Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-11

the statesman. They look ahead they zee danger
the distance and they try to guard against the diff
Guilty is forcsccn and the effort is made obviatc
We are broken UP into small communities called coui
tics this Union is broken up into communities Gale
States and every man Of the least observation know
that whether YOU adopt the mixed basis or the whit
basis you NAV put into The halls Of the Legislature @
this State body elected By oielrd "f the numcrcl
majority with the votes ri the other twn-irs record
ed upon the polls against them. Your President OF III
omtc'! States may he elected and installed. and admin
ter the government Of the United States Tor four year
with majority of threciths Of the voters OF the Unit
cd States RECORDED. against him at the polls Ii VA
lorescen that these intrinsic difficulties =" the sulcc
"ouiu bc likely IL athwart the operation OF tii
great doctrine and the sagaciouS gentleman now III my
w. lSif SUMMERS month ago i"vc'! 10 nave an III
curry made Into the possibility probability OF having
THESE communities called counties rc-orgnnlzed III,
purpose WAS not very clearly AMI specifically iudcat ed
o"t sui"1s 1t was Tor the purr">r ." making them Il
ne"riy equal IN population, ii territory rs possible
80 th;'t this principle might be applied. rs the arp'a
,'oh could not be mad under other circumstances.
nave not heard any thing of that report. suppose the
lns cannot be done And if it could if the counties OF
tls commonwealth could bc 80 laid oil rs IL contain
precisely equal number of white people of voters,
you would he Just Is far from attaining the object rs you
were before minority less than half the whole i'll
TWO counties and the unanimous vote of the third would
show You thrcc-folrS Of the people OF one side. and
TWO out OF three Of their rpon the other
and That, although they might contain n, exactly equal
number OF Inhabitants There i, one mode only hv
"eh you can reduce Your theory to practice Oblitc-
rate your State lines for national PURPOSES and voE
county lines for State elections. Your numerical ma
Joy rule VIII then operate by the adoption in nj! cases
OF the general ticket system. And this will he censo
Cation with 4 vengeance.
am =ati-hrd that must be wearvin. tie patience
I" tue committee, hut assure them. with great sine cr
~ that If there had been any gentleman union th- floor
coming lr"ln M district which represent to have given
ntterance to the views which entertain would not
have "pcil,'l my lips upon the subject. | beg YOU
therefore, To bear with for few minutes longer
while proceed us rapidly possible 10 close my re-
marks.
Another grave charge is made against this basis, and
beg the attention of the committee while examine il
briefly The gentleman from Augusta. Mr.. SuErrEy
very highly respectable drawer has framed this in
dictmcnt against the mixed basis considering The pres
cnt constitution mixed basis Il, it rea!I"is i'll sub
stance II not IN iOr:l; and has said That il has proved
total failure in regard 10 restraining the legislative
power upon the subject Of appropriations: ard has
found most respectable e:idurscr in IN, friend !ro the
county OF Jefferson, Mr.. LrcAs.) Have those appro
pratIons been made III consequence oil the mixed basis
or have they been made i'll defiance CT the mixed bis
In the year lca9 the j"iir in the house Of delegate.
east OF the Blue Ridge fifty -four fifty eight. am
not certain whic and the public debt ul the Stale oil
Virginia at that time. inc!u a5 Tic DEBT due to the lite
rary fund and 10 the board of public works, wa> :,ll2
Uu and no more. That the condition of the power
OF the east al that time and that the state Of Tic public
debt This constitution cut down that easier. ma orty
from fiily-ioIr fifty eight northumberland wha:
has been the result! There clear, naked debt
before this general assembly commenced its session oil
more than ten millions OF dollars: accumulation
of nearly half million Of dollars year during the
whole time since the reduction ol this iori,y in the
east from iy-our or iftvcight down 10 twenty-five.
