Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-06-24
rc.a.,n..d from, Fear.h Pass.1

fG61t{ntsd from fchrsh FQgtj
rolling can only be arrested BY giving the west an over
vhsl%ine majority. But, the votes In the Legislature
an these questions do not warrant such assertion
~. us too at the same time, that northwestern II
ena and the lower part of Valley viii hefssi'e, ue
against these improvements. Well, that oe ee
Ioss it not prove that to secure farther
log-rolGng viii still be resortod tot Inc only true Sc
eurity We can have against logrolng Is IN tne more
ssnss Of every man. which should prevent aus Young lo
any work that was not for the PuohE gooa. 10. y,
have heard gentlemen on thus poor eooy a ~,
pe and that they had entered upon THIS system OF
f;ne avay the peoples money for all manner OF useless
in order to carry single one which they thought
judicious But we are offered guarantees snaii no
az this time examine those guarantees. will only say
Tor one of them-the ad ralorem ta1aton-that SO TAI
from bene guarantee against it will be an additional
measure Of, oppression. Why, what would be lis ct
f.cts3 It processes tax according to the value
Of his property but do all kinds OF property yield the
.sme pcoes In one section may Yield but three pc,
cent and in another it returns six per cent Is Jus
to tax both alike In making every man pay ~ pro
portion to his revenue by income tax there os
eoIae Justice, if the system was properly irane u
your proposed ad patore tax opens the doors 70 INV
Insrabe frauds because you must deduct IRON me val
ue of mans visible property the amount Oh MS oeo's
For these you must depend upon hs "ora 'ne hone''
would paw full tax-the dishonest "ouo eh'ife'E es
tcreates an inouisitoral search into every man
nrsvats affairs and than that, 1t would operate
Eth n.cular hardship slave property, because while
tbs vue of the lands of the State fixed by local causes
the value of slaves depends upon the price OF cotton 10 The
south over which we have no contrel. Every man
Knows that if the slave property OF the State was val
usd simply by the demand III the domestic mar II
would be greatly below what it Ia. Your ad ra!o-
rem tar upon saves at their present prices would De
really to tax the owners not upon the prohta they aeu
ally derive from their labor, but upon those when the
southern cotton and sugar planters make
In addition to this fact, such tax would throw
much larger proportion of the taxes upon the slave
holding sections which already paying more than
their fair share For the true statement OF the case as
between sections this the east pays out al the pro-
Ats Of her industry tax on every species OF property
that the does she over and above all this
4 cspitaton tar on onehalf her labor, which falls on
only of the labor Of the west presume that
the annual income Of each section Is IN proportion to Its
hbor which Is as their respective population, that
is as SO to ST. But the east pays the same taxes on
land and all species of property which equally di
fused through the State with the west that ID on a
property which Is not labor itself so Tar the TAXATION
Il equal; but you then levy tax on certain species
of labor which so nearly peculiar to the east that e
burden to the western SO to g. Hence, while their
annual incomes re probably 81 to ST. The taxes ac-
tualy paid are as 81 to SO. And this inequality would
be greatly increased BY the proposed aa raloTem TAX
But there is one vital objection to all these guarantees
Who is to enforce them The very party against whom
they are made! The New York Legislature is even now
engaged in increasing the State debt nine millions o.
dollars in defiance of constitutional prohibition And
If you guarantee the dangers we now lear VINO
can foresee all the questions that are continually
arising and provide specially for all possible centin
genciesl And again. ask, who will guarantee the
guarantor2
You NAV require in your constitution q vote OF two
thirds to call another convention But II the presen.
procYity to conventions and wild passion tor change
continue such vote may be obtained on any trlviai
pretex And if you obtain your white basis and es'
ablish the reign infinite radicalisr in this constr
tuition do know that for one ehall not be al way
E,rn ION
then be made much worse But how, your prlnci
pe can YOU consistently bind up the majority by this
QUESTION Of votel The Fundamental artccol
your faith u the absolute inahenabe and natural RICH;
Of the numerical majority to change the constitution
whsneysr it sees fit Your far-sounding guarantees.
YOUR cunnlngly devised restrictions your twOthlrds
vote are but empty words against such right. With
party which maintains this doctrine there be n"
public faith. trust in any compact Q: convention
however solemn for the mere numerical
iorty wishes the natural right to abolish the constu
,iond bargains and contracts revves How soon that
will be- We may know whom We consider that the very
object of the proposed guarantees is to prevent that ma
iority from gratifying its desires.
But am mex: :old that the mixed basis will not pro-
tsct the Underwater country. that section from which
come and to prove this nm referred to the official re
port of the second auditor containing various state
ment, in relation to the expenditures and appropri"
tions for internal improvements u the four grand dlviS
ions OF the State.
vention is competent pass exactly the guara-
tees with the mixed basis that 1t with til. white
basis. These guarantees, under the mixed basis wouo
be eectivss because the parties who interested 10
the preservation OF those guarantees would alone hav
the power change them. Ayuarantee which require.
twothrds of the people Of the State to change s con
sttution would be valid upon the principle Of The inxr
basis party. Guarantees with the mixed basis are dc
signed to restrain the agents OF the people, but On tr
white basis they against the people themselves The
former may I've made very useful but the latter are
wholly mpotent, for power can only be limited by
power.
Gentlemen of the west inform that the Piedmont
division has deuded as of the nid used our
votes Tor her special emolument; they compare tlc
Piedmont to a hungry lion, from whom they wish to
rave U.s. and they assert that the Tide water has beer
bat tool in her hands seduced unwittngr TO her own
destruction and they beg u.s. for our own sakes I" sur
render our power and choose them for guardiana
Icannotregard this argument as very high compliment
10 INV section Of the country, especially when j;
from the western members They appear 10 be scize2
with sudden and prodigious affection for this Tiew"
ter against which they SAID quite rs much IN the last
convention as they now utter against Piedmont. Fol
what is their proposition The mixed basis gives t.
Tde-vater Al while the white basis gives it hut 81
deleeates in house of $50. Piedmont on the mixc'!
basis has Al delegates while on the white she gets Sc
Hence it appears that your proposal to protect Tew
ter from this wolf at her door this ravening Piedmont
is that she shall surrender ton delegates while Pied
mont only loses fyeand that instead Of eecting these
ten delegates herself she shall allow the west TO choose
them for her
But perhaps we shall be told that portion of these
delegates are be elected by the cities and that the
eiaes are in favor Of internal Improvements have
taken the trouble to deduct the cities in the conputa
tion and find that after deducting them the rural dis
trcts in the Underwater country will have more dele
gates on tho mixed basis supposng the city repre-
ssntaton unrestricted, than on the white basis That
Is the effect gentlemen from the country the cities
which are against you lose by the whto basis at pres
emit, only four Piedmont loses FIVE, and all go to the
gain Of the Trans neghany. But you, the west
manage your own interests so badly, you are so inca
pable Of governing yourselves that would advise
you net only thus to strip your eastern neighbor. of
their power. and transfer it to but you must allow
us to elect for you six of your country tide
delegates. Our very distance from you makes bet
ter judges Of your true interests theu either your inme
date neighbors, or yourselves
Is such an argument to &c addressed to people whom
gentlemen profess 60 respect For my part l
not imagine on:s moro insulting the intelligent free
men of the IIds-water whom in part represent Bnt
under. and its purpose We know that it is shallow
t,mpt to SOW dissenson between Piedmont and Tide
wsser-to break up that tmehonored natural alliance