Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1851-03-18

Legislature, eaIline for a State cOnventiOu, and
among other thipEs again, tSr the extensi0a Of
the right of suffrage aud an equalization Of re-
presentation, among the free white population %
the Commonwealth, and that failed IN the same
Way. But Il led % the rs-OTgantzatIon OF the
Senatorial districts Of the State, under wlish
f. The West which had bat four Senators 20 TWEEN
~ Fast GOT nine members in thai body and repre-
senyaliUn upon the while basis IN that budy, Nkt
, appeasCd the spiriI of reform for time. Aiier
I; all this, however; q second Convention convened
at SIaunfOn, in 1925, setting tOFtn Stii tne same
ob,erts. and tbis resulted in the second third
/ year after in the call OF the stale Convention OF
| 1929.
! Frnm this brief sketch, which have gathered
! from the debates in the former Convention and
"ther sources and given as accurately as eoela
/ from memory, and since hearing the sPeeeh OF
| the honorable gentleman who addressed rs yes
/ terday. arranged in my mind as well as eoald,
i oF the continued appeals and movements Of the
Nest and other portions OF the State Tor redTesss
and especially for the extension Of the right OF
/ snIFraGe and equal Representations, Rlmosf from
/ the period of the revolution down TO the call OF
the Convention of 1876, wesee how constant aud
ardent was the desire for these great reforms
! Yes how loud and long this ''clamOT, "-as East
ern gentlemen arc pleased 10 characterize the
Just complaint of the people against a minority
rule. During all this time, more than balfa CEN
turV, the government VAS IN the hands OF q class
Of freeholders, composing bot small portion Of
treemen
the Offices and all, and refusing redress, and even
a Convention all this time-m0Te than half
century-aDd al last granted 4 nFOn unequal
terms.
Well, the Convention Of 1870 for have como
to this point of the history Of power holding to
power, which il had taken almost from 70 to
1929, OF such continuous appeals TO obtain from
this small minority in power upon unequal teTmsS
met in this house. was about TO say-l mean
in the capitol, and found itself nearly equally di.
vided on both these great questions, suffrage and
representation by this hical lIne the blue
ridge mountains; all suflrsge men, for the most
part, and white basis men believe, without eX-
cepIiun, west, and nearly all anti-subrage and
mixed basis men, OF some description, with a lew
exceptions East, and this basis question divides
us now, with some few exceptions East, IN our
favor, and by the same line. But am happy TO
be assured, that nearly all, are now, At last
in favor of giving the election of all officers from
Governor down, direct 10 the people, and OF ex-
tending the right of suffrage and OF limiting and
restricting the hitherto almost unlimited powers
Of the ority-government-thus proving that
truth right aud Justice have 80 far tEIumPhed
and are prevailing and will finally completely tTi-
umph-that the gTasP OF power Is relaxing
We'll, the Convention Of 1929, after hard stIug-
gle, characterized by the most OrIiliant displays
Of arguments and elCqnence ever witnessed per-
haps IN any assembly, in any age or country, was
finally obliged TO compromise upon this basis
question TO reach results. And what did they
do. Although the right of suffrage was eonsId-
era5Iv extended and a few other reforms mades
vet, instead of deciding this basis question, they
settled and fixed no rule at all. They divided
The State in reference TO the house OF delegates,
into four great Districts and gave to each so many
members 56 TO tide-HaIeTs ~ 10 Pleum0ntS 20
TO the valley, and 81 10 the trans aIIe 1no
then laid off the State in reference TO the senate
into two grand divisions, East and west oi mo
hIue ridge retaining IS members IN that body
East, and giving - west.
Under this arrangement vas secured 70 inc
east majority OF ~ memberB IN the house OF
delegates, and Of 6 in the senate and 9S on joint
ballot while there Wer~ but some forty three
thousand, few hundrcds Of a majority OF white
population east of the blue Tidge-aDd this Of
course continued and secured the government and
all its power, patronage and Offices nIheiT hands,
If not as strongly, as surely as before For 10
was further provided, in regard to future aPPoT-
tionmcnts, that the number Of members should
never exceed one hundred and Fifty in the house
of delegates and thirty six in the senate that
in any event the east was always to have, as the
ultimate limit Of apPoTtiOHment, \ majority in
both branches Of the legislature; and OF at least
twelve on point ballot, however great and over
whelming the excess of population and wealth
too might become in time, TO the west, unless
two. thirds of each house should after the year
1871, concur in general re aPportionment
throuphout the common wealth, thing never to
be expected at the hands of the east. This ar-
ranoemeDt, although GquaIizing TO some extent
rcpTCSeltatiOn among the eeVeThI COuDtIeS WIFI
in each of the Tour great districts, and two grand
divisions is but IanIallzDg. il Is an equalization
Of no avail in giving equal political power 70 the
west, in not extending over the whole State. Its
effect is limited by these districts and divisions,
and the limitation of the ultimate number OF
members assigned 10 the two branches Of the le-
gislatuTe Il is worse in fact, than the simple
mixed basis would be, in the end, and even worse
thsn under the old constitution, in the particular
of taking away the white basis in the senate, nm
der which already we would have gained ma"
iori,v in that branch and infinitely IN the
end. in securing the majority of the power 70 q
sectional minority cast Of the blue ridge, which
no increase OF population and wealth in the WestS
however great, can ever overcome without
change in the organic law.
And as there is NO hope Of twO-thirts Of the
legislature agreeing to a general re-aPpointment
under our existing constitution, resting upon
this arbitrary basis with these districts and dIVI-
sions and ultimate limit OF the number OF meme
bers in both branches o! tho Legislature. Ihe
wcst must therefore forever remain in minority
in the Governments without ehange-sbe must
remain forever poweriess under all clTcumstan.
COS nd in all probable events in state OF political
ineriorty, not to say vas alage Tor the great PSF-
poses of self government and bOPetessty So Ior
| all time And vet We have now majority Of
! DineIy-IIree thousand of the white population.
| I use strong language, INT think not TOO strong
| for our present constitution and government, Ike
| its predecessors, the old one, Is go framed and
| coniTivcd in all its departments OF power; under
| this unequal mixed basis in disguise, (fOr the
effect is eduvaIenI) that this sectional minority
east. which has thus secured to Il this permanent
| sectional majority in both branches Of the legis-
| Iarure-besiGes having the appointment Of our
limited State senators under the constitution ofIbe
| Union-hoIds in the hands of its majority legis-
| Iatuge, the election of governor, the executive
council, militia generals and our judges; and even
/ through the commissioning power of its exeeu-
tve that of justices Of the peace, or county Gpa-
| oistrales, constituting our county courts which
decide, manage and control every thing Belonging
| and appertai0ing to county police and IeFless
and so even onr purse strings
| Our members Of Assembly we select, and our
inferior militia officers under hrgadIer general
! ,be romDanies and hat.aIions may, believe
elect, but besides these. Of all elections and O-