Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-04-21
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 81, 1851.
THE TIMES, TERMS.
A poarning to Eastern Delegates an the Conren-


ton.
The following significant article from the Ne,0
York Tribune of Thursday last, the ablest and
most powerful of all the anti-slavery papers of
the North, comes to us in time to be laid before
those Eastern members of our State Convention,
ifany there be, who are hesitating to carry out
firmly the principle of representation which they
were elected to uphold.
The first paragraph, giving the statistics of the
white population of Virginia, is copied by the
Tribune from some other paper
WHIrs POPULATION OF VIRGINIA.-At this time it
will be interesting to know when the majority Of the
white population fell the Western part Of the State,
and how long it belonged to the East In 1870 the
majority OF white population IN the East was $50 49,
1920 it was 94964: and in 1880 it came down to ST.,
Ol2 In 1910 the preponderauce turned in favour OF
the West and it exhibited the small majority OF 2,72
In 1850 ii went up 90, 392 being nearly equal what
the Eastern majority was in 1920 AT the next census
it will show a still larger increase.
The preponde ance of the tree White population in
Western Virginia uhe Tribune says accounts for the
clam Or made by of the Eastern politicians in the
Reform Convention now in session in Richmond, to
secure the continuance of the Mixed property and
VII lite popuation) basis 10 Representation.
The protraced debate in the Virginia Convention OH
the Basis oil Representation closes the 18th inst.
Henry A. Wise has announced himself in favor OF
White Basis, AND IT Is SUPPOSED THAT THE
SETThEMENT OF THIS "a QUEST Ifp NH
AND MAKE VIRGINIA A FREE STATE. I'm
der the Mixed Basis. Eastern Virginia has majority
of2s, and controls the legislation of the State.
The Tribune, with its usual astueness, defer
red this announcement, that the abolition o. sla-
very might be expected to follow the establish
ment of the white basis in Virginia, so that it
IL, oJ;t
supposed, the Convention had reached decision
But the resembling of the resolution to take the
vote on Friday, gives us the opportunity of COM
mending the warning to every delegate from
Eastern Virginia. We have strenuousy protest
ed against the white or suffrage basis, not only
success in Eastern Virginia, at this alarming
juncture of our national affairs, would give most
untmely sanction to the arguments of that formi.
dable party in the North which is leagued togeth-
err to break down the slave interest of the South
ern States, by destroying the protection secured
to it in the Federal Constitution. 1t is the Fede-
raj basis of that Constitution which alone dsables
a northern majority in Congress to assail slavery
in the States. If, in the face of the Free Soil
agitation, and despite their constant declarations
that it is degrading to the North that three-ffths
of the slaves shall be represented, Virginia shall
acknowledge slave representation to be anti-re-
publican and unjust Gas the w God resolutions
boldly declare) how can we expect the Abolition
lists to stay their hands, or conservative northern
men to stand up against their reckless designs?--
We do not impute to any advocate of the white
basis in the Convention, desire to interfere with
the tenure of save-property, but we do affirm that
the white basis would place the power to interfere
with it in hands not rghtfully entitled to exercise
that power and the history of all governments
may instruct us what to expect from such state
of things. The Neo York Tribune, at least,
glores in the prospect which the expected adop-
ton of the white basis in Virginia holds out to
the opponents of slavery. If any Eas tern man in
the Convention has been startled from his propr-
ETY., this northern note of triumph is enough to
make him stand erect again.