Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-03-05

I. :, O"p ouy Oic De-
heve' that any question, whatever,
can at any time, under any conceiva-
Ole circumstances, combine the entire
strength OF the delegation in the Wes-
tern division, when they see that TWEEN
ty,tour Of that delegation are from the
valley East of the Allegheny, and the
rem ainder divided between the North
western and Southwestern portions of
Virginia. All, so far as Identity of in
ferest is concerned, are more antago-
INST to each other than any one of them
IS with Eastern Virginia. The people
OF Western Virginia might well have
their fears excited upon this ground,
because ofthe community of interest
and feeling in all that portion of the
State, lying east of the Blue Ridge
There is great reason to apprehend,
that 1t is at least within the possibility
OF things that such a combination mis- ht
take place there, whilst there does not
exist possibility ofsuch unity in :he
West.
There cannot be the least founda-
ton for the long entertained 'apprehen-
sion Of danger to the slave population
of Eastern Virginia by this equality of
representation; that species of property
is daily becoming too strongly identi-
fed with the interests Of Western Vir-
ginia, 10 be the subject of jeaI pusy to
any portion of the State. Moreover,
ifthis were not SO, there cannot be any
good reason assigned why the MAORI
ty should entrust, not only their prop
erty, but their liberties also, to the mi
nority, rather than the minority should
trust their slave property to the major
ity.
If the bill which has been reported
by the majority of the Committee and
which we are now considering, shall
become law, and Convention con-
vened and organized in accordance
with its provisions, then all the hope
which has heretofore SUSTAINED Wes-
tern Virginia, in the anticipation ofre-
lief from the whitening effects of une-
quail representation, will pass away.
The West had been induced to be-
lieve, that when change of wealth
and numbers favorable to them would
take place, as was evident to all it
would at no distant day, an awakened
sense of justice would be found in the
East, ready to extend to the West, all
the advantages to which such change
would Justly entitle them. Who would
have supposed that now, when achange
Of the Constitution is seriously contem-
plated, urged by the continued COM
plants of the West, proposition would
emanate from any quarter, the effect of
which would be to increase the cause
OF, complaint' Such, however, will be
the result, if this bill shall become a
law. There would have been some
colorado show of justice, in PROPOSE
ton to elect and organize the Conven-
ton on the same arbitrary principle and
preserving the same relative ratio as
that of the present Constitution. If it
was proper principle then, and it was
SO commended, believe, why not adopt
ii now, and apply ii to the present ex-
listing state of things? And if there is
found at this time any change of the
basis representation either of persons
or property; or both, in favor of any
particular section Of the State, surely
the advantages of such change ought
to b. awarded to If. If any member
of the House were disposed to amend
the bill so as to preserve the same ratio
which was arbitrarily adopted in the
formation of the present Constitution,
giving to each division and district the
advantages of any change of wealth
and numbers which may be found to
have accrued since, l will not say what
my course would be in regard to it;and,
therefore, must not be regarded as
committed by any thing which l may
say in reference to this question. If,
however, l were to sustain an amend
ment to the bill with view to attain
such object, it probably would be only
as competing proposition, less obJec-
tionable than the majority bill, and not
because It would be unobjectionable to
me. will consider the question, not
because desire such an amendment
should be proposed, but for the pur-
pose of showing the manifest injustice
Of any proposition which, if adopted,
would place the West in worse con-
dition, in regard to the inequality Of
the legislative power of the Govern
ment, than she at present occupies
Let us, then, for a moment enquire
what relation the representation, as
fixed by the present Constitution, sus-
tanned to the basis upon which it then
rested for its sanction.
The State, in 1880, (the time when
your present Constitution was framed,
contained free white population o.