Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-05-09


desire q" the thing represented to be carried out v the
representative agent Consequently the destruction
suffrage destroys representation with it, and when rep
resentation Is taken away, suffrage is but as the idle
wind that iloas around US take ii then that suffrage
and representation are correlaivc terns-oEc cannot
exist without the other. The principle that governs
must necessarily govern the other and the upon
"hch ono Is exercised must bc carried by the other
on might rs we'll attempt to separate and effect
is TO separate suffrage and representation, because >n
ire Is but the cause that produces representation Is
the idea clear. 1t does to that ii is nn'!rnla
Die that suffrage and representation but cause and
effect the one dependent upon the other, aud that the
restriction Of is the restriction of the other, and the
extension of the necessarily extends the other. L"
my mind the proposition is perfectly automatic.
The proposition for which am contending seems to
have been understood by the gentleman from Fauquier
Mr.. SCoTr III the same way that understand It, For
III an argument delivered by him time since upon
The subject under consideration he said that suffrage
should be exercised by those in whom the political
power is lodged was pleased to hear that gentle
man enuncate that proposition; for to my mind II Is
clear and indspuablc truth Suffrage, then, Is to be
exercised by those in whom the political power Is
lodged and the odgmelt Of political power is the con-
errng of the light OF suffrage If you lodge political
power in the frcehoders you give the right OF suffrage
20 the frcehoders If the political power Is lodged
with the male adults of the commonwealth the ri GIT Of
outrage be extended TO them. And i the politca
power is lodged in the aggregate misses oil the conf
ealIh, the very LODI OF power There
ries with it the right Of suffrage After Discussing the
,uurct of suffrage, and laying down in that discussion
the proposition 10 which have alluded, that gentleman
passed To the discussion OF the sub OF taxation and
lie right To tax slaves, and then the argument he
aod nccd WAS, that political power, by representative
should be lodged i'll the slaves because they were taxed
Now il you take the two propositions of that gentleman
and put them together, you bound i'll carrying ou
the principles of the two, extend the right Of suffrage
the slaves Suffrage he says, should be exercised 10y
those in whom the political power Is lodged, and then
political power should be lodged i'll the slaves because
they are taxed. AS beture stated, delighted to
hear the first proposition of the gentleman, but JOY
vas turned into when heard him announce the
second. And though! it WIS time should cotiic
ourselves in sackcluh and ashes when propositions
cnuncatci here which, acted out, would necessarily cX
tend tie right Of suffrage the slaves know thai
gentleman had such iutcntion and do not nj ue 10
lat with any such view but show the noustrouS
suits which the ablest minds are sometimes Brought
when def, nding error But again, II suffrage and rep
Iescnatun not necessarily connected, as cause and
.liect, why do all people, and why will we withhold
the right Of suffrage from idiots and lun:ticst They
nave rights as we'll Others They have the rights o
person and the hts OF property and 1t Is much The
duty CT government to protect those rights IN tins class
If the community as those OF the sane. Why then do
we withhold the right of suffrage from them What
lis the reason for 1t. For in asSembagc like this
Icalled together to lay deep and broad the fundamental
principles of government, ought ts have reason for
a do Is not the for this to be found III the
act that idiots and unatics have the power of mind
h,. would enable them to constitute representative.
Jan YOU assign any other! 1t is 70 be found, then. in
he simple fact that they have no Judgment, will or
desire be reflected. and they therefore unable to
constitute representatives, and, if Constituted there
Sorl he nothing t" represent as they have no will I"
1e reflected through their representatives But gentle
ncn propose to constitute representatives Tor them
But would representatives or agents thus constituted
DC their agents the agents of those by whom ap-
pointed! If were to appslnt an agent to attend to
our pccuuiarr affairs in the city of New leans in
Philadelphia woaid such agent be your representatives,
We're, by power Of attorney. ." authorize the gen
,leman from Fauquier (Nr. Scorr to attend to r"ur
ec;.ulry affairs in the city of New Orleans would not
ina. agency he null and voidl And Why Because he
Gould not be rcpres in that matter. having re-
civ.d no power ur authority from you To act thcreia
And ,he onlt authority liz would have would be- derived
VINO has Interest III that matter. to be
,cu,rd or carried ou;. have right. no interest in
-FOUR ccliary affairs a. New Orleans. and the appoint;
ncnt OF agent my part 10 attend tn them. would
DC an appointment which nal right TO make. Now
cake the idiot luatIc and give to y, Is. or G, :!Ie
appointment Of representatives Tor hun to attend 1" n,
POLITICAL rights in the legislative department Of the gov,
.rnment aud would not such an appointment he nudity.
