Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1849-05-29

IA 4enry w Tbo,bas are no.b both entitled 70
sseats as member of this House g days AZ
Ter This vote the louise decide taal ~ttepsy8S
#Thbmas is entittedste take ls seat asa sneenper
6f his House, - bs a voteo 81 i0l ayesto23 poes
30nl the next day the House passed the t9ilowing
fsssIntion : 4 Resdfrea. That Edgar Snowden,
Is entitled To q seal In thepresent House OF
Delegates by a vote of 60ayes 70 % noes.
AS soouas I'll. w. Thomas, by the overwhelming
vote Of loI 10 %, hadtaken his seattle provision
1noted frnm The act of March 18th was filled
fheslawz was MISUNDERSTANDING winch
EAlexandria became an integral part oil Virginia
TAet eonsttutinna number OF the House OIL Dete-
gates was complete. But AIexandrla. axe a
Ryonng loyershe in snothang deen.eas
and IiketalI lovers who are squeezed INTO tamliies
bys a close vote; thshef often no Comfortable POI
fsition for The extra member. There was no cnaIE
in the House OF Delegates foEthe l35th member.
There is no chair III ihe House 81 Delegates now
for the 185th member iog &c.
So. then, on the. 18th December, IS4T, the Let
~ggiisiatafe had two delegates from the county OF
AleSandsffa aud the county Fartax % the Hoor,
with the act 81 ule 3th March lSfI, staring them
in the face, nnTepegLsd, which act declared al
haye,apotsed IT. L there should be but one sash dele
aatafihm Observation-Disclosures angel with q
dining sword gaGaaSpdea tie gateset Pafadsei but
the guardian genius, of the, Commonwealth, with
the double-edged sword of the Constitution and
the law, was po~erless TO protect The doors 9tlhe
House of Delegates. y is impossible at this day
/ to divine the Impulse WHICH PTOuuCSu tAlS SGAtHi
OF things. Whether 1t arose from abstract Teas
soniag upon equal rights, or from that renowned
hospitality which eve. keeps Virginia 5ntthe adj
vance of one crop. Bethat asst MAY, the tio1se
soon found itself in an wkward position and
sought at once and most sedplopsly TO remedy
the matter upon the apsac pro tune principles oil
the. court Of chancery--Inoth other words, TO cushion
/ the. chair of the l35th member, bydoiRg that alter
he was. on the floor, which ought TO iiaVe been
done before.
After The failure ofstwo3 distinct resolutions,
one, offered by Mr.. Shefey alditllel other bytMr.
HAYWOOD TO 5re.apporiion the representation
Mr.. Scott on. the 9Th oil iFebruary, ls4Ss moved
resolution $ thata Select Committee be appoint
ed with Instructions to- bring in a bill Increasing
the. number e~fsDelegatesIto l42s.N so as TO as.
sign. one Delegate totthes county of AfexandrlaIX
!, Sc, &c, which bill was reported, andonth the 18th
Of March, WA rejectedlb by a vote ofs57 ayes TO 81
navs., So that the House decitedthat the repre-
s~entatiou shouldsnot be re+apportiened so asito
increase the number ofithe 5House,Of Delegates
TO l42.E a III frEN1it aA&s ta:h I.l
This bill was reeonsidered on the goth March,
and amended by the-ioliowing substitute, on mo
ton of Mr.. Floyd, ras i-la
BE, Il enqced, g That the House of Delegates
| shallfbe incteased to one. hundred and thlrty-hve
mem1eFs. The representationaofthe iour grand
1 DISTRICTS shall remain as now established except
I that the countyaOf Alexandria shall elect one
Il Delegate ,, &es; &C. 9eieg ka
This bin, on motionsof Mr.. Scott, was laid on
l. the table, whereiit lies 10 this day. So that the
House decidedit would hotfe-apportiOn the re-
representation, SOFAS to give The, county of Alexan-
dria one Dele gate, nor fGereasetthe number ot
/ Delegates 10 I35.5a 9fihs f 80 sa5aith5 2.
