Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-02-20

equany me majority Of the people or commn-
. ni,vI ,rhe declaration is mol, mat az ."n ~
me,, are bv nature Tree and equal, lhele = -
, snch limitation. Ii is TOO plain 10 neea .nle,i
ta,ion-too broad 10 admit Of such res
western members see this and they 40 no. e,a',
an organization on that broad BASIS. hes y fho
diale The natural tight OF man, ann .lia 5;s,r;.
. bullion. But this VIII nol avian 'A'
VIVA, ia The correct basis Of representation ~
{ Convention If you claim an oTganlznauon oh
The ns,nral rights Of man, discarding all socld,
and evil rIohis, then The only basis, is an equa'
renresen,alion Of all men-the whole PoPula'ison.
II you reject this, and resort 10 pass Men ,.S
reference 10 previous compact anu si'e oal
sentation 10 persons according 10 their Pon'iedi
riohls Won must adop, The present representation
and o1ssniza,ion Of The Government. Inc flsnl
of renrs.cn,alon and The right oil sunfase are
ho,b POLITICAL rights They spring from consli-
tutional compact. They are unknown 70 s'd'e
Of nature When government IS formed inc
right of representation is conferred. ne Iienl
of representation and The right OF Suhfa8e ale
both defined in our Constitution heIiesen'a-
ton is allotted 10 districts, Without resaiu ~ PEI
sons. and suffrage in virtue OF properly OF 'a1a-
zion The sovereign power OF The stale-lhe
nennle represep,ed in Convention granted SUI
traee 10 certain persons, and representation 10
cs,Iain districts The Constitution which con-
tained This distribution Of political power, was
sanctioned by large majority OF The le-
gal voters al the polls Whatever MAUI
raj rights existed previous 10 The adoption
OF that Constitution or Whatever pe'i'iCai
rights might have previously perlaiheu 70 . me
peope, they voluntarily surrendered mem oy me
adoption Of The Constitution. The Constitution
was ratified BY vote OF $685. TO lO492. That
majority agreed 10 surrender all previous natural
and political rishts-and 10 adopt The existing
form of government. They have given suffrage
! 10 one class of cizens-and they have conferred
representation on another class. The one is al
/ lached Ia persons-the other is confined TO locai-
| " These rights are vested by voluntary COM
| pact and agreement The people residing IN the
/ four grand divisions Of The State have specified
representation, as well as suffrage; and they must
come into Convention on Misrepresentation and by
that suffrage before you can dives them oteilher.
| You cannot diyest them Of their representation,
until you bring them in Convention on The iden-
ical representation they now have, and lei Them
voluntarily surrender by acceding TO anew Con-
| slilu,ion. You may revoulionze the govern
mcnt BY force or power, but you cannot Tier by
compact unless their consent is given IN The rela
ton of representation that the Constitution recog
| nizes Ii those persons who now exercise the
right OF suffrage choose 10 extend that right TO
others, they can do so BY compact in Convention.
But you have no right 10 submit the question TO
those who have not the right of suffrage, whether
those who have suffrage shall be deprived Of il.
| The qualified voters can extend this privilege 10
all others, if they choose 10 do So in Convention.
| But this Legislature cannot extend suffrage, nor
can il confer on persons not qualified to vote
right 10 come into Convention and decide upon
Tie extent OF suffrage. The same views apply
10 representation.
| This Legislature cannot extend or change
representation, except by vote OF two
thirds They may equalize in the same dis
irici, but cannot alter the district representa-
tion; they cannot give one single addition
| al representative, nor take away one from
| either district without a vote OF two-hrds oil
each House. Every person and voter in each dis.
