Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-29

We may Eny that voice hko that coming rum heh-
mond goes to the heart OF every man, ficl On poor
Aud care not whether lie be rich poor even though!
be be tie poorest of men, tits beyond all the value OF
gold have got no immense property am worth
nothing bu. little Independence that prevents me
from being behnlden II any man on Gods earn i"r
amy favor; but you may stlp me down 10 tie clote>
That are on nv back and tell tac gentleman r"'
Richmond thai he may himself with all the wealth
of the Indies o. the ud he may pile up al! the gold
of Ophr and will stand here buttone,! III my coat
and with no other possessions on earth, and then
have got property in the sol OF ths STATE without
owning foot of land in it without owning dollar to pay
nv taxes upon yes without dollar topay my taNcs with
that weighs down all that be brought in the scale
.,;ust it. What is that property In the understood
sense of propertv high above the pa!try pc
sense of mtni and t"n as te heavens are ABOVE !hs
earth. That is the property which hold. and which
the poorest c,zen in the commonwealth holds equally
with me. Nv property in political liberty, in the po
ltical power and in the moral power OF the state q"
Virginia; that is the property Which have, and which
will weigh down all the gold Of Ophir. Yes, You may
show me n poor man in the city of Richmond with
children and with five dollars in the world and
have eight children and two grand children. and may
count ten and then show Inc man without child who
has ten millions of dollars, and who of the two has
the greatest stake in the communtyl Who has the
greatest stake in the community ask, the rich man
with his ten millions of dollars, or Henry a. Wise
with his eight children and his two grand children
Go suda your blacksmith these questions.
Mr. Bolts, lin his seat.) That is the question |
want to discuss
Mr. WISE. Yes, these arc questions which should
be discussed before the people. would not give the
little finger nail of Of those children for all the
wealth in Richmond. would not give the moral in
terest have in them, that they may be preserved from
vice. that they may have government here which VIII
promote the means of their education that they may
grace future senates when they rise be that they
may have the to 90 TO the west OF Virginia and
settle there fthey choose and there create new name
and new family for al the dollars and cents and
negroes in Virginia.
| 4 MEMBER He may himself become the owner of
Mr.. WISE Yes he may himself become the own
or of it, But do YOU let oligarchy arstocracy
seize on the governmental power in the legislature,
with the power control the people at the polls with
n view to protect their possession Of the property and
what security has my child grand child that he is
to be allowed the power &c acquire of the proper
t. now belonging another 1t is but yesterday that
you abolished entails and the law of prinogcniture and
what, with the governmental power in vour hands
will prevent you from establishing again what Eirgi-
mia has had before, landed proprietary aristocraci
And cursed cursed forever, be such aristocracy
You seek to erect another golden calf before which you
desire the people of this commonwealth 10 bow down
and worship Away with it! If gentleman wonld
only .ropOsc 10 me SORT of decent aristocracv
if they would only declare to inc-as Col has made
difference between men in iatellect-that there should
be intellectual aristocrucy, arstocracy of merit
that he who has brought captvcs home to Rome from
the wars should be permitted to sit abo'c our heads
that tie man who has buraed the midnight OF! stu
Ing for the interests Of his country, the who has
worn out the scabbard Of the fcsi with the sword
the spirit i'll your service that some Madison,
Marshall, Jefferson, that they should be cxe!-
ted and that intellect and moral worth, and public
service should be our aristocracy-tEst would be IA!
enough that would be ntoerabc that would be rowuci
down that would be kicked out of countcnance: but
set up golden calf for to worship IN this day to
tell that conservatism and dcccncy, and good Cos
ernmcnt and safety against NAL administration. re.
quirc TO bend the plant hinges Of the knee gold
Laughter INDUSTRIOUS! Go to Shakespeare, so to
Ti,non of Athens and see what rold Will do
Yes, my lord such q one, ali aAmbo. struts BY and
the stranger among us asks who is he! What man i.
he tina: is magnfqne in his appearance! lie very
grand ard rides in his carriage and hurls the OF, r;;c
iHsi in the eyes of the people. Who is lc3 llI IT.
f fought the Indians Laughter. Has lie Tough: The
British Has he given any great good institution
Il the pcopcs No! Has he rendered any public So
vice None at all. Has he butt up any Charities
amongst you No; yet every body looks up 70 him.