Mv friend before from Caroline, tMr SCOTT has IL"
interest in the rights of person or OF property OF The
IDIOT or unatic in his neighhorhood And the appoint
ncnt of IN agent BY Inn. to act for that idiot or u,a-
me 70 act for another il matter in which the appoint
ing power has interest and therefore right To aP-
point And the legal proposition rs received hr all
awvcrs and all courts Is that an agent to have power
act must receive the power from the person III whom
the ri. resides If that is true in law why is it no;
true H. rel II the principle is when applied to all
egal proceedings, why is that principle 10 be G'sre.
ardel here in attempting t" apply principles to the
auc rules of action. From every view OF this subject
hat have been able to take it appears to me very
clearly that separate suffrage and represent
II, on without total violation of all principle and 81!
reason.
think ii is very evident the difficulty of separating
suffrage and representation presented itself with much
force the mind Of the great Upsr, III the Convention
ii 1870 and 80: and il view of that difficulty lie at
tempted to pr0v lie means of escape. And having pro-
vdcd that upon which found an ingenious argument,
has furnished hit upon which all eastern gentlemen
have based their support o. the mixed or combined basis
And that Is that property Is entitled to protection a
because entitled |" protection 1t should be represented
That the right OF protection carries with it the right 81
representation. Rights, say they, two fold their
pGrsons and of property We all know wlierrr
his division Of rights is drawn But Blackstone in hi
division of rights into The rights Of persons. and The
irhts of things intended to convey :. reasonable idea
md not an absurdity The whole argument here i,
a.seL upon the superstition as II appears me- that t>
iuht Of man is thing, and tn rign Of things Il To-
ally distinct thing Did such idea ever cutter the
mind of Blackstone IN writll::, h meniafirs Did
that great aW-NrltcT ever ll,l, IN tlc future
,es Of the world, his position shold he perverted into
ne idea that property possessed rights PRISE S.ch
N idea never entered the mini of that great man, ::.
nsunnosc that did is doing great injustice 10 his
oemorv. Pr, erty has rights apart from the rshr,
,c persons And the only opinion ever intimate! b,
blackstone was the right Of the III the property
snt The whole argument here is based upon the sappo
ition that the things have rights III themselves. thai
lo;m the protectiou of the government But that
| nov hold an orange in my hand 1t l. my property
What right has this orange toprotecton from the gov
neat Why according to the argument OF the clitlca:
rom Richmond city, (Alr MEREDITH made some time aS'
that il is the duty of government to protect property
oanst pcrsons-I would infer that he meant I'M" It w
e lutv of government to project this orange r"' benz
eaten rLanrhter.l Such would be the natural Goa
,r,ion of hi argument but that, am sure was ~"
hs meaning Doubtless he meant that 1t was the ouil
e the government to protect the rights OF properly
,oaost people But even then, he involves himself II
difficulty rs great the other. For then the "r
uent rightly understood would mean that IT was t''
uty of the government, to protect the rights Oh 'h'
,eoc in their property, against the people themselves
Thai would confer upon government the right to inter
fore with private rights mud to intefere with them
"a RI prevent the of property from using ths
,wn as they might desire But surely that Is not INC
;t of government nor did Blackstone intend to mt
nofc that such was the object of the law But II tho
rantlcm,n means what Blackstone and all other nc
rod;ted authors of whom have any knowledge, mean
ht !, "a the object Of the law provide for the pro