derived from the existing Constitution,
or recognised in some existing compact.
4 This is the very position assumed BY
Eastern members. They, too, repudi-
. ate the basis Of total population. They,
too, believe that We should look to the
existing compact for fair apportion.
ment of representation, or adopt some
ratio suited 20 the diversified interests
of society as it now exists. If you or
ganize the Convention on he basis Of
). Fedora! numbers, which is the basis Of
representation inthe Congress of the
United States, the East is entitled to
: 80 members, and the West to SO, in The
i Convention. This apportionmen'
? would be more unfavorable to the Wes1
fEihan the one proposed. lfyou organ.
: Use on taxation alone, so as 10 appor-
! tttH anu iii CCl taxes III
the same ratio, then the East will have
t ninety-three members and the Yves
> hforiy-one in the Convention. Thi.
basis is still more uniavorable TO The
J West. If you take mixed basis o
: taxation and free while population, civ
ing TO the East and the West theirrela.
: tive power in the separate proportion 0
E taxation and free whites, then th,
: East viii have eighty members, ant
: theWest hfty-four in Convention; or
n allowing to the West its estimated in
$ creased white population since 1910
: the relation would be sseven,y-nine /,
d ffty-four. fyou adopt the ratio o
It the last Convention, the relative rep
= resentation would be eigh,y-four 10 ff
Il ty. fyou take the present Senatoria