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

cred us With seats upon this 1eur, bat oul
duty stops not here; ia part VIC are bound d
represent, CT at least, ia the spirit Of COM
promise and mutual concession, to look Il
the interests and honor Of the whole common
wealth. The contrary view, permit Inc "a
say, without meaning offence to any one, il
in my apprehension, selfish, impracticable aud
unstatesmanlike, and directly opposed TO The
spirit Of our whole republican system, a sys-
TEN which could never have been established
but upon broad and liberal principles Of com
promise.
Looking then, beyond the mere districts
which we respectively represent, | ask, is
there not something wrong in the condition
Of our glorious old commonwealth. as we 50
tondly term her? Has she not driftcd far
back N the wake If human progress hecom-
ing more and more insignificant IN relative 20
htical power at the ead OF every decade -
Are we not, in word behind the age. Lag
CARDS and loitercrs in the legitimate aud nat
ufal progress OF modern civilization For
one, think so, and submit that il becomes
our duty nov as members Of this importan.
body, to wake up from our slumbers, agreea.
bic as they are, over the glorious traditions
which cluster around the past history Of the
State, to cultivate higher aims, to look at
every subject more according to its practical
bearings, and not waste Gun time and strength
in these unworthy squabbles about the amount
of taxes paid by the respective portions Of
the State, these fierce contests as to where
lies the boundary between Tide water and
Piedmont, the diverse interests OF the Valley
and the Trans Allegheny, with other kindred
subjects so we'll calculated to excite, and
keep up mere local and sectional jealousies
was greatly surprised at the position as
sumed the other day BY the gentleman from
Mecklenburg, CHR. Goode, in his attempt to
re produce upon this floor the exploded here
sy Of edward Fisher. III proof Of our pros
porous condition he grayely called the attcn-
tion OF tae committee to the fact, that while
even in New York, the Empire State, the
amount OF real estate did not average more
than two hundred and forty dollars TO each
white inhabitant, in Virginia the average ex-
ceeded three hundred dollars, aud thereupon
he triumphantly asked US why We drew such
melancholy pictures OF the decay and retro
erosion oil this old commonwealth. Now, sir,
is there any gentleman upon this floor who
did not at the moment perceive the obvious
and conclusive answer to this argument. a
moderate aggregate OF wealth divided among
a few, will give larger average to each, than
a much greater aggregate amount diflused
among many. 10 illustrate the subject take
one OF our lower Counties, say the EQUITY Of
York, and suppose it contained but twenty
families, who owned all the soil, with an am
pie number of slaves to work it, the average
wealth there would be very high On the
other hand, take the County OF Jefferson with
five times the wealth of York but containing
instead Of five hundred families, the average
wealth Of each individual in jefferson would
be much lower than in ork, yet which would
be deemed the more prosperous, and which
would add more to the strength and general
OF the State Apply this illus
tratiou to the commonwealth at large, and
what would be the result? Individually we
would be one OF the richest people in the world
as perhaps we are while at the same time, as
a community we would be far in the rear OF
our sister States. Such in truth is the real
condition Of Virginia, while rich individually,
she yet does not occupy the position nature
for her. and entertaining as ] do, the
constitutional policy, long adhered
to, | for one, am disposed to look above and
beyond these narrow sectional interests, these
unworthy ;ealousies, and lend my best efforts
to restore her as far as possible to tse proud
relative position she once occupied 4 has
only can be done by enlarged statesmanship,
by Incorporating into the constitution such
provisions as are best adapted to awaken the
dormant energies Of the people. The politi-
cal pool is stagnant--it requires agitation to
purify the waters and make them wholesome;
and how can this be effected better than By
restoring the people in every part q the State
to state of perfect political equality, leaving
them free from any depressing sense Of deg
and intellectual development? But | will
not prosecute this inquiry further.
Entertaining opinions differing from many
of my Western friends, it is proper | should
define my position in regard to a question
that has occupied large space in the course
of this debate. | refer TO the jus majoris as
it is called or in other words, the supposed
right Of the majority to govern the minority.
Sir, am no believer in this, as natural
right. Nature, 10 my judgement, has not in-
terlered with the subject, further than TO
implant within us the social instinct. While
it has been the pleasure Of Divine Wisdom
TO read us lessons from the book Of nature,
as guide 10 respect to most Of our other du
ties and relations, in regard to the frame work
of government man has been left to work oIt
his own temporal salvation Every govern
ment, in my judgement, is purely Convention
al, it is strictly an artificial being 1t is the
work of man. have referred to the social
instinct. This impels US into society IL
plainly indicates to us, that we cannot devel-
op our faculties either moral or intellectual
and perhaps even our physical strength, cx-
cept in d social condition; but nature leaves
us to work out the problem for ourselves, SO
Ear as The social compact or government is
concerned.
Yet ! am very far from conter limo that
there arc no fundamental prir.oiples -
ernment, On the cocc.rary 3 IL, 4; Z. ; gosi
ual'on on ioe 9TH has ]. fundamental min
MI rs ,"e autec-.acy Of Russia, the DIES
,s'ns OF -aslria aud Turkey. She reyolu-
''9"a' !, government Of France, the hierarchy
~ Rome each rests upof, certain fnndaman