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

{" mcs does the gentleman arrive at the conclusion that
w ;"rlty oil til: suttra.,as do not and cannot govern
I" 5ht because they elect their representatives hy
counties AID districts! Lei Us suppose for the illu.
,Iol ni thS point. that there are one hundred .unt.
80 Sihl. eacl Containing thousand voters m
'''' ltY-"ic OF these counties h. Il majority of Dg,.
" e''c'' COUNT should elccl representatives in favor
81 some measures and the remaining forty nine couni.
- ''''.i hiYorlty OF one Vote in each should cleo,
representatives opposed to that measure would not th
'Fi' oi IN" voters of the State govern, N'oul MOI
Fave the sanction Of nearly two thousun.i
1"nr,'S oi The voters OF the State: True the voter.
NV act directly upon the measure But lnaiori
I! 81 Them would have their wills r.lcct,d tlr1u,h
t!ef representatives And thus the ,,,inr;,v v.oriI
govern IL iHiiy as II Those REPRESENTATIVES had L.
elected ~ general ticket. The majority u,.I .oyn
IA each COUNT and then through those corrtv mn ior
"eT' 'tc hH:iy ot the people Of the State world ,,y
EN- lie majority of the voters in = moiorit, If ,L
counties would necessarily carry = maio-,r ~ H.
oi the commonwealth. How then does ih, ,.,,. I,
arrive III IN" conclusion that because rcprc.cnt.,;,
ceceh by counties and districts, the majority Of th
Su'Sahs G" the State cannot governt But the count;c
ad districts OF this State ITO not contain cnvol nnnh
OF snlirngans, and from that cause arises lh
" oil The majority to govern. The existence nj TINT
CAUSE renders 1t almost impossible to calculate the
c," Number OF the majority i'll any case But >il
thlhk III most cases II not in ALL the minority of The
voters OF the State ito If there arc one hundred
ana HitE cjnn"s in the commonwealth each ronto;r.,
d!:icrcnt number of voters and a Representative.
To specified number of voters then the r.su viii na
b charged he specified number in one co,.l.tv r ,-
trct VII constitute one representative and double that
number III another county di<trc: will constitute,
t"n representatives. &c And then the genera! result
IN The whole State will be, rs have before shown j.
the case supposed Proof Of tl, NAV be found IN ,h
.' elections OF the State upon party politics to which
shall refer only for illustration In presidential r
ions "hc me F"t" {" the State is counted in the ar
%Fe"'e te elections indicate majority in favor The
II, ,ui in AL. Il.
votes OF The counties counted the same result i
shown by the election Of majority of democratic Mon
beers OF the Legislature. Thus proving that Inainrity
{" tic voters III the State o govern atouch they yr;
nE counties and districts IN which the number of voter.
Is unequal. So then you NAV G>ric; or iiviir com
tics you please, if you give certain number Of -,
prcscntatITc% 10 specified number of sirauu. ;Ec
majority Of the number Of the voters in the ,,oo,
wealth must Of necessity govern in nine eases out OF len
l:en what authority what reason had the gentleman
' SAVING llae tc principle OF The ma or.ty Of nun Lers
docs not and cannot app: i'll Virginia when rs i. clear
the political opinion. OF that majority is invariably re-
ncctcd through their representatives in tie General
Assembly And that too au,liug those MEM
herS are elected BY counties anu districts and not bv
genera: ticket His argument i, wholly uns,istained Nv
the facts.
't 1t WAS further argued upon this point that in con.
sequence OF the inequality OF population in the varjo
coIiltlcS There would necessarily be fractions in man.
.! Them. bus tHa does not destroy the power Of the
;laoTiiy As ;h; Is Clearly shown by the instance
have before gwen OF the votes upon ;rtv polics Those
fractions have existed heretofore and ia W. have seen
they u"t not destroy the l'wcrs Of the majority II i
not reasonable then to suppose ;ha in the future that
thing can accomplish what il has never before been al u,
t" eic't-a destruction of the majority power W" can
only g" OF the future by the past, Like pro.
duce like effects. We only provide for the difficulty
caused by these fractions that will exist under any basis
we may adopt by handing from the counties ll,v-
ing fractions over the rate" TO those having fractions
under In doing this due regard must be had 10 the
similarity Of Interests and principles Of The different
counties between which the fractions are transfr,r",!