The mixed basis, it is said, will mol do any longer
s. Try something else leave il 10 gentlemen 10 con
meet cause and effect Try something else-the naked
basis is failure" What IS the process Of reasoning
that we hear: Whereas. by cutting ,o;:n the eastern
majority from lfy-onr 10 twenty-five, and increasing
the power of the west in tie ratio you have
up your debt from to Millions besides eight
millions more of possibilities IN one fern another
ii you wish to provide remedy for the ~ reduce the
eastern majority 10 nothius-na, give 10 the west an
absolute Orty Of fourteen or fifteen in this laxin,
and appToprlang department of the government. wiki
ollt check and without restraint. The visions Of my
friend from Augusta Mr. SHErFLYl will then lac real
ized aud the capacity Of the people 10 bear taxation
compared with those Of other States. tried BY the test
Of actual experience.
mean to take no part in this war of elimination and
recrmInaon between the various parts Of the common
wealth upon the subject of internal improvements; but
Say tn Or tac Piedmont country in which live. and
is SUFFICIENT all that has been said against
It, there has not been spadciu of earth moved IN
all that Piedmont country not one, 10 make road or 4
canal that had not for its ultimate end and aim 10 bring
TO the markets Of the scaboard the produce OF the sur
face bowels Of the earth in the Valley and trans
Allegheny country. lou charge the James River 10
her; you charge the Ohio and Chesapeake canal 10 her:
your little appropriation Of j0,o0b, the benefit oi
which TO the west when compared with the benefit to
the east, will he twenty 10
wish M friend from the county Of Augusta, Mr..
SmEFrEY,) WHEN framing his Indictment against Pied
mont. had made exception. wish he had at least
left out the county in which il is my a'c 10 live. We
have got there little appropriation Tor the tsose creek
canal The State has paid for the making, two-illss-
not rcc-oi the price of about forty miles, not OF ma
calamizcd road, Tor the greater part because 1t was
made when merchandising unknown here. but made
upon the old principle, for which paid three dollars
to the States two and these turnpike roads all leading
up into the west 10 carry into the eastern market west
crn produce. In the county from which aud my col
leagues come, there has been money paid into the
treasury of this commonwealth for the common benefit
in the last fifteen years than has been drawn oG OF
for her use in improvements since the bill Of rights
made its appearance in l1IG. We have had statistics
and figures enough here: the body must be weary of
them: will only state results And while am talking
about that county, will say word two for my con
stituents. My respected colleague paid them comPli
mcnt not higher than they deserved In the year ls0'
the average value Of their lands one dollar ana
thirty cents per 1t is about half AS large as the
great county of Augusta: that would bring 1t up IL
something like four hundred thousand dollars III the
year $500 in the aggregate exclusive Of buildings. II Is
now nine millions and half. buildings included. ana
made 30 not by governmental ad-nol by what Sc!ier
men call the pluadcr Of the treasury Tor the dement, 81
psdmont-but by the sweat OF the hrowS OF those who
sent nv friend, and myself into this hall Aud that
county pays now onc-seycnh part of the whole amount
~ the taxes paid by the whole Allegheny country
from the top of the Allegheny to the Ohio, and from the
north end TO the Tennessee ne from oncsNth to one
seventh part of all the taxes paid by the whole OF this
trans Allcg!!any country And YOU propose, by this
white basis scheme, while she contributes onc-scvcn
of the burdens of taxation. TO give her If she gets three
delegates of which am not certan) power i'll that
house Of delegates. which is to appropriate the money
when it is collected, as one is to seventeen My CON
stitcnts are interested in the subject GccpIy Interested
The gentleman from the county Of Cabcll, when he
addressed the committee, asked, and asked il an
swcr could be given it, you will not take the guaran
tees that we propose give against undue taxation and
UNEQUAL appropriations can we accept at your hands
guarantee for our personal rights if we leave the power
with you in the Legislative department of the govern
mentt
If any gentleman here can show that the two par
ties in this Convention stand upon the same platform N
regard to guarancs-that will be as eicctuali!
protected BIZ those which may he Inserted III the cois
tuition as the uther-l will surrender my position.
| will give it up. And now what is III" difference
Does anybody in thi, hall Or outside OF II rre'enI-l'
there any advocate he found Of the doctrine any where
that this constitution he changed without the apPro
baton of numerical majority without regard I" SEC
tonal lines recorded al the polls Nobody el"h'' H.
WHY is it that am not content w The guarantees mat
you propose TO insert in the constitution Tor eastern pro
lection against taxation and appropriation II Is no.