Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1850-07-02

y failed to give TO the people republican form ol
Il government, and established an OLiGARcHY over
& commit The same error aud folly again. / am
A sure YOUR idea ola republican government is a
4 government of the People, that is, government
n in which majority OF the people of any State or
\ community prescribe its laws and policy, "and
exercise aII the functions of legislative suprema-
Y cy' Such is not the case, as you well know,
under existing liLws and such will not be the
case under the a.;red basis in any shape or phase
that it can be nIAde TO assume. But you need
not confine yoarsff TO the edious theory OF the
minority power orym mixed basis; for you can see
! at mere gianeesIhat the practical admlntstra-
ton of yonrs Statesgevernrnent is now and must
always continue ittIout a cha
/ rally and vitality fsiuenced in all of its depart
ments by the vieioas principles upon which its
political power is based. Any practical mind,
not cIouded and blunted by selfish and sectional
preindices, will at once fasten upon the vicious
influence OF this minority power, and proclaim it
as main cause why Virginia has declined in
wealth, population, power and influence, and in
stead of being the. first, has sunk to the fourth
State of the Union We are now engaged in
great movement, and it is wrong to shut our eyes
to the truth, or stubborny TO refuse the light be-
cause it may blazOn our inconsistency. call
upon the friends OF the white basis TO stand firm
Il respectfully ask the friends Of the mixed ba-
sis, If they consider our views OF the influence OF
the minority power to be correct, TO come over
quent writer has most truly said-"ls it not the
very nature of minority to look to themselves
before the common weal-to prefer their sectional
and peculiar interests before those of the COM
monwealth at large? For half century the
energies of Virginia have been chained, locked
up paralyzed BY this minority power" Is this
not true? aye every word and letter olit. Has
it not crushed the State? has it not failed 10 con-
struct single leading improvement to connect
the Eastern and Western waters? Has 1t not
been the fruitful mother of the disgracctul log
rolling" which has saddted the State with a debt
of fifteen or twenty millions dollars, and sys-
tenn of worthless mud turnpikes but shall take
occasion to argue this question more fully before
you, and TO demonstrate TO you satisfactorily q
hope) that the white basis is not only the most
just and republican foundation of government,
but that all sections and interests of the State
will be more fully and amply secured under its
protection than that ofany other. The advocates
ofthe mixed basis, in my humble judgment great
ly mistake the soundncss and strength of the pro-
lection they seek in sectional majorIties. 1t Is
the most sandy Of all foundations. Safety alone
resides in the strong arms, the stout hearts, the
honor and patriotism of the whole society, stand
ing upon a common platform and resting under
the broad ngis of a common constitution. There
it is to be found and not in the laws which Gre
ate odiOus distinctions among the people. ca"
why the power OF the State
should he sought 10 be placed in the Eastern
of Eastern Virginia cannot claim any such
distinction. Its population has been constantly
dwindling-the whole-faoo -of-t the country
NATURALLY fair an one ever the light OF Iiea-
ven shone uponO under want Of energy, indus
try and prosperity, has sunk into decay. lfthey
have not the energy to prevent their own decay
they certainly cannot be expected to impart that
prosperity to this beautiful Valley which it SO
much needs-to grasp hold ofour trans Allegha.
ny country, rich in all the elements OF power and
I - ~, oF fbo
world-fill its rich and fertile lands with hardy
and virtuous population, deveope its vast agrl-
cultural, mineral commercial and manufactur-
ing resources and cause its rivers and streams
to become alive with the music OF the loom and
the spindle. We mustnot think that we are to
act alone for the present; we must look TO the
future, and survey State in all its vast pro-
portions and form constitution accordingly.
Place power in the hands of those 10 whom ii
rghtfully belongs; and not only Western Vir-
ginia, but Eastern Virginia herself, will feel the
change in her increased prosperity, and her near
and new relations with her more thrifty and per-
severing brethren ofthe West. When the "Grand
Divisions" are broken down, and the Eastern
Virginian can SEQ the 'Atlantic wave rush up
through the gorges Of our mountains and min
CLING itself with the bright waters of the beauti-
Ful Ohio then they will feel how unjust the
minority power has been to the prosperity of the
State at large. They will stand astOnnded at
the immense public debt which the vicious sys-
tenn under which we live has produced without
any great corresponding good. But with all this,
had the East the power OF numbers, would most
unhesitaingly say, give her the majority OF rep
resentatives; but as we of the West have ma.
iority of many thousands, ask in the name OF
Justice, by what rule we can be expected to sur
render the power and welfare of The State into
the hands OF a minority whose own country and
condition, under their management, are clothed
in premature rags and decay?
Rut while maintain the free tCh1Le DOpuLQ-
lion to be the only true basis of Representation, yet
should you honor me with a seat in the Conyen-
lion, shall cheerfully vote to give to the East
any adequate guarantees which they may require
against any interference with, or unequal or op-
pressive taxation of their slave property. l am
willing to give the East these guarantees, not
that believe that she has a right to demand
them, but because she seems to think that they
are necessary to her protection. do not think
so; for the reasons which have already stated
to you.
End. hold that the Elective franchise is unne-
cessariIy and odiously trammeled, and ought to
be amended. In fact "the qualification and pri-
vilege Of voters'' as they stand incorporated in
our laws, outrages upon the rights of the peo.
pie of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. TO the principles OF
free government, and justly the ridicule of the
whole country. In fact they are obnoxious to all
the objections urged against the old extensive
freehold qualifications, and in many respects
much more offensive. The people, at least nine
tenths of them, are demanding their total aoroga-
ton from the constitution and laws of the State
They are uncertain caprcious, ,dificultin their
application, and variant in different portions of
the State" They are the source of all the frau
dulent voting deeds whichnow disfgure many of
the records Of our courts, the false assessments
procured, the greatnumber of contested elections
with which the Legislature is annually bothered,
at a cost of thousands of dollars annually to the
Treasury, and an undue interference with the
ordinary legislation necessary for the good of-the
commonwealth atlarge. understand that there
will be some or cases of contested elections
before the Legislature next winter.
am in favor Of abolishing al properly qualLf
white male citizen Of Virginia of the age: of 81
years and upwards, who shall have resided int the
State for one year, and inthe county in which he
proposes TO vote for months next preceding