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

State You then deliberately exclude some 100000 OF
the community Of all share or participation or voice IN
,b ,lir;cal affairs Of the State. on propose to give
- bara nuori.v of your 100000, control not only OF
;ts own n,inority but Of the trfns fragments OF the
TOO 900 outcasts. III: :;
government, whoever they are, formed as ihey may
J.. should have an interest to act right ana aFni
wr,n" They should have not only sympathy with
ia ,7;norit = but they should have II" motive, no m
! Jcannnt 10 orrress the minority. The burden they
infc, upon Others should be i:lt by themselves IL
barone! MS therefore, look this question a. pfac
teal men, to ascertain what are the :,t'u .ha
around MS TO come 10 its consideration with those go
ha, and calm reflections which question I'll such mo-
,nantnus int crest 50 imperativelv demands
Slfiulerest and Sclfprotectiun are two OF he hrst
rreat interchangeable laws of nature. They GUIDE ana
ccootrol man in all the conditions and vlciSsudes OF
C' Irc;r influences follow and accompany him in all
his na,hs private public. They are with nm ny i'y
and nv ni.ht, and leave him only when the grave re-
elves him. Whilst implanted in the human breast, no
doubt for wise purposes Yet they often illei US 10 l
wade or disregard the rights OF Others am, some Stronger
arm, i necessary tn restrain them within cSItihe
hounds than the individuals of right ana wrong.
Tn. same influences find their way into all govern
mcuts as in fact they their primary ci''' ."echS
and restraints limitations and guards. CONSTITUTE" me
nr,uipcut features of every free government ana Whilst
w. ar, told Of the Irresistible and Hnaenab!c powers
Of the minority of numbers /" which We are asksh u"
submit, all that is sacred in life the advocates {" lis
claim themselves disrust the powers they invoke ana
Start back from the idea of lis unlimited control
Among Others the gentleman from Jefferson tells you,
that the valley insists upon Limitations upon 'i' .
valley is unwilling 10 submit without r"StIiT'o"7 upon
The will Of the majority He is right, ana the valley IS
right What is safe and prudent III private me- Is
equally in government And AK my lrishas ".
The other side whether they prepared I" test Their
urjncipIe of the majority rule by carrying ii INTO the
private and social relations they then :" far as
am concerned AN willing to surrender this question:
and rive them what they ask Whilst gentlemen tell
vn that The principle they contend for Is III government,
safe sound and reliable they would laugh 1T the Jim
plicity of the who would approach them with n
similar proposition upon which to base private Assn
citation. The fruits Of their TOLL the carInGs "i Their
labor would never, with their consent b." embarked In
so unequal and dangerous concern. i any one ol
those gentlemen ready to form o.parl,rslp rcqnr-
in. capital the of which shall provide that two
thirds of il shall lie subscribed by one Of them, and
that The other member members "l The trn shall
contribute the rcInaindng third, and all things els"
being equal each member in the appropriation ana dis
tribuion of the common fund shall have precisely an
equal voice! ,.... .o,;a,y ;, o;r,,,n
stances in which the public may bc iolla l'" amount
of property the division of that property anon: the
yarou! portions of the people that constitute the gov
crlncrt in whatever portion of this l.bltabc globe
and Irrespective of location OF cline, or ri varrtT Of
interests, it is sravely OF apparently c"ntem!i ~ This
debate that YOU ar" To erect the political clllIce upon
anu take precisely inc same STUART, WIN
rate by the same level ask gent encn in all can'lor
will they do ii in private life: viii 4Io N that
relation what they require us I" d" III the lsAershp
of government: bu, if gentlemen lr"p'>c the hes1a
ton of that in government, which they will n't c"nsc
to in private life which they r., "ct sbvrr$ivc of all'
the bca interests and private relations Of nicI why are
We asked To incorporate it i'll government
| For the experiments sake, il would he amusing
10 sec some hundred of the white basis alvo-
Gates BIZ c;isalty. thrown together and enSagcd
SYnt,t,
twenty FIVE Of the number to have each Sl"O all the
money of the company, amounting I" S2,5Cu, and The
rest unlor ulutey without property and pcnnlcss II
one Of my white BASIS friends was there, AMI was
one of the Twenty-Five and the government they were
forming needed, As all governments need, money and
money T." be mainly appropriated for the cv"n!7hvc,
should be curious 10 See, when the proposition was
ntdc To ba<: the government upon the majority OF
numbers to put the $500 at the absolute disposal Of
the scvcntvvc and if you please, for the aller! good
"f the whole should, say. be curious 10 see how my
friends would entertain the proposition. Would gen
tlccn here lcelu such government equal and Just or
safe. Would they think that the money "f the twenty
five ought Ia be placed not merely at the arbitrary
will of the scvcniyiya, but in fact "f iltyonc OF
theme For, the last number being ma iority Of the
whole, If the cxactions unjust and oppressive,
though twenty four of the sevent yivr seeing the luS-
tice, might be willing 10 avert IT, and for that pur-
pose unite with the twenty Five for hclc protection.