Tie session was now drawing to It's close, and
all constitutional means having failed TO re ap-
4 portion. the representation, SO as to increase the
humber in the House OF Delegates and the actof
4 the, 18th of March, 1877, providing that but one
L Delegate should represent thescoupties of Fairfax
Land Alexandria,, still staring the House in tile
4 face, that section was on the 18th of March, by
j main strength repealed and a law as dut netas,
i was passed, hatlhereaf ter the ssidconntYtat Alex
Il audria. shall elect one Delegatet6 said ELBel.by
sle,a,l Loan :p4teltt $50 asihfhebeing
E.ohIyl 80. members presentLprebabiY alter dinner
from the lhinness of the House. But even IN this
4. vote, ,the phenomenon presents 1tself. thatttte de-
I lepate from Observation-Disclosures to repeal the very
law, which then on the statute book was in the
Joway NOT only of this vote, bntlof alptlie votes Civ
i en- BY him during the session-ttle contest in some
cases being SO close that his vote decided the mat
ter; / means nothing utttkind towards that estr-
mable gentlentan. Heis an rnamentto the town
in which he lives, and in my opinion t0-human
nature-fOr | know him wei. ! am speaking
onlyofai civil wrong, of the invasion as well OF
my, civil rights, as of every other citizen Of the
Commonwealth, a. 44a.,s
The actual result, however Is that althoughthe
Constitution ~eclares there shall be only l34 mem
bers in the House of Delegates until q reaPpor-
i tionment be. made, and although all efforts at re-
4 apportionmrent utterly failed, and although the
5lh Section Of tie, Sd Article Of the Constitution
1 declares no increase shall be made in the Sc
nate, and House Of Delegates, unless by a,cOncur-
renee Of The vote oftwo:thirds of both braueees
+ of the Legislature yet, has this increase been
i made by 81 members, and a new element otPow5
iher been i1ltrpdacedsfnto the House;of Delegates
unknown tof the Constitution or TO any laws
,kenacted under and in conformity nth that Con-
Istitnlion. That power il, taxing the citizens of
A. of the whole Commonwealth. That power is
/ aiding in originating, conducting and maturing
measures which are swelling the debt Of the State
and CRYING her-into conyulsionF, which may end
Lin that deep torpor from which all proper sensi-
bility shrinks back aghast. IL is not the mere
4 numerical unit which has been added to the NUM-
Der ofthe House of Delegates-GIt. is the moral
i strength which that unit carries with it. tie
has read his books in vain, and looked onst the
workings of society in vain, who does not know
4 ~1phALone man can do Who or what ever arrest
4 edtthe progress ofsa manithat did not do some.
thing &c. aftestfhiss ownprogresS2 The introdnc-
Ition uf3thefd delegate from Alexandria county not
II only added another ptatelto the battery, bntthat
delegate formed at once an electric conductor
Through which ailthe influences OF a large, intels
X ligenf, and nIiuentiafeommnnity+gere brought
L to bearton the sensibiiitiesaof4heIid uselsaHad
a II this been done constitutionally, had. itbeeu
done by die passage of F4oyd's bill, there would
Ehaye been no. cause fof lnnfmnG; 3but when
* yon disregard the barriers of the Constitution
n Wltensysn violate a4connpacbfo which halfla mil
sion of men are. parties,5and which WAS formed
with extreme difficulty and only by Hereulean eff
HfoTtAwheny you faint the chastity of The Consti-
AZ tution,ly do that, which can only produce eyH,
spnly evil, and tAatcentinaaHy HnnceilnIenanc
i and eplnrsefa reckless sehtinlent which Wilt tnd
II its ownSwaytIIroU9haa all the other avenues of Lee
yEgislation. Tp produce theamilleniam; we are
lfoli in the Bible. The devil g must aDe charmed III
~ is l1ose lie finds his swaytintoE the most sacred
processes.