Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-22
,.y n.ow Eau,i|, Panel


10 Great Britain they adopted suitable to the chang
mo times and circumstances the principle @ repre'eh-
tatire government giving representation to population
in one branch OF the legislature ana 10 N lc
other 1t was the "sober, second thought. =.
Ina government go framed the imposition OF ai&'
,m;na,inr taxes or any oppressive exercise oil tn"
1axiple power rises up in judgment against the OPP
rrcssSr For the mol:ent yon cypress oie ror'2& ~
TAXATION that very taxation give, to .ans q f,,'
1nnc. h. increased rcpreSentaton-!or rercst''''''
i bssct upon taSation-aud the r:"re or'. -,
us and discriminating the taxation n'a - III"
the representation it will give, Ill The ''ich :"
i.ia!v-e representing taxes. 1t Is one oi i''s, 80;
eyempiifcat ions in morality well rs III l,o.S "'''is
n,rn>;o : ,,,d the means of relief and sell ;telehcc
The very onuressou gives 10 the oppressed ID. l""
or 81 resistance and beautiful theory II i: APp., =
here and then seek to Cypress any sc''.'i - .''
and from that oppression spring "i ,.Ii'
1y;rh the o.t euan from kalwa represents II |" be
Int one so Shielded ana defended that the power OF re-
siuncc increases and commensurate WITH The spirit
OF aacrcssion ans. the means oi oppression
Sc- Hampshire has her bill ui rights and has assert
~ ,Lat AL men are born equally free and indcrc-
dent therefore ali government uf right originated tr"n
IN. reop. is founded i'll consent and Instituted Tor tiis
common good These broad and la,lSuGaouS "":'is,
~ .nuch so rs those Of our own bill "i rights St Ter
alton provides That the State may DC e'i'dF
rer.s,tc in the Senate the legislature shall from iI'r
Il, tine divide the State into twelve districts y ie'''
a may be without dividing towns ana lrr[f''Ne1
riaces and in making this division the: sAiii %:SF"
themselves b. the proportion o pnpc tnAes l'i'' y
,h said districts" &c The natural cGuali* .! man i
asserted ly,r tey do not dc'iucc the cnr".rv OF 'Nt"
which gentleman te,lcc here, that because 'i'v :!S
boz, free ana equal they fe iiieh t. equal pos; 'e''
never The word, empiovcl arr pccuia:-;iat : ~
); &c may be tyta!!g represented a most Significant
fem . phrase tl,ll OF meaning. There was 4 STA"
T. f represented il seemed i'll Their Apprehension {" tie
1c!:n Is we'll rs ;" a people.
hu,thcr clause Of that constitution provides: thc''
It,, II ~ft. Y,.fDrI
OF the people AMI founded on principles oil &f;:"H
c Wien taxes are represented. New innp>iire cal!
,.,I,..-..,! -~ic., he people represented,
r.,-4 .f..t 30 lc totn .c.. the "lTiAc1.cS
New jersey has : county representation for ter srl!-
afr Do The counties contain clu ngM'.r oi wh!tc
iclabtaptS or LEGAL voters trust that Il ANY gentle
ns THINKS they do II. will examine thc!: p'pAiati"
The ntier branch Of her legislature Is apportl"ncd nc
corin to the number OF inhabitants l4e; any gentle
man who feels anv interest in that Look and see w!ia
is o description Of her inhabitants He Will tln4 they
are no. all free whites. but goo'llv number OF them
free negroes whether they counted as inhabitants
cannot say.
sc,tors to each COUNTY Are tie counties equal in pop
,,laon and is that equal representation Of ever,
voter! ;.
RboI, Island has !. senate composed Of The l!cGl.-
Ant governor and one senator from each Iowa or CITY.
There are great differences ii the population and no re-
.d - equality Her house Of representatives l. based
on porula;on each town city to have NJ least one and
10 tuwn or CITY more than six representatives.
New York S;vcs representation to al c"orcd rcTsos
tia, are taxed anu Pennsylvania bases representation
taxable inhabitants 10y coioren person taxed III
New York il count ed III distributing representation md
every taxable nhabit:n: in PENS vara. VII! gentle
inca here adopt either rule and give representation Ia
1l State to all coloFcd persons that are taxed or '1
taxable inhabitants Either rule WOULD embrace II
li slaves and free negroes in this State. The r!c
III. is carried so far in New York that every c"orea
p.r.cn having freehold estate OF the value OF 500 II
ire. o: membranes is allowed to vote, and h Is "x
el,,icd from taxation unless he does. 60 not Emo"
tn: description of taxable inhabitants in Pennsylvania
might carry this examination further BIZ. do moi
care 20 review The constitutions OF the new non st'c
hcar States. Most OF them recognize n Il modified
shape the pruc pie OF equal representation hit II ha,
been .ieacd upon this floor, that representation I'm"
Taxation was the principle of the revolution, OF rccoE
MED bv orr revolutionary srcs-and have qro'e'
from The constitutions OF the older States 10 show not
uiy that was recognized III some, arara r"prcsci'
Ia; j in others, and equality Of Representatives. III ha;
few The quotations are designed also 10 show, That
RI. declaration "all men born equally free and In
,i,oc.deat was not intended ut the tine ii its
c,i 70 extend politica! ght or to give equality o;
r,,rcsenstou do array these precccieii,s fer tic
purpose Of showing, that there Is any analogy between
those States Moth of and our own State 10 no.
u,... them TO have farther weight, than /" answer
i. proposition which is asserted here broadly, that aGE
constitution which departs in the syhtes. degree :r2n
~: rua representation OF free white persons or Qualified!
vote, is an artsocracy or less concentrated
increase the disparity. That Is the proposition ri
down bY the cetlenan from kanawLa Mr.. SUMMERS;
anil is that proposition which am combating.
come now 10 examine the constitution Of those /
States nearer to ours with more similarity il cinat.
pursuits aud populaon--aid Particular: The Atlantic
sllycholding Satcs-whcre that unfortunate and de-
graded population generally e,ts IN the and
spreer in the western sections of the State. ""%re
u te fact, that the Convention VI NJ. NJ Is n
session. revising her co.lstitutiotut what is The rcl~
seut;.iion III her present constitution The city .:
tiulcre and each county, elects olc sc-a "
is The size Of the city Of Baltimore Compare
,t;on with the counties and tell the diSnari;: Il
-,lr fifteen twenty times .r,c tlc Smallest
% mi ana furnishes striking illustration OF lncqu;!it
Hcw is j. in the other branch Of the legislature The
members are elected fro,n counties and the CITY ii B
more on graduated scale OF federal Numbers. It is |
unnecessary detail the ratio. The free negroes
s.is,ite large class OF population and slaves i'll
numbers i'll counties and in small numbers in
Others Yet they represc tation in branch
and counties in the other Is that GOV erment arts
tccracv. Why it, that the whites who can overthrow
it when they please have cn,rattcd that apporionncrt
upon their constitution. Is it degradation to them?
Was il forced upon them by the power of government
,al minority Certainly not Slavery exists there TO 4
small extent comparatively with Virginia, and free ne
,r"cs to almost great extent slaves They sat il
Judgment upon III ir constitution and cnsrafted this pro
y:si": in lS3t after the discussion in the Virginia
Convention " ~, ~, on consideration n AL thc ic
arguments and Influence Of bordering State, ;.1H III
View Of al The light OF experience which had come d'w"
20 !hem from revolutionary times They arc no" a5ai
it. and what will be the result, cannot az
,cipate gentleman my left says, voteto change
The rcplc Of representation has been taken and The
proposition defeated bv ~ overwhelming vote. Nr.
may h The final action it is impossible for any 81 u I"
North Carolina has senate composed Of htE Mem.
lc- cl,rc, from districts laid oil i'll proportion t" publ
1axns paid into the treasury. That Is s1tict rerrrse
tali Of districts according to taxes The louise u con.
,uos is composed of members elected by c"uiit;c>
according to their federal numbers One branch o, tax
:,on The other on federal numbers. III some of the
-. NC slaves constitute ma ority. IN Others the
y i;s .@1a;a.. " 4t.. i.rr"r r"rlu.'lls. Proper
s.tv - i observation-disclosures taxation districts
i'll one through federal numbers in tie other
branch Of the legislature. From the beginning the
cn;l Of TINT constitution, you find no such principle q"
represent alton as Is urged upon Us here Look further
into that constitution aud you will find that
ton can DC called without concurrence Of tw";hirS Of
each house. Nor, under the amending clause Any
amendment be submitted unless the proposed amendment
shall be passed Of the legislature bv three
fiths Of I'll the members Of each house respectively:
then published six nu;ts previous to election,