Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1851-08-05
MARTINsBURG, Va, TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST ), 1851.

friends. as the groundwork for urging with
such determined pertiaacity, their claim to a
larger portion Of the Legislative power. that
no district in the State has stronger claims.
or greater necessity for legitimate and eff
fectual protection to property, against either
unjust taxation, or reckless and iniudicious
expenditures, fcrpurposes ofinternalimproye
mcnt
Why then. it may be asked, has such i
district sent here white basis instead Of mix
ed basis delegates, and why are we battling
upon this floor, for the great principle of non.
ular sovereignty, embodied in the scheme of
representation, presented by our Western
friends The question has SO far bafiled the
genius Of my friend from Essex, that he can
find for it, no other solution, but the liberal
minded imputation ofjudicial blindness to a
people, who will compare, certainly not un-
favorably, in point ofintellgence, aud capa-
city for sound thinking with those whom he
has the honor to represent, or with any other
portion of the Commonwealth Had that
| gentleman come amongst us, instead of
reproaching us at distance, he would readi-
ly have learned why We are here, and not
our intelligent and popular mixed basis OPP
ponents.
| The gentleman from Mecklenburg, (Mr.
Goode,) has in part, at least, furnished the
answer. 1t was his pleasure, for purposes
not very obvious, to Sring to the attention of
the committee the fact, that while lower Vir-
gina was populated BY the descendants Of
the Cavaliers. who fed from the prosecutions
Of Oliver Cromwell, the transmontaine por
ton of the State was settled by the Scotch
Irish and other mixed races of men. He did
not tell us however, from what character Of
prosecutions this latter sturdy race of men
fled to this common asylum Of the oppressed
Had be pursued his Inquiries further on this
head, he would have found, that while the
sons of the Cayal ers may. and perhaps do,
excel their humber neighbors, in all that
belongs to the outward exhibition Of a high
toned chiyalry, no where on earth are to he
found in greater degree, the solid eliments of
manly Independence, the pure spirit of regu-
lated liberty, and devoted loyalty to all that
is noble and patriotic than among that peo-
pie, who in settling the country erected their
churches and their school houses before they
built their own humble dwellings. Among
them the dignity of labor is respected. They
brought with them to this country, their an
Gent opposition t. every thing like opppres-
sion Equality Of rights is cherished prin-
ciplo with them. They brook no claim to
superiority in any other race or class of men,
In humble merit wherever it may be found
they recognise no inferiority. These arc the
men and others of the same stamp who sent
us here, and we are proud to represent them
And here permit me to add, Mr. Chairman,
that in my Judgment the diyersities that have
been paraded before us in this debate, as ex-
listing between the East and West, and which
furnish the pretext for this unwarrantable
claim to superior political power. lies not a.
lone or chiefly in difference of geographical
locality, difference of pursuit--or in any other
mere outward difference of condition-they
may be traced rather in my apprehension, to
certain peculiar tone of thought, of feeling
and sentiment springing from the social con-
dition of our Eastern brethren. fear sir,
they have cherished and retained too much
of that lofty and overtoned feeling Of superb
ority, which belonged to the ancient Caval-
iers from whom they derive their descent to
comport exactly with the spirit Of republican
equality demanded by the very fundamental
principles Of the government under which
they live, and of which they constitute part.
Again sir, whether fortunately or unfortu-
nately, | will not undertake to say, the social
condition of our Eastern friends differs from
ours in this important particular They have
in the general only the rich and the poor
The middle region between these extremes is
occupied by the slave population. Fortu
nately for us, as have no hesitation in say
inc ho,, h,,t ,ol, r,,lI
err very poor. Amongst us are to be found
in greatly prcponderating numbers, that sub
stantial middle class neither rich nor poor,
so far as mere property and possessions but
which in pre- eminent degree constitute the
true wealth of State, its strength and main
reliance in peace or in war. | refer to the
upright, industrious and thrifty mechanics
The farmer of moderate means who, to use a
homely phrase. enriches the soil of which he
is lord and master, with his own depressed
foot prints, and in obedience to the primeval
curse, by the benevolenee of the Creator con-
verted into blessing, wingles with that soil
the sweat of honest and manly toll inelud-
ing too, that other and perhaps more numer-
GUS class in the various pursuits of life, who
have not yet, In the mutations Of property,
gathered around them any considerable por-
ton of it, but who yet, in their strong arms
and stout hearts. and ample capacity for earn
ing their bread by honest labor, bring to the
State an aggregate of real productive wealth,
without which. decay, decrepitude, and ulti-
mate ruin, would be its inevitable fate.
This matter has been forcibly illustrated
by the eccentric William Goblet. who in
speaking Of the condition of English society,
likeued it to q takard Of English ale, froth
at the top and dregs at the bottom, and in
the middle alone, the good wholesome nutri-
tious, and heart cheering beverage ia laugh
| do not adopt this illustration in full. and
more especially Go | not mean to apply it to
our friends of what may be termed the high
er classes in Eastern Virginia, beyond what
they may, with their better knowledge Of the
true state Of things there, be willing to con-
ecde They may be, for aught know from
personal observation, all rich cream ale from
top to bottom. This much, however, | will
venture to suggest, dropping the fgurative
illustration that if there was little more Of
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