The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1847-02-04

~ Avoids 81 ailuslon Ia ny POSITIONS IN
|, regard 10 eomparInrss Of IrrTil0TY, CON-
munIly Ol Interests. and equality Of mem-
bsrs-whicla attempted IN show had hrsn
'disregaT'led By the aeI Il '43-and takes
issns with ne upan the position. that dis
iEibulinn If p.'llliesl power Was the lead,
ing object oI the bal belnre rs. This is.
sue never ienileied. and gIle gentleman
cannot nOs force il an me. That n hlch
| laid down As an accidental result grow
ing out Of certain fundamental pTerraui.
sites. lac represents me ss assisting % be
she leading and primary object Of cur ae-
lion. 80 Ihal all The grnIleman's labor
bestowed upon This branch of the subject
has been ia vain. d has merely knock
ed dawn man 0f straw which he him.
self has set up.
| The gentleman argues that the prece-
Dent we are likely TO sci. will be constant.
! ~ TeserIed 10 ~ the mutations 81 tie par
Y-and that in the heat aud excitement
al palllirsl contests, majoiilles will 80
model the Districts as Ia give the rnliTe
repres niallnn u the party temporarily in
the ascendant; and thus deprive large mi.
nori,ies Of any representative power. Ills
lraIs are all imaginary. y" prevent this.
APPLY Games in The application Of the prin.
ciples laId down--of compaclness. com
munity, equality. &c.-which the gentle.
man seems TO have So enlrely forgotten.
II these three prerequisites be observed.
together with the provisions Of the act Of
Congress that the Districts shall be Of
Contiguous territory, aud elect but one
member each. then every av.nne for ar.
iizan fraud and oppression will be fleet
ually blorked NJ. An these considera.
lions being properly observed, IL is almost
impossible To Conceive a case, where the
minority ran be deprived af their due ia.
lutnee. And IL a due combination OF all
these considerations should work ingeil-
er so as To effect the result Of giving To
The majority party IN State, whether
Wing or Democrat, Tho entire delegation
IN Congress, sill IL is one Of the imper.
lecli0ns necessarily attendant on all hu.
man inventions. and cannot he avoided.
For instance. Michigan and Missouri have
already elected their delegates To the next
Congress. To delegations from both
States are unanimously democratic. Now
If the Legislature Of these States, in laying
OF the Congressional Districts. consulted
compactness, community, and equality |;
aud yet il was found thu, these could not
be so combined as 10 leave a single Wing
District in either Stale--l ask the gentle.
man from Rowan, is il righiiully done, or
not! For myself, say il was. On the
other hand. If these considerations were
not consulted, then insist it % the duty
Of The Wing party, If they ever get in
power, 10 reconstruct the Districts. so as
TO .uhserye these end,.
But il party violence is likely 10 pro-
duce the evils spoken Of by the gen.
l'eman from Rowan, and To usurp the en-
lire delegation in Congress from any
one State, as one parry or The other gains
the ascendency; why is not such party
injustice likely To prev all at every decrn-
NAL period! In fact. il the position he
assumed. that the arrangement Of the Dis.
iricls must remain for ten years unalteretl;
will noi rival parties struggle more violent
ly for supremacy at every election, just
preceding the decennial periods Of arrang.
ing the congressional Districts! And will
not the successful party. embItiered hy the
scenes oil contest just ended. be more
likely TO secure their own power, and TO,
rive the chains Of oppression much more
firmly on the vanquished-iflhcy can have
an assurance that their work is to be I'M
touched for ten yearss Will not, say,
that ambition and aspiration for power"
Of which the gentleman spoke, be more
likely TO work oppression, IL IT'S exercise
cannot be thwarted for ten wears: than if.
II is exerled with knowledge that day
OF TeirIbution may sooner come But,
sir, establish the principle, that il party
in power will So far forget right and JUS
lice, as 10 disregard the great Cnnsii,u-
ional requirements which should prevail
in the arrangement of the Dlslricis-siill
a succeeding Legislature may reverse their
action; and you will thus have the strong
est guaranty tina, they will exercise their
power with moderation aud discretion. I
strikes me that the gen,leman's argument
initiates directly against The conclusion
to which he wishes TO arrive. concur
in every thing he has said in regard 10 the
evils growing out of iyrannical exercise
OF power by malortIes. The object Of
the bill before us is to effect no such pur.
pose. So far from it, it is designed and
calculated to cure a still greater evil than
that even. II is to prevent and guard a
ga'nst iyrannical exercise Of power by
a minority over majority.
The gantemanTrum Rowan st'ted in
his speech, that in tie case OF sOnjnint
powers, the exercise Of powei By. Com
gress takes all authority over The sub sct
from the States. By corj i'm, po"srs. |
understood him to ms.n, fIom The course
OF hIs srg"men'. powers which the St''es
may exercise in the absence Of Congress
sional action. | admit the correctness OF