Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-05-09

Nj, 49,, no.y Dir here is the basis upon "aich> Is
formed the Legislative department Of ho
on the proposition Of a 10 basr what be ds
oa from the Valley Mr. Cook says,
Ivy te let;,e principles and results of the two plans
If comnromsc, the submitted ny Judge Upshur the
other by Mr.. Gordon. tho as,,;, &c ,ho .,ro
s oo'r fore the Committee-riz the schem es
Wsssrs Inshur and Notwithstanding to these plans
By Mr.. Gordons Senate Of 81 Is West 10 10 East
unro i difference in favor of the West of I'D part
| of the whole Senate.
| os nv T ION so West. 10 East
Thus the plan of Mr. Gordon, preferable to that of
Mr Tnshur sixth; thus in the two Houses, the diff
ference between the two plans is very nconsiderablc
But in another respect there is very important differ
cnce That of Mr.. Upshur contains principle of flu
ture apporonmcnt, principle of vitality and selfprc
| seryation which Mr.. Gordons entirely wants He
would therefore, say it with all due respect, that Mr.
Gordon mere shift and temporary expedient to
Get clear Of present embarrassmcns, much as he der
e., to support any pan which came from that quarter
| from gentleman to whom he had been so much in
dcbted as faithful friend of refora yet he could not
support plan which settled no principle, and
mere temporary patchwork of Constitution be
pieces some five or six years hence by the agitaors
and Jacobns of that day
Here then the result shows that in fact the PROPOSE
ton of Mr. Gordon and Mr.. Upshur, the same that
they produce the came results and although Mr. Cor
don took for the basis of representation the white pop
ation of 1920 it gave the distribution of power
as the combined bass-tho basis of white population
and Federal numbers So it was in fact recognition
Of the very principle advocated by gentlemen who advo
cate the mixed basis of representation upon this floor
We go fer the mixed basis, not that care much
about the principle of the mixed basis but because it
effects proper distribution Of political power-because
it arranges and protects all the diversified interests Of
| the Commonwealth
Mr.. VAN WINKLE. If the gentleman will permit
no. would like to know whether he to say that
the present representation is apportioned upon mixed
basis
Tho white population Of 1926 was adopted the ba
sis of the apportion established by the present consttu
ton If the mixed basis, according to population and
taxation in 1929 had been adopted, the ma ory against
the west would have been thirtytwo. Whereas, lear
ing out Alexandria, it is twenty two the differ
between seyentyeight and itysix, precisely the
result which calculation based exclusively upon the
white population Of 1920 will give. And certainly if
there had been any intermixture, if it had been the
crage Of other plans into which taxation had entered
| the result would not have been so.
| Mr.. LETCHER. If my friend from Henry will give
way for moment, will inform him fiat in CONVEX
| saton with Gen. Gordon short time ago, when
he attending TO law in the court of this city,
he informed distinctly, he had based representation
upon the white population Of 1920 There are other
gentlemen here-my friend from kanawha and others
who present at that conversation. Taxation did
| not mingle with it and had no connection with it,
Mr. MARTIN. 1t seems to me-with all respect
if gentlemen had listened to what had said they would
admitted, that the proposition based upon the
white population of 1920, but said that the result
and practical object was accomplished as by the propo
sition advocated BY eastern gentlemen. 1t had prodll
ced the result The basis Of representation based
upon the combined ratio of federal numbers and white
population. horc than that-the result Of that vote
shows that it was triumph Of the friends of the very
principle of representation commended for upon this
floor, by the portion Of the State BECAUSE BY
refc cnce to the final vote upon Mr. Gordons PROPOSE
ton, you will find it carried BY vote of SIS TO Al,
and that it sustained by every eastern gentleman
upon that floor except three from the county of Lou
doun, two from the Bedford district and two from the
Pttsylvania district seven gentlemen who all along in
that great contest, agreed with the west in favor of the
white basis Of representation and voted against by
cry western member of that body except Messrs Cooke
and Henderson. If the result of that Convention is
to be invoked authority in this discussion if that is
to be relied upon principle to sustain the gentle
mans proposition, it is more argument in favor of
the position occupied by eastern gentlemen than that
advocated by western gentlemen.
But there various other objections which have been
made to the principles embraced in the proposition sub
mited by the distinguished gentleman from Fauquier,
Mr. Scorr 1t has been argued with great ingenuity and
ability by gentlemen from the west, that this basis of
representation dcgrades portion OF the constituency
they represent upon this floor The argument has been
very properly met by various gentlemen upon the part
Of the cast, who illustrated their idea Of degradation
thus that if there be anything in their idea that coun
ty is degraded because it has larger population and
only the delegation the principle if carried out
deGrades not only other counties in the same section,
but some counties in every section in the State. il re-
suits from basis of representation. That idea of
degradation-which think is no degradation-which
certainly do not feel in reference to my district al
though to extent it might be applicable there but
it results from the inequality in the number of popula-
ation Of the different counties of the STATE and never
be otherwise, unless you adopt the principle of the
arnIt rYaf Stnpp in tho Sfafaa T
tenn which would destroy all representative RESPONSE
bty-you cannot carry out the principle laid down in
proposition B, that an equal number Of suragans or
voters is entitled to equal number of delegates upon
any other principle, unless you establish the principle
of election by general ticket.
shall therefore, Mir. Chairman with great pleasure,
support the proposition of the distinguished gentleman,
nv friend from the county of Fauouer repard il nc
lust and fair principle Of representation Itdestrovs
what in my humble opinion never should have existed in
an organic law the arbitrary section divisions ofhe com
monwealth. 1t establishes the true rule which should
exist in every representative government, that every
important interest in society should be protected by
having its particular representations and it FRESHNESS
that principle ofrepresenation which pervaded all Of
past history, from our earliest colonial history down
to the present time-that is that the majority of ner
duly qualified according TO law to vote, in each
county election district, whose peculiar interest he
is represent, should have the privilege Of eectng
such representative and that in such election the vote
Of no set of men, should count more than
the vote Of any other set of men, It does more
and what think is nothing more than fair and equi-
tablet gives to thai R9r,ion of the State which
makes the largest contributions to the public reasury,
the greatest influence in he legislative department Of
the government In other words it gives to those who
pay the taxes the control of the application of the tax
cs, in which can perceive degradation TO any one
nothing unjust, unequal or anti-republican The
prominent and distinct ground upon which the PROPOSE
ton was placed by the able gentleman himself-upon
which it has been put by other gentlemen who have
succeeded him in the advocacy Of the mixed basis Of
representation and upon which has been relied upon
by its friends generally is that the mixed basis of re-
presentation was not only necessary protect the east
interest of the State against unjust and onero,s
exactions but was necessary protect them against
improper and unequal appropriations. The distinguish
ed gentleman, my friend from the counts of Rockbrd.e.
Mr AooRE) sensible Of the force of that view of the
subject, ehtere, Gto long and abou-cd argument TO
sustain the proposition, easern interest and the
eastern section of the State, required as nan ppro
prations for the purposes of internal improvements as
the western part Of the State. He went into an inre
NOUS of the different localities and of the in
proycments already made in the different sections of
! the commonwealth the northwest, in The south
west in The valley, and in eastern Virginia. to sustain
his position. 70 soi that such statement was s,ts
tanned by the facts in the case he o rs he represents
upon this floor county every fen or fifteen miles of
1 &, ebortf i,no ho H.