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

.,,rronndnr him With checks and guards You
have even declared your want OF iath III the ministers
of the GOSPEL Your existing constitution, and the re-
port upon table Of your EGa;dsTe c'% Whr
hi, ask nv friend from Jefferson, (Alr. LucA>j who
NAV be member Of that committee!
Mr. IIrCAS Yes am on that committee:
M, SOUTUALL Aud without intimatng IN "pin
ion As to the Justice policy of such an enactment
villa: pregnant evidence does II not furnish al YOU
io,Io.r r men Seine 900 1900 citizens, who's,
ronn,;:,n i, Ia win ..n back from the paths al vice
and trrn Them in the way Of virtue and pcty-' bod,
of mon who for purity Of life for moral worth ant
heightened principles Of religion, dsncrescd cham
pions Of religious freedom and sound and liberal prln
cples Of political liberty, will avorahly compare will
any portions 81 the world TINS large hody u aehss
.lrates of the skicS' because their vocation Is no
secular but hcaycnl bound so aras eligibility Il
vour legislative councils is concerned, wholly distran
chscd Such is volr declaration Of want "i 'ltl II
men and if your citadel Of liberty Is to be surrounded
and ed lv cautious securities of this sort how
it that YOU say that principle demands that ~; Is L
be u,rt.ted To- the uncrck will Of the arbItrar; ru!'
Of majority of numbers: 1t is jealousy Of, not iIl!
H. men entrusted with political power, tina, FURNISHES
the best safeguard of free government. Faith may h'
essential t" carry I" Heaven; bat government
who's. security aud foundation rest on faith III men: VII
uitinIat civ and speedily come IL political destruction
Where there i an Identity, though not an equality
Of ntcre>ts-whcrc the interests Of society are !Ion
genors-whc!c the burdens Of government Will tai
alik. on ALL and equally throughout The colnnunlty
where opposing conflicting, ~ gr"graph Ica interests
in property are found, the basis Of government may
with apparent safety, general rule though o,sibli
not without exceptions, be III population or pr"
pcrtS or Il cumlnuyling of both There may BE- ampn.
he same people disparyof interests other than wan
Of of property. One portion MAJ ir a.rcul
tural another c".nmcrrEt' and another manufacturing
In tn. State Of New York, think, according to thu
al In
of New York embracing the yag', immediately al
acrnt there are about 10000 inhabitants, speaking
n round numbers When speak Of the city. Incl I'd,
all the towns and villages around 1t having The sain'
interests, carried on and acttit"d AMI iniurc"I hF th
same passions and influences, and looking I" IN" s;itn
Objects. Onclourth of the entire l"puair'' 81 iha
State is embraced in the cit", under city influences
Suppose YOU were about to establish government
there what would You take the bs-S--rl"mb"rS:
appeal to gentlemen here. appeal L" IN" agrruiiir
alists of the west would YOU take that the basis %
your government. Would or western frirnds, Ina,
| Richmond alone cnr-nur,h Of the population "f The
State with other large commercial cities IN Tie east
sufficient if t." cuntr" {" exert orcralrad"wn.
Influence in lci ll;iy. councils deem Tia" 'li"r.iN
of numbers sale RELIANCE for grazing AMI Ggrlcu!
| tural people:
Look t. the city If New York, with her 600 "
population, culno-. al all ions, and fruitful Nth Al
vices where the negro stands side by side with The Whit
man at the polls aud where suffrage knows ~ lin
| its an. is only checked, 10y MODS and h@d.tcon.
that Surro,ln. the ballot box-sc. uIc Of the :,rc:
commercial clnporiulms Of The world, with Iarg: por
tions Of her wca, On and beyond tn" brimy deep
not to be reached by bill and whether ii hcr,
be- a. there is in ilr State u! New York Iarsr a:r.ul
&s,A interests, such interests can Ion. he safely con
s1!foIlch BY the ma orty Of Numbers:
Though The experiment Is hut of yesterday are i'r,
not already portentous signs of coming clyunnS! |.
property secure among those c"pl And du"s NAT
the law and her ministers begin thus EARL /" bend aiir
| fly before the assaults upon them:
| am looking at this qa">il"n upon principle. am
not nquring whether, III the State 81 New YORK you
might not give to the MAJORITY this power according /.