That Is all do under the difficulties of phvtra
causes AMI the mpertect!ons of finite human rec >nn
Perfection belongs not To man. The siortncss of human
foresight. the in!beeiv Of the human mind and III.
many difficulties b" which man il surrounded rcci:ir,
of him only the adoption o correct principles AMI! in
adjusting the details of thai principle to .pproxn.
perfection ~ nearly rs human impcrtrclion will adt
Aud know OF M better wa: of doing this than j..
giving the surplus Of count" u The tci, Of apnh
rr. ha.ins lc rrgar. in 81 such cl-.- 10 III. irniif
q" III" p'inrip and the interest the people If tn.
counties. But if voa adept The mixed basis or The r-
raj &i-la o. ANY other, The difficulty will exist
And adopt what basis "c NAV. will be criyri.-
amid the fralc. Of human nature the impcrirctinn 81
human wisdom and the finite character al man ana tn!
consequent imperltctiou Of ali his wor$;n feel for the
right path anu TO walk therein closely as the Ialra!
blindness OF ntr minds will admit.
Eu the most extraordinary argument upon this .b-
Jet of the right Of the majority IL govern that have
ever heard. here elsewhere. was that of the same
gentleman from Halifax, CIR. EDarxI.s) II struck me
rs peculiarly Strans:. coming ii did, from lcai..
gentleman of the democratic party His prupoSiii4,
was Thai The majority rule was disrc. rarGc III IL.
gariGation of the senate Of the United States IL the
organization Of thal b0dT, said he tie lille Satc 81
Delaware will! her few thousand population. has ~
much repre- >cniaol the great Stat" Of New ICTS
Will, her millions Of inhabitants. Ia that instance. hr
sid. total isrcar! ri Iii" right o tie ai,ry
exhibited. In the organization OF the UnIird STATE.
S,!Ia. the argument goes the juriiy Of Numbers
,i:.rrS.rdrd, because the representa- ion ivtu
TO Sale with hu; few Inhabitants that is given TO :.
Slate Containing millions III pcooc. have never be-
fore heard any doctrine Advanced ~; any ore bat
vnrci strongly OF consolidation az that. | n.y.r
have and hope and trust | never will again But i
that proposition true. Isthc government of the nii,a
States consolidated unit III the people ri TIE di!
lercnt States represented in the Senate Of the Unite
States numerically. Are the people as such, repre-
-cncd in that body all j. representations in tnr
Senate nt the United States based upon the population
OF Delaware the population OF New York and OF Nir-
.nia and the other Stucs Of the contclcracv If So
then the government of the United States is not a con
federated Union, but consolidated unit. And State
rights and State sovereignty ac gone. forever gone
Aud if that d"ririnc should be- received rs true vii
not ne long before the States hensclvcS-Satc Gr,an
a,tiUa and State constitutions and laws will be .on,
too-swalowcd up in great central ,cspo;;>a! ~:
have holy horror Of such sentiments and! ~ Il Stat,
righ, democrat | reputiiatc them; now and forever
pm what Is representation in the Senate OF The n,t
States based: ] had always though and sill think
il based upon State soverci.v and not upon til,
people ri The different States numerically II =" The:
the question may very naturally arise. is the MAJ
r;!" regarded "r not The llc Sar" .! D,.awara
with her irw thousand population, po--ssr- mus.
stale severe. ,ntrl pr-u;nc the great stat. 81! E
York with her millions ns inhabitants. Where i tht
difference: Il New York has State >orerc. i'm
than Delaware because she i larger THEN sup:,osc
upon the reasoning, large would have Inor'
na.ra sovereignty than small ii the State ,u"c
rel -ny Of each elatc Is The then wherein i til,
majority principle Abandoned bv their representation i:
The Senate OF the Unoi Satc-: Each State La. two
representatives. in that body; Delaware has two, New
York two Virginia! two and - with al the "ic: states
Til" :wo Senators fron Delaware represent her
reigniy; III" two from New York represent her snyc
reigty, and with ai the other Sat"-. And in thai
bodr, aiorty OF those representatives decide al
matters that before them for ;ncir action
therefore totally unable how whcrv:u the
inritv principle i :srccrc in that body, either III it
organization or in it action under that organization.
i When upon this .uhi cct the gentleman from
Ia.x [Nr. EpMuSD- referred to the mHuaa "'a,ia OF
English liberty; and if understood him correctly, he
argued that the principles Of magnH hart1 We're obtain
I'd as mere gra;,:itv. b. grant, from the king 70.
what purpose or To what intent he made this reference
coald not well understand unless It was 70 insist that
mann rharG-EI. lands bill Of ghts-conains all the
ri ,hts cf lau and that under it operation the political
= H. withheld from the