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

/
committee to consideration connected with
this subject which With me, is an everything
one As,already intimatcd pre- pose TO take
, a practical view Of the question. And ask
fit would not be far more profitable for us
instead Of expanding our efforts upon an in
quiry IS to what vas the principle upon which
the arbitrary basis Of 70 rested, to meet ut
once the grave question that lies before us?
What are the objects which il is proposed to
attain in adjusting the question Of repreaen-
tation in the legislative Department. have
already shown in regard to the constituency
which have the honor in part to represent
on this floor that there is no enc interest to
be found in the East, that does not exist in
an equal dcgfec in my district. That there
is no protection from undue and unjust taxa
tion or against wild aud reckless system Of
expenditure for the purposes Of Internal i'm
proyement, that is not as much needed In re-
half Of my people, as Of any voter East of the
Blue Ridge. There is no feeling ofunquali-
fed reprobation in the East, stronger than
that which pervades the people whom rep
resent against this most wrctched and demon
alizing system Of log trolling which has re-
Gently made its appearance in our legislative
halls. The simple case is this: our ot9ectis
the same, orr ends are the same, and the on
" point of difference between us is az to the
R0dus operandi in efeeting these ends, re-
spectfully demand then Of our Eastern friends
how do you expect to remedy these evils by
your mixed basis scheme Of apportioning rep
resentation in the legislature Suppose chat
we introduce the mixed basis into the consti
tuition and give you a majority Of fourteen in
the house of Delegates. and six in the Sen
ate, which understand would be the result.
Would it remedy the evil, which every good
man so much deprecates? How ask, are
we to avert the dangerous tendency of our
recent legislation on this subjeet2 The gen
tlemen from Mccklenburg has gone into an
elaborate examination not only of the amount
Of State debt which has already accumulated,
but Of the amount of money that would be
required to complete the various improve
ments now in progress Of construction. But
he only pointed out the evil; and any one
can DO that. We all know it. But our duty
stops not there, we must apply the remedy
and who seems disposed t. unite with US in
accomplishing that object? Why is it that
when we of the lower end of the valley, are
exerting our energies and striving in every
possible way to eontrive some devise to put
an end to this state Of things, and to place
the policy of internal improvements upon
scientific sensible. ard judcious footing, why
is it, | say, that all our Eastern friends are
holding back from US? Why do not our
mixed basis friends in the metropolitan dis
trict cooperate with us? Why is it that the
gentleman from Richmond Mr. Lyons) in
cfaad IF oi1inr ne r,;ti, LIZ o1,aeol - -
operation goes cut of his way to make an I'M
provoked attack upon us, twittiug us, to use
his own elegant phrase, with being great on
guarantees y recur to the important prac-
teal inquiry, how are you to remedy the evil
to which / have alluded?
VIII your mixed basis scheme do it? So
far from this | verify believe that the exist
ence of an Eastern majority in the legislature
and the logged and Understanding oppo-
sition to tho Tide water delegates to every
scheme for improving the State, and deyel-
oping its resources, have given birth to this
disgraceful scramble for public appropriations
We here and announce our purpose
whether you adopt the mixed or the white
basis--to devise some plan, if possible, to
suppress the system of log rolling, and save
the Commonwealth from either Reputation
or excessive taxation, an object deemed by
us practically, and apart from the great prin-
c1ple involved. even more important than the
question Of basis itself And how are we
met? BY a sheer, or at least, cold indilfcr-
ence on the part of those very gentlemen who
| are moving Heaven and Earth to carry their
point, and would have the people believe that
the salvation Of the Commonwealth itself
depends upon their success in retaining the
very state of things under which this evil has
grown up. What does my judicious and ven
| cradle friend from Loudoun (Mr Janney)
say upon this SUBJECT? | know him Of old
! know he is not the man to take weak ar
gumcnt whore a strong one can be found
What does he tell us He brings the gold
en- rule of proportion to bear upon us thus 4:
If Legislative majority of fifty-four in the
East up to the year 1920 80 kept the debt
| of the State down to about the sum of one
million of dollars, and if the majority being
reduced to twenty eight by the constitution
then formed had the effect of increasing the
debt of the State to Is or 20 millions Of dol
lars, what will no majority at all in future
produce! | state the argument fairly, and
ut strikes me as most extraordinary, coming
from gentleman of his intelligence. First
he assumes that the East, and the entire East
is our guardian and protector against the Of
feets and consequences of log-rolling and rcck-
less expenditure for purposes Of internal i'm
provement. Is that true? Who have been
the prominent parties in this business oflog-
rolling? Why Piedmont and the West
the Valley sometimes receiving a share of the
spoils-and even Tide water itself now aud
then taking turn, as If to get its hand in
Piedmont especially has united with the ex-
treme West in carrying out these log-rolling
schemes, without regard to principle or any
digested system for developing the resources
OF the state One section says to the other
assist me in voting the appropriations desired
by my constituents, and 10 return will vote
you yours. In truth the process has been
placed upon the footing of distinctly un
derstood contract How then can the zen.
| tleman assume that the East, and the whole
East, is the psoper guardian against these
legislative abuses No portion Of the East
except the Tide water region, can put in such
claim, and even Underwater if | NAV be
nardonp1 tha axnraeuion h..