the plan and system OF checks and balances suggested
bv my friend from Jefferson, Mr. Luc,s) by r.vn- the
hands of the nriurity tied brhind them an loukilr
at it rs a great question "f principle 10 how TIA,
basis of government shall lr settled Would you,
repeat g" for the majority .! numbers III that STATE:
| I'm New York would. out "f rs members "f the
assembly, give the city - And besides this, New
York j. spotted from ,hc falls Of Nagir! To III,
CITY itself with large commercial towns. Let the
jorit. of mcr" numbers have full sway anil clcaI
sweep for !. time AMI it needs prophet to tell what
ultimately i, to he the destiny of the property, and !"
the agricultural interests OF the state.
Mr. LETCIiER. New York has based her government
OH the majority of numbers.
Mr.. SOUTIIALL. Yes, -he has done New York
has done it, and she may The day when she will pray
In he delivered from IT, Her history is vet be wril.
ten and that future history will tell of the result,
her present policy, and the signs OF the times
not tlcusve she will have occasion 10 pray 10 bc dc
vercd from the evil. Were an irtabitant there and
property oldcr Of any extent, would fly from this
majority of numbers, who have no sympathy with The
pr0pcrty holdcrs. and less id"nty Of interest. would
v from this great commercial power backed 10y float
ng population with larg. inii,ios of negroes AMI for
cigncrs is | would escape Tr"ma plagued city.
This question of establishing basis Of government
on ma arv Of numbers has been decided. believe, in
H. ~. Nn,xl and, in
Mr.. LETCIlER. No. ii has not yet been decided
Mr.. SOuTHALL Then have been misinf"rIned
was told by gentleman who supposed to be- and
who generally L. we'll informed that the question hsG
been before the convention Of Maryland in Committee
of the Whole. that the proposition 10 adopt for thai
State white population rs the legislative asis had been
rejected by decided majority. As there 10 be
some doubt about it, Though cannot but think that
some Indication hostile to the principle has been made
that body, will lie" further notice IT, To return I" tl
bill of rights.
felt little surprise that the honorable gentle.
man from Frederick, Clr. BlEnl who addressed the
committee the day before yesterday and might add
that other genileie advocating the same side win,
have addressed lis. have in their examination of the
bill Of ri gifts invariably stopped short when they got
through the third article II w"ul,l seem ii they
.rrcd hat other PORTION of The hill Of rehts than
its frat, second, and third articles had any inrcnc" in
furnishing the key Ia lis Interpretation and
ing beg leave to trac" it a littl. further.
The fifth and sixth articles OF this instrument assert.
also great p"ca truths which, app vim, the
sions of gentlemen t" the principles "f taxation.
would To settle this question and close this arli-
nent These articles erect beacon lights Ia guide the
statesman and political architect in the formation oi gov
crnment They clmc, il were, a. Il voice from The
Isriuus dead Ia their pu>erity against The sad
consequences Of such a principle urged t"
adopt.
The fifth article proclams that the members r the
legislature IN order 10 he rsranc, from oppression l
feeling and participating the burdens of the people
should al fixed periods he reduced to private station
In this you have the true rnc pie of representation sol
emily declared Compare with it The modern po,ulatc
that representation should be based upon minority 81
numbers regardless of property and the principle 81
one is opposed 10 and destructive Of the other So the
sixth clause declares, that man in the community can
be taxed or deprived of his property for public uses
without his consent, that Of his representative II
this be, as it is, political axiom: if il means what
seems To be scfrvent that taxation and representa-
ton are corrcavc terms that tn. one implies The other
how does this portion Of this sixth article square with
the pretenton that representation should have rel
ton to taxation but should be wholly confined IL popu
lation What becomes Of this great and invaluable
security announced in the bill Of rights and constituting
the ifelood of every free representative government
If casting out property unworthy of consideration in
its basis the ority of numbers is alone to be looked
TO a. the sole and only foundation of government
Though you give to the property hoders. if minority
representation according to their numbers Of what
avail is il to them. For though their delegation might