Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-01-21
MIR. JEFFERSON.

MIR. JEFFERSON.
We happened not to meet, till yesterday, with
the number fthe "Repubcan Advocate % which
contained reply to our late remarks on the au-
thority of Mr.. Jefferson inquestions involving the
subject of slavery. The editor however, does lit
tie more than enter his protest against the udg-
ment we expressed of the unreliabeness of Mr..
Jefersons views on that subject, and quotes moth
ing from the great statesman's writings to disprove
the allegation, save his famous expression thatthe
Missouri question like fire bell in the night
awakened and filled him with terror The Ad-
vocate' admits that Mr.. Jefferson "did in the alb
stract regard slavery as an evil" but says $50
did Gen. Washington" and atfirms that "this ab-
stract opinion has been a settled conviction among
yirginians for ages,' and has 'sno doubt that
such is The opinion Of large majority of Eas-
tern Tirginians noU."
We are very unwilling to enter upon an unpro-
fitable discussion of Mr.. Jefferson's views with
respect to slavery. The time is too unpropitious
for such an investigation. Those who are famil-
lar with his private correspondence, too much of
which is unfortunately in print, cannot but be
aware of the grounds upon whichw have express
ed, and now repeat the opinion, that he entertain
ed sentiments which Southern men of the present
day universally hold to be unsound and dangerous
If we merely desired to carry point in news.
paper argument, we might readily quote passage
after passage from his earlier writings to sustain
our structures But we shall not be Induced un-
less it become unavoidable, to array the dicta of
an illustrious Southern statesman against prnci-
pies which the whole Southern people think and
feel, lie at the very foundation of our social fab.
ric.
With respect to the "Advocae's" opinion of
the present state of public sentiment in Virginia
on the abstract question of slavery, we have only
to remark that it affords significant indication of
the tendency of the doctrine that slaves ought
not to enter into the basis of representation. The
editor substantially comedies that he himself has
Il "settled conviction" that slavery is evil
Does he also concur in the other sentiment of Mr..
Jefferson, that it is crime? He may not 90 so
far, but we must tell him that the unqualified adj
mission by Virginia journal of the evil of slavery,
is an admission quite as untmely, as the authority
Mr. Jefferson is regrettable. We have to deny
the force of that authority when it is adduced by
Northern agitators to resist the just claims of the
Southern States, as members of the Federal I'm
ion, and we cannot receive it as unquestionable
when it is used to subvert long established prn-
ciple in the internal government of the State.
But turning from this unpleasant topic, let us
notice an important point in the advocates" rea-
soning for the white basis.
"The Times contends lit says that Slaves ought to
enter into the basis OF representation for reasons quite
as strong as those which apply to women, children,
ijots and lunatics.' Now, we hold the qualified cleo
tors TO be the proper basis OF representation 1t would
seem both Just and proper that representation in
State Legislature should be proportion to the egt
mate of those who to decide every issue at
the polls. But, nearest to, and perhaps approxi
mating to fraction, this result, we advocate the white
bass-ot in other words, the free white population OF
the State, without regard to sectional or geographical
lines"
To this we answer, why resort to- an approx
nation, when it is just as easy to ascertain the ba
sis of qualified rollers? But nobody even proposes
that basis in practice, for the plain that its
injustice is too readily demonstrate. Suppose
the negro population to be out of the case, and
that whilst the number of voters on either side
of the Blue Ridge was equal, there were twiceas
many women West ofthe Ridge as East of it.
Would any man argue that the representation
ought, in that case, to be equal So surely as
the census exhibited such state of things, we
should see the West maintaining that Protection
was the object of representation, that women
were as much entitled to protection as men, and
that therefore apreponderance of representation
should be given TO the West by virtue of its plu-
rality of women The claim would be perfectly
just and no Convention or Legislature would be
found unwise or ungallant enought to deny it.
Now, although no such inequality of females as
We have supposed, is likely to occur, it is fact
we'll established by the statistics of population, that
serious in equates are constantly presented So
with the children. The census of 1910 exhibited
very remarkable preponderanee of children in
the West, and we doubt not the census of 1850
will show it likewise. These children are as
much entitled as their fathers to protection from
The common government, and we hold that they
are for that reason equally entitled to representa-
ton. Slaves are like women and children, pro-
pery deprived of voice in legislation, and being
nndeniably persons, or part OF the population we
hold that the same reasons, which accord repre-
sentation TO women and children, should accord it
10 them.
The Lexington Gazette, noticing call for a
white Basis meetingin that town, says, "the pros-
poets are highly hattering for the establishment
of this principle of representation. These 'pros-
poets" must, of course, consist in some supposed
;n5;oations NJ the dispositOn of Eastern members