So long the iy.onc refused To relent :" hong would
the reign nf oppression and eXact"n continue
Show me Il government by whatever name called.
which in its basis discard, property, which erect Itself
solely the majority Of numbers and let there be an
absence Of identity Of interest, and III the uln1-s 81
time in It's progress and operation, will point rnu Ia
a despniisnl-a dcSposm of one class an"lherof
one interest over anothcr-w no synpahic, for those
il would oppress; bearing u" burhcns 1t would mi'lct,
and restrained by checks but lis ownwl. So show
ne government which excludes persons and Is founded
solely on prop-rty-and, long, you have erected
dcte-ible arisiocracy-a government whose p"wer
| wuud he exercised with pttiless policy the
poor reduced they would be-, 10 III. condition
Of vas.as from which their strong arms and the storms
OF revolution could alone relieve them In binding.
then The political edfce let Us regard both Of these
great clcnentS-le discard ncither-ict W mlngr
them tog"thcr-lct us happily unite them an1 making
the guardian of the other see both amp" protected
| and the rights Of each amply secured.
Perhaps may be told that the maoritv of numbers,
if welding the political power of the State, would at
all times be animated by Of Justice ana the die
taies Of moderation and fairness All have to FAY i,
that trust and confidence in not the basis which
| would found government. 1t is Il work with which
such materials, in my opinion, have but little to do.
When come to lay tn" foundation and erect the super
structure of government, should discard all idea Of
faith. OF all things | eschew in yovcrnmenl-of all
things that consider most dangerous to the very sys
tencc of republican governments faith in
distrst them every inch that give them. 1t is ical
ousy of thcm-it is jealousy Of all your public
Of all your agents that alone can secure and protect
the free institutions OF republican government Why
nv friend from Jefferson told some DAYS ago. that
his experience informed him that they carried along
and controlled by their interests at every step through
! life
| Mr.. LUCAS. | trust my friend from .tlbemure
will permit me to explain am not disposed Ia in
tcrrupt him in the Of his argument but desire
to explain that the sentiment he has attributed
was one that had been used BY my friend from
Morgan county, and which quoted to reply to it, !
disputed the proposition, and claim at least for my
own constituents exemption from that proposition.
did not undertake to maintain, utter that senti
| mcnt either rs my own, or that Of nv constituents
Dir. SOUTHALL. If the gentleman disclaims the
sentiment his own, that satisfies me- without further
explanation. The gentleman has, during the OF
this iscusson borne himself with much courtesy and
proprety whilst manfully maintaining his principles,
that should regret extreme nnocentlv to
msrepreseut him But must have been extremely TN
Fortunate if did not understand the gentleman NJ:
terinr one of two sentiments understood the gentle
man TO say he had bad opinion of and as little
confidence in, ma ority not limited, any man.
| Mr. LUCAS. That is the expression which used:
Limited government
| Mr. SOUTHALL. Yes, so | understood it and that
is all desire for my argument.
Mr.. LUCAS. government of numbers ol interest
! | referred to further.
Mr.. SOUTHALL. If the gentleman will not adopt
RI. other sentiment which | was mistaken il seems