Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-18


in their whole action, that calculated advance the
west in her progress to wealth and Gistnconl What
measure have you passed, That in desperation was cal
culatcd TO accomplish SO desirable a RESULT
iowis the prosperity OF the west to be lromotcd1 You
have been told Of the condition of our county by cntc
both sides, and Of the Improvement, bat ar. nc
cessary to develop our resources and to elevate ard i'm
prove our condition. and what has been YOUR course
our attention has already been called to the fact that
so far as the internal Improvement policy OF the STAFF is
concerned the west has net received lis fair s,r or The
money expended i'll the construction OF public improve
mcnts Fostering care and a!tcn:ion towards the
west.
iloS mas Tins eastern minority exhibited this ios-
tcrhg care in the administration of The govern
msntt why in appropriatius to Piedmont upwards OF
o'"uo,uuo OF dollars. Arc TO make acknowledge
mcnts Tor your fostering care, when we have not re-
ccNcd even sheer justice at your hands, AMI when the
amount OF the internal Improvement fund. that lcgiti-
natey belonged 10 US has been transferred TO the cx.
tent Of several hundred thousand dollars TO saw nothing
oil various other sums belouging 10 ether divisions 10
enc particular division Of the state such has been the
course OF his 'sorsgnmcniai majority" in this par
cular1
Arc we greatly Indebted 70 them for any thing in the
way OF fostering cure, in The manner in which they
have constituted this Conrcna.l LIE. nc call attention
10 one o: two facts in connection with that subject wor-
my OF some little consideration here. When this sub
Ject oil calling Convention under consideration in
the legislature, will be rccollcctc--{a least y those
of this body who members of that legsalurcl-ha,
it was the subject 81 discussion and examination for
several days. When that discussion was going on a
gentleman representing the County ui Rock:,ri,!c mir
DonMAS) proposed substitute Tor the amendment
offered by the gentleman rcm Halifax Air S-ovAL,i
that taxes and population should by taken tcrc,!,cr and
that dollar OF tax, should count aa one white man il,
The estimate Nnat vas the state n things then: u hr
one gentleman trea A'hcmarlc CIR WaTsoS) rose il.
ms Place and sad that tbs. proposition seemed 10 be 50
lar ana reasonable, thai no laau could conriu o.
here, SllQ he, dollars counted :tlm IN,
and Is upon mixed basis principle such as ought to
DC satisfactory and if called upon 10 vote that evening
SO fair was the proposition he sIiuulc ie compelled 10
vote :or it. What was done The matter was laid over
'nt tac next morning. when Tie bill was forced upon
the wcsi, viii! al .c>c Inequalities in it, Il look Tide
water. and Piedmont. and TIC Iaic. and trans He
shany separately. and arranged repre- cnton in each
division, III such way as operated NEST prrjudiciIy
TO the west, ana most advanagcoisly the east Let
us examine It. There is sum OF 1870 l6l OF taxation
and oi population combined in the two divisions
icned TO scrcn:vsix delegates east o! the Blue Ridge
Tha. gives combined ratio for each eastern delegate of
s9G05 OF taxes and Of population How is o.: The wcs-
;ern side of the Blue Ridge: Nhv G115 as !. i., A.
grcS2tc oi population and taxes combined, wrI vixen
ilrcd by nv-iinc delegates The number awarded 10
western Virginia gives combined ratio Cor each western
delegate iii this Convention. Of II AZ Here then l.. n
difference in the ratio of some two thousand in favor ri
each eastern delegate, 10 the pre- udicc OF the Was
Tins an act of fostering care Was this an act III
>t!cc 10 the west Was il done for he purpose of adj
varc!ng our interests, and Of strengthening our hands
No, no! They took to themselves his majority they
ADOPTED this arbitrary rule, and why dh! they adopt it
The answer has been given in this debate i; is their
T. interest TO retain the power they ao hold and they
adopted this rule for that rcason and that reason alone
DO YOU not believe II: Ii gectucn boldly and openly
iarow, that such Is the motive w!C. n;, fl,
ton here, DO YOU suppose that Ill not Operate u,o,I
those who represented this Identical constituency in
another body: Ii this regard IL" l!rir i:cres, can
Influence them 10 injustice here o,siss M would moi
T.rns 20 tom.
And ii you will cxanin" the details ui Ills act careful
~, (Which DO not nlc:n 10 do il i'd .c ,:p more
time than | have allowed 10 mysc!f. y,,. will lind the
greatest inequalities, among the districts For cx-
ample the Halifax district has this loor six delegates
and the of taxes and population combined is 81
3+l. Here is the district oil Rockbr,!.c Augusta and
Highland, which represent, with five delegates and it
contains aggregate of population and taxes Of 80
Only 2.li2 less than is found in the Halifax district
Thus each Of the delegates from tic Hal ~ district
represents an aggregate Of population and laAss ..
9,J3 while each oi the delegates f-u my district re-
presents an aggregate of populations ard taxes of H.
039. The Bedford district has four delegates and con-
t,i:s OF population ard taxes, l9G7l SO tina, each
delegate represents 10 G6S Will ~ Ohio district will,
four delegates contains IA cf population ard taxes.
and each delegate therefore represents laSGl TAX.
another instance Tie Petersburg district has four
delegates, and contains 'SG23 Of population and taxes
combined giving ratio for each delegate, Of 9.G55,
while the Greenbrer district with f0r ,.ccra,es con.
tains of population and taxes i6,0l3 combined giving
ratio for each delegate in that district OF l5l0 yc-i-
~. this looks like taking the lions share and qppro-
priatng it to themselves Does warrant the cocl,
sion that i'm arranging these districts they have been
influenced much more by Interest than a sense Of
justice towards the west: Docs ii FURNISH the slightest
evidence TO show that they have exhibited this foster
ing in the arrangement OF the representation in
this Conyentlon' IN < OF the kind
Well. the same gentleman tr. PuRKlSs) and Other,
who concur with him in opinion, have very modcstlv
told US in substance that they had received the Offices
and onors Of the government merely because they
better qualified to fill those posts OF distinction And
my friend ircm Richmond (ilr. MEREDITH who spoke
the other day with equal modesty. claimed all the scna-
tors for eastern Virginia.
MIR. MEREDITH The gentleman has misunderstood
nc certainly meant TO say, and thought had very
distinctly said, that enc of the dangers which property
ami particularly eastern property, had TO apprchend
from political power and especially thai Of the legisla
tive department. And went on to show how that power
might be exercised 10 the injury Of that interest and
said that would be through the Instructions and not BY
tbs election OF the senator's for they but speak the voice
of the STATE. That the sense in which made the
relcrcnce. and would say TO the gcnena. that would
be pleased 10 senator from the western norton of
the state.
Mr. !EItIiER. Very WE'LL NAV have mistaken the
Seh'lenat out IN" gentleman from Pitsyivana fAlr
NHITLEl put II on that ground. He told us in effect
thai no man on tins iioor. advocating the white basis OF
representation. was Iii 10 be III Congress when This slavery
here. il would hc thrown in his tech, ON the floor Of
Congress and he would have either Ia aJyor, the abo
lilios OF the representation federal number, in the
general government 10 cDnis, lis Inconsistency This
position which would claim for tf".n all Of the scna
tors in Congress, and every other officer who mirt he
called upon represent the State in general c,nacity
Now, is it either just right: One Of the gentlemen
set up this claim because commercial regulations Affect
ing eastern Virginia. - he considered in the Cor,
grcss OF the United States. We l. Aaye been looking
to sce where that commerce is ard co,cs, hare mi
been able to find any lhins more, than few scows and
small vessels plying along the rivers have seen moth
ing worthy OF what should be the commerce. Of rent
State like this 1t certainly world not have been CON
sidered worthy Of her in those days when Virginia had
direct export trade of S30u1,000 annually from the
port of Norfolk What has beccn. Of tia, trade :
There is certainly little Of it in existence now
Where is this commercial property and interest that is
TO be pro,ected Why, it would take search warrant
10 find it. and then would not pay for the trouble of
making the search Laughter.
But let look the practical operation of this thing
aud see what has been the effect OF sending white, or
suffrage basis men TO Congress Who is James NJ. Ma
son. now in the United States Senate from the State of
Virginia: Have gentlemen forgotten, that he, in the
last convention, employed his brilliant talents: in adro
eating the white basis OF Representations And is there
any man in eastern Virginia elsewhere. who is
trustworthy, who would have gone further in defence
OF the peculiar interests and rights Of the old dominion