Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-06-10

certaned this result from the first cnols au Suo "
bring about such mixed basis as "oulu ,; NV
most tcEder conscDnces oil gehtI.I .hrn how ~
,nnr. ,ros s,rnrised when came to cast up the
nHcr .;ds Of the account Under the same at ratorem
system the west would pay Sl5', ~ well, repre-
sentative for every l2oou n"aten Of Io ia perspu
n:; ono rcnrescntatire for every S,00O would cntl-
Ito thc west TO 81, which, togeler' wouIo make ~ an
,,Iow;rp one for excess OF taAao Lids VERY nearly
enough for more repteseH.a',s ou ai
xcsss of nopuation, $685. one representative would
- ;,st The $3.50 that my plan can be taken as
hs;s bv these who want mixed basis and it
MI rnsnrcis a better mixed basis than any yet Of
/ tered = o,.o,,, 80 .,;o,,ou WI,
49, h,ter mixed basis Who is il that can stand
rn before the people of Virginia and maintain prop
oion of mixed basis vi l2OUU persons and 5000 tax
IS against this other proposition OF o,OO] Perso!s and
u, nm toxcs, Does that satisfy the cuces of gen
icme on the subject Of mixed basis: If it does not
! viii proceed presently TO show them another basis.
! We have heard great deal said about this matter o.
COMPROMISE. Gentlemen have committed themselves
IN advance against amy compromise Of this question
j MANY of them very much in the dark the sub
ect without knowing what they were committing them
selves against How long has it been since the people
of this government were opposed to all compromise :
WHY YOUR whole structure of government national and
State is based upon compromise Destroy the spirit of
i, compromise and your government both State and ma
onal would totternto ruins in twenty -four hours Why
there is man, venture to say, in the State Of Viz
gini-and if he could, lie is most fortunate gentleman
and enjoys piece Of good fortune that wish, with all
N; heart could fall to my lot-who could live in his
own house with his wife for thirty days. without
spirit of compromise OIL the part of both Laughter
The man and the woman-thc husband or the wile-who
ASSUMES the position that nothing is to be compromised.
that each will carry out their settled convictions
incnaons, without harmonzing their differences, lsay
would not live in the same house Cn peace ut ali
cvents) for thirty days. And what all have 10 do
in our private reIalions-wla every man is bound TO
do in his private reaons--we arc told is utterly dc
strucvc uf republican principles, when applied TO ths
great question of the basis OF representation.
| Why, who were the great compromisers in 1881,
when yor federal constitution based upon COM
promise. | need not go through with the wholo OF
| ihcm | need only to say that George Washing on
stood at the head Of those compronsers Who
saved this Union i'll 1860 by comprehensive were
sers then in 1921 and saved the Union again. Look
at lAcnl Look at the records of Ccngrcss-look al tbs
great body of the people, and ascertain who were the
cnmDromisers them and ascertain at the same time who
the anti-compromisers. | will tell you who arc
the anti.compronasers They the Barnwell Rhetts
OF South Carolina, and the whole batch Of dsunioniss
in that State. will tell you who else were the anti
compromises. The whole batch of aboiitioss III the
north; and tic only distinction know between the two
parties is this The party at the north is the higher
law. party, and this party at the south is the parry
higher than the law laughter AS l have said
before, the only difference between them, is that be.
TIVE "come out SlcCarty,' and McCarty conc out.
! Yes, VIM. H. Seward is an anticompromiscr, anu he
has told you in letter recently that compromise was
nothing but admXture of truth and error and there
fore not right 1t was not looping of OF sharp edges
cutting down of extreme opinions, and an arriving al
reasonable just and fair conclusions between extremes,
bu an ad1niXture Of truth and error. Yes, Joshua
Giddings is contemporaries, David WInu Is
an anti-compromiscr, Wendell Philips and the Rev.
Theodore Parker are contemporaries, and Abby Fol
som herself is hostile 10 all compromise Laughter !
Audon the O IL
tive Sims 10 his master to sch an extent did she carry
her hostility to the principle that shc was found a;
midnight in the public Streets refusing TO compromise
so far with herself rs go home and 70 to bed and
was taken to the watch-house and locked up for the
niglt laughter, a very suitable reward, or punish
mcnt you may choose TO denomnatc it, for all anti
compromising dispositions.
Nre now, with the consent of the committee, t"
dca!n them little while in showing them who Were
the coulpromsers in 1929. On Monday night. for the
first time in my life took up the Register OF Debates
OF that Convention to read with care-or was an at
tentive listener of the debates that had
not cared much to read them since. had looked over
some few Of the speeches. but the discussion on the sub
ec to which shall refer had never seen until Thurs
day night last and then took up that volume of de-
bates, with view Of ascertaning who Were and who
were not comproinisers in 1929, and what particular
odum and opprobriIm could attach to me, eastern
man. for being now willing to compromise this great
question 1t will be recoected that the east were beat
upon the first proposition upon the OF the ba
Then SPIRIT OF compromise. lHe nrSt gem
elnan that found reported having made any refer
to compromise was Judge Scott the distinguished
and able father of the representative from the same
district in this Convention.
On page S4o it will be found that Mr. Scott profess
sing his earnest desire to the convention to
some compromise Of the opposing parties, and believing
that object would be promoted by passing this sub
ect until something should have been determined OH the
limits Of the right of suffrage made motion to take
up the next resolution reported by the Legislative Com
mittee.
| That is all he had to say the subject of compro-
mise He proposed to lay the whole matter for
further consideration, that he might have an opporunl
ty to Judge Of its bearing. This was the l7h Of
November; the 18th OF November, Mr.. Upsrur sub:
nittcd as proposition for compromise, the fol-
lowing
Rcsolrcd That the house of delegates shall consist
hundred and twenty members OF which there shall
be chosen for the first district district of the
Allegheny district &c
! For the Valley %
For the district between the Blue Ridge and Tide
I water 81
Resolved, That the legislature shall have the power
to reaange the representation III both houses OF the
general assembly once in every years, upon fair
average Of the following ratios:
! l. White population;
| o. White population and taxation combined;
| 3. Federal numbers;
Prorided The number of the house of delegates shall
exceed hundred and sixty the number of
! the senate forty.
Mr. Upshur accompanied his proposition with the fol-
lowing explanation:
Mr. Upshur referred to the three parties into which the
house had been divided viz: those who in favor of
the basis of white population exclusively those who
were in favor of the basis of white population combined
with taxation and those who in favor of the basis Of
federal numbers. He stated his plan to be
aye, as nearly as practicable os all the ratios. =
4 He said il was obvious that
the basis thus presented by him. must operate fayoraby
to those portions Of the country which were increasing
most rapidly in all the elements of which the basis was
composed In effect he would doubt that the power
held by the east could ,c years. only be trans
| ttryed to the ,cest.
Mr.. Leigh-Benamin Watkins Legh-the great cham.
pion OF eastern rights and eastern interests who has
never yet been charged, believe, with sacrifice Of
either presented also his proposition of compromise
differing rom that of Judge Upshur in this particular
and in this only that lie struck out the middle ratio of
population and taxation and took the result Of the other
two propositions and presented it compromise, to
wit: of white population alone the one side and
federal numbers on the other.
Mr.. Leigh now submitted the following with n like
view, (compromise He insisted on the principlc upon
which it proceeded and willing il that was prn
served that the details should be modified
That representation in the house of delegates be an
portioned rs follows: