Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-02-11
THE DAILY TIMES.
WIN. c. DARLINGTON & WIN. H. DAVIS,
EDITORS AND PRoPRIEToRS.
MOND, VA.
Monday Morning, Feb'y 18th, 1850
THE CONVENTION QUESTION.

HAVA""J AAVAAAnS5 w 1lCu3 1ocV'
THE CONVENTION QUESTION.
The House of Delegates was good deal per-
picked, on Friday, ,hXh.a very simple question of
arithmetic, connecJ with the question of calling
| a State Convention.
l. The bill of the select committee proposed 10
submit to the people the question, whether the
Convention should be organized on the basis of
white population alone, or of white population and
revenue combined. And an apportonment of re-
presentation, on each of the two cases, was &C.
cordngly set forth in the bill.
Mr.. Stoval's substitute provided only for Con-
vention on the combined basis, and gave Eastern
| Virginia majority of II delegates. The rule of
apportionment adopted by Mr. Stovall, was simp-
y this: that the representation Of every division,
district or county, by the combined basas, is The
mean bet,ceen its representation the basis of hie
population, and its representation on the basis of
taxation alone. Thus the representation of Rich
mond city, upon the combined basis, would be
found as follows:
| LIST. Obtain its representation on the white ba-
| sis, by the following
887,7l7: I7,74I=135: 2.7O.
2dly. Obtain its representation on the basis of
taxation alone exclusive of merchants licenses)
by the following proportion:
$472,5l6: $25,s59=135: 7.3s
10 find the mean between these two represent
| tations, add them together, and divide by Q; the
result will be 504, which is the proper represent
tation OF this city, on the combined basis, in
oocn o1o
| 1876 members.
| In the same manner we might readily ascer-
tain, in decimal figures the exact representation of
every county in the State and then it would be
easy to form such combinations of counties as
| would give convenient election districts If this
process were adopted, would be wholly unne-
cessary to use any diuisor for the purpose of ap-
portioning the Convention districts. The result,
as regards relative political strength, would be
about the same as that arrived at by Mr.. Stovall.
Instead of ascertaining the representation of each
county, and then making up the districts by SIM
pie addition, he found the proper representation of
each of the present grand divisions of the State
and by adding together the white population and
number Of dollars of taxation, obtained, for each
separate DIVISION diuisor which would present
the number of achite people and dollars entitled
to one delegate.
This resort to different dirisor for each of the
grand divisions of the State led Mr.. Dorman to
propose the following amendment to Mr. Stoyall's
substitute:
The apportionment upon the combined basis shall be
nearly possible delegate for each ten thousand
one hundred persons and dollars combined SO that Vir
gnia East Of the Blue Ridge shall elect seventy one
delegates, and Virginia West of the Blue Ridge shall
elect sixty-four delegates.
The principle of this amer dment is, that as
by the combined basis, 1876 delegates represent an
aggregate white population of s87,7l7, and an
aggregate tax of $472,5l6; one delegate should
representthe one hundred and thir1y.ffM part of
these t,oo numbers added together.
The proposition is so plainly incongruous, that
we are astonshed at its being gravely entertained
In fact, we almost suspect the gentleman who
moved it of design to be facetious rather than
serious Possibly, by proposing such an absur-
dty as adding men and dollars together, he wish
es to rdicule the idea of combined basis; as DR..
Franklin ridculed the representation of property
by his famous illustration of two men, one ow n
ing jackass, and the other nothing in which
case, by the way, Notwithstanding the Dr's au-
thorty, we hold, that the man, without any thing
he could call his own had not an equitable claim,
in contract of mutual government between
them, to stipulate for equal authority with the
other to use and abuse the jackass, in which he |
had no right of property. And why should not
MIR. Dorman add the taxation to the population. |
in the form of cents, well as of dollars9 That
would make vast difference, indeed for it would
give the East an overwhelming preponderance.-
Yet, it is just reasonable to take cents as dol
lars, in working this extraordinary problem of |
Fellowship" between men and money
The true and only accurate mode of apporton- |
ing the representation of the State on any basis
is that we have suggested, namely, to ascertain
the representation of each separate county and
town, and then to include in an election district
just so many counties and towns as will give the
number of delegates allotted to district. By this
rule, the justly objected to separation of the State
into geographical divisions would be entirely
avoided, and, whatever basis might be adopted it
would operate upon one uniform principle through
out the State. 1t would not be necessary, and in
some instances might not be advisable TO recognise
the Blue Ridge at all as line of demarcation be-
tween East and West.
Mr' Ferguson, in the debate on Friday, declared