Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1846-10-09
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| proportion 10 the qualified voters IN .ne o1a.e' %
near as NAV be. For instance, say .naI every se-
ven hundred voters shall elect delegate his
was The principle commended LOT oy usn. NJos,'
B. Taylor of Norfolk-iha' nope, lnee penuen ",,
intelligent patriotic son OF Eastern o s's,ns, 1nUI
ed by Madison. Monroe, Marshall, Randolph,
Tazewell. Barbour. johnson, Doddridge, Mercer
Baldwin. Campbell of Brooke proclaimed leaf
lessly The doctrine that the freemen OF virginia
shonld be represented in The councils OF The coun-
,rv without regard 10 wealth; that representation
should of rieLt be based on The quaihed voters
Of The State. "without regard 10 The disparity OIL
fortune" He was a brilliant llghl IN lne Eas''
guiding through perilous assalns Inc siea. P,ln,
ciples Of free government. Inc sP,i! y, ' h,
great man has fled 10 the gver OF all things, pul
his name will b, remembered by the generous
sons of Western Virginia so long as Tree gov
ernmen, !, tolerated. or noble deeds excite adml-
ration. ,;,,
After all the discussion about the fears which
orr Eastern friends entertain concerning Inc TAX
ON slaves, should the West gel Inc power IN liie
Legislature, find upon examination 'hat 'ho
Fast paws only about 100000 year more slave
tax Than the West; and il will be seen that KIch-
mond city alone pays nearly as much tax INTO me
Treasury as all the slave lax amounts 10 10 East
ern Virginia; and yet Richmond, Norfolk ana
Petersburg, paying ne-iourln OF all Inc laA.s ",
the East. have bul one delegate each; and how
are these towns enabled TO pay so large proper
ton of The State taxes7 Because they are built
mn in mart BY The trade of the West pouring into
their laps.
MIR. Speaker, should be pleased to see
large town spring up in the Wesl, in the neishoor-
hood of Parkersburg, with railroad that VIII not
COST The State dollar, passing through Virginia
10 Hardy, Shenandoah and Jefferson, on 10 The
Potomac. Such town, on the Virginia side oil
The Ohio river would soon overlake Baltimore,
and be rich enough 10 pay an annual Slate lax oil
$50 600 dollars into the Stale Treasury; and the
counties surrounding This large Western Viz
ginia city would so increase in wealth, as 10 pay
4 yearly lax of $4,000 dollars more Than they
now pay, and much relieve Eastern Virginia oil
taxation. Then our Eastern friends would not
complain about paying more taxes than tn, west
then they would give the West an equal repre-
senlaton. Mr.. Speaker, The day is not lar DIS
,ant when large town will rise up in the West,
and the West will be rich enough 10 pay more
than the East into our Stale Treasury. Ihen
our Eastern friends will rejoice with US. There
is no dcusion in this; the thing will happen. Our
Eastern friends might as well be liberal in adj
vance with a good grace, and pass the substitute
OF the gentleman from Wythe.
Ii either the substitute or bill should pass this
session, submitting The question OF Convention
10 The people, presume the Western voter, and
The Louisa and the Fluvanna voter, will be re-
ceived on terms Of equality. The argument Of
the gentleman from Halifax proves the inequality
OF representation, which operates with injustice
in rearding the growth of the West. The gen.
,eman virtually denies The Western voter an
equal light with The Eastern voter On the crgan-
zation ola Convention, because The present Con-
! sliluion has cuTaled the West Of just repre-
senlation. The East insist that the West shall
accepta Convention based on such principles as
will keep them in a frightful minority in The Lee
sislature under the new Constitution II the
West are TO be mel with such arguments, in This
day Of light they will be forced 10 take shelter
under the Bill Of Rights, the beamins light OF IL
berry and the firm rock Of safety. Constitutions
may change, hut the Bill of Rights never will, so
long rs liberty has an advocate or freedom has
home.
The gentleman from Halifax informs us that
The East pays 20 dollars in taxes and The West
paws bu, 80 dolIars-that the value OF lands and
Slaves inihe East is 800 900 900 dollars, and nlhe
West 96 600 900 dollars. The value Of property
in The East being over double that OF the West.
