The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-12-01
For the New Fra
ERRORS CORREC,rED

on its becoming fully Incorporated: and he will
State some ct the for his falling into that
error, that uthers may not fall into error by the
same influences. in the first place, he was in
duced to believe SD from the imperative language
used In the Constitution, where it says that such
and such Counties (naming them) shall each
elect two Representatives, and such and such
shall each elect one Representative; thus con.
Stunning the whole Of the Representation allowed
to each OF the grand divisions Of the State; and
afterwards, that i" IL shall be the duty of the
Legislature To re-apportion once in ten years. tn
vii, IN The year one Thousand eight hundred and
inrty one, and every ten years thereafter, the
Representation of the Counties. Cities, Towns,
and Boronghs of the Commonwealth in both of
the Legislative Bodies: provided however. that
The number of the Delegates from the aforesaid
great districts, and the number of Senators from
the aforesaid two great divisions respectively.
snail neither be increased nor diminished by snch
re appor,onmem." These positive requirements
"i The Constitution had prepared my mind to
d"uot, and the ingenious and delusive arguments
o' me gentleman who so s'rennously opposed The
lnrther Incorporation of our Town, and he, too,
having for many years represented the People Of
me Town and County in The Legislature, helped
To confirm these doubts and brought my mind To
me conclusion that this change could only take
place alter each decennal term. However much
we may be disguised To deprecae the influences of
erroneous or interested arguments, cannot al
ways he prepared to guard against them. but too
frequently give To them weigh, and Importance
which they d" not deserve. The writer Of "A
L""ker On has understood that this same Gen.
ileman was one of the first 10 point out the above
error. IL 81. he can only assure that Gentleman,
that as giving too much weigh, and importance to
his arguments had helped To lead the writer into
error, he can only say, that like cause will hard
ly produce like effect again
There is also another error in that conmunica
'lon' which the writer committed in consequence
ut trusting Ia Howe's History of Virginia for the
number Of the population of Norfolk County in the
year 1871 which is there stated tn be 81 092 but
the writer found, upon examining the reports of
the commissioners for the census of lS4i that this
number ~ ,O92 includes also the population of the
Borough OF Norfolk, bat exclusive of the popula-
ton ct the Town of Portsmouth, which makes the
whole population of the Cuuniy of Norfolk incIu
slve of the Town of Portsmouth bu, II, 1897. De
duct for the Town of Portsmouth GAIT. which
was the number of lis inhabitants at that time, hy
the same authority, and we shall find that The
population of Norfolk County was only 10000 in
the year 1871. This being the fact, wha, then
becomes of all the arguments Of the enemies of
iur'her Incorporation upon the ground that takinp
Representative from Norfolk County and giving
one To the Town of Portsmouth would be unjust
to Norfolk County upon the score of population.
ne same reports OF the census of l84l show that
the County of Caroline. with population of IT,
SlS, the County of Chesterfield with l7,l48,
Southampton with Id ,525 and Spottsylyania
with 1851, had hut one Representative from
the first Can il be SO disrespectfu then to Nor
folk County, when its inhabitants are reduced to
IN S2O, 10 give il but one it would seem not
Gan me interested or time serving politician bring
forward other arguments against The fall incorpo
ration of our Town? We have shown that The
objections to further Incorporation based upon the
plea that 1t will give too much power to the au-
ihoTliIes of the Town. is futile, because all the
powers objected to, are already given 10 the pres
emf authorities
We have shown that the Legislature has ample
power to grant us Representative as soon as the
Town is fully Incorporated. Upon this subject
the great gun of opposition has ceased its fire; the
great gun, aud all other opponents, now ground
Ing their whole opposition upon the inexpediency
of the measure. We will presently show the
feelings of the State Convention on this subject az
evidenced in the Constitution ITSELF and we shall
then see how little they accord with the feeinos
and arguments now used against our rights of
Representation.
Upon the subject of dividing the Representa-
ton with the County of Norfolk, we have shown
that there can he no injustice done thereby. as
we have pointed out several other Counties in
our own great division. or district, of the State.
which will have from fifty To SEVENTY per cent.
more population thar Norfolk County will have.
after lis separation from Portsmouth takes place.
which had but one Representative from the first
In truth we have good reasons for surprising. that
one of the greatest inducements which operatpd
npon the Convention for giving two Representa-
tlves 10 the County Of Norfolk, was, with ths
view OF being prepared for the time when the
increase Of population IN Portsmouth should render
1t necessary for the people 10 take the very step
which we are now trying To take. We will now
quote the clause in the Constitution which was
referred TO above evidence of the feelinos of
The Convention on this subject and in oppositi,o
10 the arguments of our opponents; and il will
also show that the Convention was SO anxious 10
have each County and Town represented in tho
Legislature, which had the requisite population
separately, that II made provision for the Repre.
senlaiIon of the whole great division of the State
to be altered ut any time rather than this privi
lege Ga privilege so dear to freemen) should te
lost To the Town or County thus situated. "And
when new County shall hereafter be created. or
any CITY, Town, or Borough, not now entitled IN
separate Representation in the House of Delega-
gates, shall have so increased in population as to be
entitled. IN the opinion of the General Assembly.
To such Representation it shall be the dutv of The
General Assembly 10 make provision By law fur
securing TO the people Of such County Civ.
Town or Borough, adequate Representation md
" The object cannot be oiher,oise effected it shall
be competent to the General Assembly TO 70 an
portion the whole Representation Of the great
district containing such County, City, Town or
Borough within its limits, which re apportion.
ment shall continue in force until the next reou-
lar decennal re appointment" After resdiny
This clause in the Constitution of our State. can
we believe that there are any people so insensbIe
to the benefits Of independent Representation,
VINO nave not been delnded by the anful, design
ing, and the interested, as we shall be- if we faiI
TO ask for it.
we VIII now stale, that the only important
ccI'Il changes which will take place after the full
Incorporation Of our Town will be: We shall