Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-07-28

century when the echoalmasef IS abroad u
over tho face OF the civilized globe when every
where asserting Their own RICH g and throwing off the
shackles of despoIsm, when thrones and empires are
totterng and 'tum5ag iato the dust, before popular
reedom and popular rights is 1t Tor US here in the Old
Dominion, in this old Commonwealth OF Vrgnl4, to
engratt upon our Constitution principle that proper
ty is entitled to weight, and more repre-
sent ton in government than men p! II l Stood
alone out OF the 1875 members upon this floor should
stand perfectly erect among my constituents, my
AID property holding constituents
and say tranplc such q principle an the dust" l.
feel proud OF the opportunity and OF the privilege OF
standing up here, as OF the champions-eeble and
humble as ! am-of the power OF the people against
the power OF property will give to property its pro-
lection, but will give it nothing more"
What l said in Convention | take occasion to
repeat here. | have nothing to take back, nothing to
modify, nothing to ask forgiveness for; these are my
principles, proclaim them from the housetops, fling
them to the breeze-upon them will stand or with
them | will fall
"There is in my proposition as also said in Con-
venon, "a surrender OF nothing but prejudice. There
is nothing but surrender OF passion and prejudice to
and judgment; surrender OF hostility TO har-
mony, dscord to peace, indlvsbllty to dissolution
these are the surfenders that PROPOSE and thes am
prepared to carry OUT And now, assert that no ba
sis can be established that does not give majority to
the slave saveholdng interest of the State, sixteen
represen atives from the Valley representa- large slave
holding interests, will ALWAYS be found ting with the
East upon every question affecting that peculiar proper
ty-uness they more set-sacrlicng SET OF patriots
than can be found in the East, which none OF us are
willing to admit.
1t has become quite fashionable for public meetings
resolve, and Tor men, who ought to know better,
vociierousy proclaim that taxation and representa-
ton should go hand in hand, and that OF the prn
cpes conended for by the fathers of the revolution,
that property or taxation should be represented. L
pronounce it a calumny upon the name and tame OF
those great and sterling patriots. They conended
for no such principle; they asserted such claim; they
dreamed of no such ahsurdy, and III point OF fact, so
far fromegardng property as entitled to representation
they acted upon the opposite extreme, when in the for
nation of first constitution they gave large
representation to the sma lest coun as 10 the largest
10 the poorest, the most wealthy; to tho county
Of Warwick that now pays S6Ol taxes, the me repre-
sentaton as to the comfy of Loudoun that pays Sl4
250 and twice many as Richmond now has that
pays $4,000 in taxes. This itself is sufficient an
to those who have grossly msapprehended the
expresson,hat taxation and representation should go
hand in hand, and who have SO strangely msunder-
stood and msapped the principle commended for at that
day.
But if want to see the principle more clearly de-
fined let us look to the Declaration of Independence
where the causes of complaint al enumerated -
What does it say? Here it is: "When in the course oil
human evenls it becomes necessary for people 10
dissolve the political bands that have connected them
with another and to assume the powers of the
"earh the separate and equal station to which the laws
"of Nature and of Natures God en- tile them, decent
"respect Tor the opinions of mankind requires that they
"Should declare the aohch impel then, TO the
"separGtion" Then OF follows enumeration of the
to allow representation to taxation to property in
form, to be found ia this enumeration OF OF
complaint? Certainly not. What we do find here, is
a complaint against the crown
For imposing TaTes on as aoitAout our consent.'
That for refusing all representations not to the
ty of the colony the taxes paid but to the colony
itself; and when it is pro osed to exempt any portion
of this Commonwealth from representation in the Lee
gisature-tnst is, subject to the taxation imposed by
that body, then will this principle of the revolution
be applicable, and not till then.
Has the arisen in the East to justify an appeal
to this ncple! Is it complained OF any where that
representation is denied to any part OF the Eastern por
ton of the State? have heard of nonel Has it ari-
the West? Go there, and enquire Of the 100 900
DISTINGUISHED majority, who refused equal pa
cipation in the ax-levyng and Incorporating pow
er, the power 20 make war or peace snor, in all
legislation of the State, matter 10 what subject 1t
may relate Ask them it. in the language of the De-
caration of Independence, they complain Of us in
the East,
For imposing ares on them a0pthout their consent?'
and they will agree to make no appeal to this great
principle OF the revolution let mpromise with them
so far 10 agree that we will make reference to it
hereafter.
Blu; did not leave my views OF this basis question: to
be ascertaned by inference deduction. In the
letter referred to, SAID: This, Iapprehend" Uhe ba-
sis of representation twill constitute the chief difficult
ty with the Convention N comlng 10 harmonious and
satisfactory conclusion and must at last. to great
er or less extent, be subject OF compromise
Immediately after this letter written, left the
State, and took part, directly indirectly in the
canvass, though often and urgently pressed to do So
and did not return until The election over, when
found h I'd IN my absence been elected member OF
the Convention and OF course elected with full know
ledge that | favorable to compromise of this
question
What right then, has any one to complain that adj
vocated a compromise in the Convention Thal | was
right in the conjecture that the question would have to
compromised, the result has shown and the only ques.
ton proper to be raised s whether nv compromise was
hettoy those I ranresented than the a-
timately established. Upon this subject each must
Judge for HIMSELF have only say, tina at last
put upon that could not vote tor, yet bad as it is
prefer it to the particular ired basis herein befo dis
cussed, presented by the committee, and it there is
any part OF my constituency who think either OF the
two propositions submitted by me would not have been
better for them, for the East and for the whole State,
have yet to hear OF them 1t is surely no fault OF mine
that the East did not take my proposition, when the
West disposed to give it to them, as they were, by
a unanimous vote.
Every feature OF my compromise has since been sub
tally adopted, except the equality representation; and
the only objection heard raised to that was not that
would not be satisfactory now, but that in ten or fifteen
years the West would obtain another Convention, and
establish the white basis; and how is now by the pre-
sent compromise ? The West has ma ori,y of ID in
the popular branch the East ten ority in the Senate
to checkmate and defeat the popular will to arrest all
internal improvements the ate and thus ren puish
all the anticipated benefit to result from the millions al
ready expended and in IA years the whole question OF
basis is to be submitted to the people, when the white
basis will surely be established. What Eastern mem
Der would not prefer equality of representation as long
as the Constitution endured to this Western majority
joint ballot for IA years, and then surrender OF the
whole!
But men are in the habit of talking about "mired
basis, as if it something definite and determined;
the question arises, what is mixed basis 1t would be
easy to define VIII brandy and water. spoon
full OF brandy and tumber full of water is brandy
and water-so is a spoonful of water and a tumhei
full of brandy; and the proportions are the same
though the quantities OF each are changed; one-thrd