lrict has certain extent Of representation Sc
cured 10 him in the Constitution. II has been ar
! ranged by agreement between The majority OF
voters in The ratification OF the Constitution. A
| majority OF voters in the aggregate cannot annu
this agreement They have surrendered that
| right, by instiluting local representation They
| some voters than on others and these voters, who
| have derived this right from the Constitution,
must come into Convention By this representation
and there surrender BY majority OF representa-
| tives And when this vested representation IS
| thus surrendered in Convention, and The legal vo-
,ers have ratified the new Constitution, new rights
| OF suffrage and representation attach under the
new Constitution. This will be obvious from
| further considc
/ Slavery exists 10 this Commonwealth by sane
| lion of municipal law and constitutional com
1 naci and free negroes and slaves are excluded
| from suffrage not BY the laws OF nature but by
| conventional usage Ii you depart from The
i compac,s of the Constitution and the rights OF
suffrage and representation defined therein and
vested thereby. YOU recognise in this Legislature
unlimited power TO declare what persons shall
vote on the call Of Convention, and Wnat per-
sons shall be represented. II This Legislature
can by any plan change representation out OF q
| Convention. they can change suhrage-6oth
rioh,s spring from The same origin and sand
mon the same foundation. lfthey can submit
m The voters in their aggregate character whe-
her representation shall be distributed equally
on the white basis, and thus deprive the citizens
Of the four great districts Of their present repre-
sen,ation without their consent, they can win
The same proprety disregard The existing rights
of suffrage. and refer 10 The tchols Ps'pfe, me
question. whelhe. Convention shall be called,
orqan;zed upon The basis of total popnlation.-
The very statement of this proposition is abhor-
rent 10 all our notions Of right. Both would be
an overthrow Of the existing government by le-
eislatiye usurpalion-a revolution under the forms
IF law. Il would be precedent dangerous 10
civil liberty, which might lead 10 most alarm
ing innovation and RIGHTEOUSNESS. II would con-
fer on the constituents Of the fifty-six Western
delegates on this floor, the power 10 alter the
hs.;s n representation against The unanimous
vote of the constituents OF The seventyeight East
ern delegates We have no authority 10 sur
render the vested rights of our constiiueDts-to
violate and annul by legislative action that COM
pact which they made in Convention and ratihed
a, the polls. In their sovereign character, they
ala han Nc
district representation without vote OF lwo-
thirds of each House That requires the
whole ifty-six Western members, and thiTiy-three
Eastern. deny all authority in this Legislature
10 organize Convention on The white basis, or 10
refer the question Of organization on that basis
in such manner as will confer on the constitu-
EMS of ysix members on this floor The power
10 change that representation.
The member from Wythc, (Mr. Lettwich, } in
order 10 Quiet the apprehension on the slave ques
lion, urged before rs that slavery was increasing
in the West, and would, 10 some future lime, pre-
dominate over that species OF population in The
East That future time must be most remote, il
the predominance is TO take place by the increase
, OF slavery in that section. Slavery may be said
10 be stationary there. From 1880 TO 1910, the
, number increased only three hundred or thirty
per annum BY that rale Of increase it would
lake some ten thousand years 10 reach our present
EutupeI, anu huuu tudt IHt"e ttH!c W. ~
mote to confer any practical benefits this gene
, ration-(Mr. Le0wich here explained that he
had reference also 10 The decrease Of slavery in
The East)-It is true, Mr.. Speaker we may lose
, some of our slave populations but there is no
, probability OF much increase in the West. They
are pressed on the North and Northwest BY
) Pennsylvania and Ohio; and that fanalical
, spirit, which commenced its march in The North,
is treading slowly, bnt surely, in The retiring foot
-
ward progress 10 The South, and occupying in each
, successive period the ground from which they
| have retreaed. The member can claim but little
, credit for his argument, by showing that the rela-
tive proportion of slavery is 10 become more
favorable, not by its increase in the West but BY
its loss in the East. The loss underline last cen
. sus, was more than counterbalanced by The gain
in the preceding ten years In the Two periods,
we lost twenly-one thousand, and gained thirty.
, five thousand. If he can establish his white
. basis, he may accomplish The (nlfilment Of his
prediction. Prudent and judcious men are al