This was the value of property as nearly as can
be ascertained from the tables before us; but since
The lands were last assessed, they have greatly in
creased in value in The West, while they have
decreased in The East. From the year 1890 10
1870 slaves decreased in the East upwards OF
10000, which al $50 dollars EACH would amount
TO 5000 900 dollars; and they increased in the
West 500, which al $50 dollars amounts TO 2OO,-
900 dollars. The Western cattle, hogs and sheep
are moi valued; yet more than oOOOU0 dollars OF
this kind OF properly is annually disposed OF in
our own and Northern markets, which exceeds
The yearly tax on all our lands aud slaves. II is
true the East has more property than The West
and, oi course, pays more taxes, but the West
pays in proportion 10 her means. | have shown
that Richmond has three times the population Of
| King George, and pays twenty times as much
| iaxts and vel Richmond has only one delegate,
and King George has one also; SO that il you give
The City of Richmond representation on The
amount OF taxes, she would have twenty times
as much power in The Legislature as King
George III you carry out The principle, that the
property Of the wealthy is TO control representa-
lion, YOU place the political power OF The Slate in
The hands Of The minority, because The minority
have mole property than The majority. This is
al open war with our profession, as Freemen and
Republicans.
Al the Presidential election in 1874, l have told
YOU. Virginia cast sc, 23S voies AZ l4l were cast
East OF The Ridge, and 47097 West of the Blue
Ridge. II representation was based upon the
qualified voers, il will be seen that The number
delegates TO the East and The West would be
eoual-67 delegates 10 each in House OF l34 !;
but as representation now stands, in our Legisla-
lure the East has 10 delegates, and The West but
So: and the gentleman from Halifax contends
Tor Convention in The present House OF Dele
gates as all perfectly just and fair giving the
Eas 7S in the Convention, and the West So, 10
form a new Constitution. How The West would
be benefited by such Convention, leave our
lust and reasonable Eastern friends calmly and
candidly TO decide.
| Mr.. Speaker, has been reiterated on This
| floor thai the white basis is an "array OF numbers
ON the one hand, against property on the other. :"
Ii is true that the West has The numbers in white
population, and for reasons which 1 have before
assigned, they have majority OF qualified voters
also, which makes oul the array Of numbers
against property, as we have been informed. Let
us examine flhis charge against The West is true.
| The charge is monstrous, and is not susceptible
o proof 10 the letter, much less the spirit in which
| il was made. Ii is not numbers alone on the one
side, and property on the oiher-but it is majo-
rity OF The ireemen OF Virginia on one side, own
ing Sl00,000,000 worth OF property, against mi
norily OF numbers on The other side, who own
5000, 600, coo worth OF property. We will as
sumo what is nearly correct, that Virginia now
has 100 600 voters: OF these there are 81 900 in
The West, and $4,000 in The East. Divide The
| oHe Hunuitu VI PioPSitJ VI VIZ w 80
| among the voters, and il gives 10 each voter
fraction less Than S2,O0n-and divide the two
| hundred millions of dollars among The Eastern
voters, and il gives each voter traction more
Than 1000. Now, it seems reasonable that The
$4,000 worth Of property belonging 10 the West
cru voter is as dear 10 him as The $4,000 worth
held by The Eastern VOTER and that The rights Of
property and The rights OF persons are just as Sc
cure in The hands Of The voer owning two thou
sand, as il is in the hands OF the voter owning four
thousand; and can see no dangerin distributng,he
power OF the State equally among all The voters
of The State, "wilhoul regard to The disparity Of
fortune" Every man OF experience knows that
wealth is strong OF ITSELF and there is more dan
ger tha, wealth will beat down numbers, than
that numbers can overcome wealth. Napoleon
said, give me money and | can command men
and steel 10 conquer my enemies. 1t is said that
government is intended 10 protect persons and
properiy-and where can they find security
against The abuse ofpower7 Ianswer, in the vir-
tue and intelligence of the people, in whom all