What is it makes this man! What sort of meat ha,h
he fed tina. he should stride so large with his hand
under his coat tail. with peacock strut! La,
Why grandi Why, we are are told that Ii" is 'erv
RIGA. and is not only TO have the money power OF he
property he owns-the very tag upon Which! woud be
an abundance perhaps to support poor family
Turing the whole yer--hut you are to add to it the
{ political power also Can my friend honeyugse ,i
blacksmith with that doctrine Laughter.] Is that
the doctrine that IS to be applied here Is the rich
without intellect who las done nothing for the State
to have not only money power, which Is enough, b
added unto him than he is entitled to-,he poi;ti
| cal power also; As m: friend from the west quoted
the other day from Toby WEIGH believe, a would see
him dan..ied first Laughter If there ia anything
ON God !Nmghtys earth that stinks in the nos;r's u
my mind we'll cl my BODY il 10 this lnoni"d aris!oc
racy aid negro arstocracy stinks If NIL fCrcat
aughtcr 1t il ridiculous positively ridiculous Ii
it We're ,,ot serious violation of rights if it
not grievous oppression, if it were not an utter oh
liberation Of both the letor and the spirit OF TIE Amer
cau law laid down by fathers in this dcspscd,
aud tattered bill of rights, could absolutely do
nothing in the world but stand and laugh at it a
.cncd aristocracy at this day in Virginia Was there
ever anything ridiculous! Wig, your industrial!
wealth is gone, you have commerce 10 hiring you
wealth y"i have agriculture 10 bring you wealth
you have mining to bring you wealth and YOU have,
with Ill the immense power Of the James River turn
millions upon millions Of spndlcs and make III cotton
lint a. all over the Garth manufactures Ia bring
wealth and no, half of you aricultura!ists know
how their work is done The get rich upon th
masters, and the masters gri pOrer every day OF!
create aristocracy that is iecting and fictitious as
the very basis upon which you propose to found goT-
eminent. which should have no other foundation than
public virtue You will make property odous tell
you'll you set up these pretcnsons for property 1t
will bring on IN agrarnn Of the poor against the
wealthy if you SET up pretensons Of this Kind for pro.
perty. \ OH will bring between labor and
capital if you sci up these preensions lor the slave.
holder You will destroy property for by this mixed
basis you arrayng moral feelings and rights against
mere proprietary and monetary rights. mplore you
as brothers to PAUSE before you take srch step |
mplore you who has feelings for you and one
who woyldsacrce life health and physical we-bens.
to promote the well being of the State inlplore
you, for Code sake TO pause before you compel the
State of Virginia to take such step. The only way
Itell you with the elrnestncss Of who would fight
your battles with yo relieve yourselves from dan
ger to unite the east with the west bv ins;olube
ties the ties Of affection, that are worth more than all
the guarantees that can make. Bring the whole
west to your seaboard gvecomncrce to the State give
manufactures to the State restore agriculture and dii>
education universally among the people, and then YOU
will give the east power, population and wealth Is 1t
true that no appeal will reach us that experience and
reason will have any effect upon u.s. With map and
diagram Of our true interests in the topography of Ma
ryland OF Pennsy lvania of New York lying before
eyes showing how they have extended their improve
rcuts, and thereby enabled them 10 command the
great trade Of ta west, cail.ot VIC rot be moved I.
What has been the consequence of all these Increased
facilities for trade by means OF improvements. Lcck
at tie eastern part Of the State of New York, TElc!
before the genius OF Clinton conquered the great Cayn-
ga country, was poor country. But since the moment
thai he genius of that mighty shed its rays upca
the interests OF New York and opened lhe eyes of that