Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1850-06-03

loan, tar, or appropriation bill shall be enacted by
me Legislature ac,Mout The concurrence of rofe
OF two thirds or three tourths of the achoe number
Of each house. Abolish the mixed basis give US
this guarantee in the Constitution, and our rep
lesehtaton vii! be Tree and equal, our State will
be united and fraternal extravapances in Lepis
lation will be arrested, the public money will
cease to be misapplied, public works of general
and State importance value will be constructed
to aid taxation In paying off the public debt:
tide water Virginia will have city; the West
will have its shortest and best avenue to the
ocean, and find here its most inviting depot of
trade, and the glory of the Commonwealth will
| De restored, shining more and more unto the
perfect day" Give us this, and we will no,
only be certain to be and remain at least one
third or more than one fourth of the State. and
thus OF ourselves be enabled to check UNEQUAL
ana burdensome taxation upon ourselves and all
others but rerity believe that our section uiU so
rap'dfy increase in population, arcahh and pollt,-
cal po1rer as to become a majority IN the State
This is all lowand Virginia wants to develope
Its vast resources and to make it in fact the
most thickly populated portion of the North
American Continent
have never upon earth seen such country
| as ii IS tor deyelopement, if the proper policy
were only pursued with enlightened vigor And
this answers the puerile argument that the West
might in time call another Convention and ahol-
lsh the Constitutional guarantee if we now abol-
ish the odious and unequal mired basis The
West would not have the power to- do 80, for
the east would In a quarter of century have
the population. Further unite the East and the
West of Virginia and she would be no longer
like Northumberland image, part brass and
part clay. Western Virginia, as well as Eastern
would have slaves, slavery would become diffus.
ed, our interests would at once become homo
geneous and they could not tax us without equally
taxing themselves. Again, the argument that
you must retain representation UNEQUAL and up-
lust, because, folsooth majority nay change
TIE Constitution, is at once vital blow at all re-
publican government and would annul all CON-
stltutonal compacts whatever between any Dor.
lions of people if followed out to its legitimate
conclusions. 1t is an argument for Inequality
and against good faith, and would compel men
to abstain from making compac.s of government
and would drive all to anarchy. The minority
Shalt rule The majority, because if they don'1 The
majority aeiN retle the minority. Absurd absurd!
yet suchls the argument when reduced TO its
lowest denomination of fraction of thought
And let no one cry out :-"What will the
North say in the Federal Government if we
abandon the ''maed basis" at home z" Nv
answer is plain and conclusive THE North
and the Federal Government have nothing 10 do
with our domestic institutions The State of
limits; stands precisely on opposite grounds for
me Federal Government isa compact betw cen
States. 10 free States can Justly say, your
philanthropy leads you to regard slaves as per-
soas, not as mere property or things or ehuttles--
with you they are all population and ought all
instead OF three ffihs OF them to be represented
In Congress but with us our Constitution is COM
pact between free WAlte citizens, who regard the
as possessions, property, ehatles, things, not per.
scns o. population, i'll law, in respect to politi.
cal franchise, and therefore, in our State Lcg1s-
1atufe, they ought not TO be represented at all
Besides the "mixcd basis' has proved az
futile and fallacious in defending us agains, IA
naticisn in Congress as ii has proved futile and
ialaclous IN protectil gus from unequal taxation
III the State Legislature.
wonld, finally, hold on 10 the mxed basis
only as consideration with which 10 obtain
from the West the exchange of ii for the "con-
stltutlonal guarantee" The West, am sure,
would willingly make the exchange But, il
they VIII! not aud we cannct consent to be gen
erous according 10 the Justice rule, things will
have to remain where they are, on a basis uei-
Their republican in the abstract, nor inst 10 them
nor sale 10 ourselves and Virginia Will have to
stand Still and vegetate another decade or two
of stagnation and decay
5th!y. hold that the Legislature ought to sit
benulalt. We have too much legislation and
1t costs toe mach for its quality If j, held its SEES
SONS every lEo gears, only. more care would be
taken to digesting laws; those Of most importance
would obtain more precedence, and time would
be gwen TO test the good evil of ordinary
statutes and much money would be saved to the
State.
6thy. l hold that the power of legislation
9 lght to be restrained in some respects. compar.
ed with What it is al present No man should
be imprisoned Tor honeSty and innocent indebted
ness II he decelyes his creditor, or defiauds or
conceals his effects, or dishonesty convey his
property ne ought TO be imprisoned for the crime
6ut not Tor the Debt. Ihe free air and light of
Heaven out to be taken away only for reason of
some criminal offence and would make dis
honesty and fraud as well as theft crime--a
felony in degree, and punishable as such But
debt Is often misfortune, sometimes visitation
OF Cod, and'no man can pay his debts whilst i'm
INJURED IN the prison wallis and no man in the
straits OF debt and destruction ought to be tempt
ed against the Lords Prayer, to ''sp,ear out of
JAZZ <7st Is too often an oath Of perjury to enable
one to walk ihebogs of rascalty. Adjustment
OF imprisonment for honest and innocent debt
would make credit between man and man safer
and sounder and debts -surer than they are now.
would require more summary modes of COL
Letting, undispuled debts
would prohibit the Legislature from making
any distinction by law between real and person.
al property in the recovery of debts.
would prohibit in all cases from depriving
any description of free laborers from a lien up.
ON their own works for their compensations.
would restrain and modify its powers Of Gre.
atlng corporations, such as municipalities and
Banks and Joint stock companies, &C., Sc; and
would define It's powers respecting charitable
uses
! would compel the Legislature to encourage
agriculture and the mechanic arts
7thly. hold that the right OF suffrage ought
to be extended 10 every " ite male eitise, of
the commonwealth, resident six months in the
county where ne offers 10 vote, aged 81 years
and upwards, of sound mind, not convicted Of
works upon public highway, or has paid !.