Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-03-04
against which every element of republican institutions

seemingly, With the view to give Ills opinionS oie
weight with the eastern delegation that ne was born
within shot of this, hall If assembly Aye.
the rosy of his boyhood had been spent in and
about the temple Of rights in which eur fathers learned
their faith He had gone from us his fortunes had
grown with-to us this question: stranger people,
and he comes back in the strength of his manhood to
lead their embatted cohorts in the onset with torch in
hand already lighted, to consume this temple of his
fathers.
have here a word for the gentleman from Augusta,
ir SnErrxY 1t is 20 thank him in the of the con-
stituercy | represent in the name of the "out-side
row. fo. the high compliment which he has paid to our
intelligence, and our Integrity. And what this
compliment In the gentlemans opening remarks, he
spoke with feeling and eoquence peculiar to himself
Of great g,oundswell OF Indignation which would be
heavei up from the hearts of the people of Augusta
against any attempt to appeal through their interests
to their principles. Yet what did the gentleman do!
On the first occasion when he occupied the floor at the
81 Of his remarks he iod us he wshedto submit some
remarks relative to ide-water End Piedmont; and he
grayely the second day. proceeded to appeal, .hror'
her interests to the principles of tide-water
Mr. SHEFFEY. Not so: no such thing
! Mr.. BEALE | am glad did not understap 4 The
gentleman corecly-glad 10 find my friend Fl -, An
glsta would be unwilling TO address to tidc-w tr on
sderations which he thought should not omId not
addressed to the constituency which he msf renre
sented do not propoae to follow, hror oh Ill His Wide
range the gentleman who preceded me. T. vos,v nur.
pose to address the committee, nrep 70 the ar1ment
submitted by the member from CIR .enl,r;sr l5 in en-
DONG hndIt necessary to notice sc,o &c ts No. ions
assumed by the gentleman from Augusto Each Inns
directed TIE attention oil thee .mmtlec 10 our hin Of
- ms Two gfeh. prlh ples first submitted for
those contained in the al ort;l 81 ,h.
u rights, which declares tba, oll mower i; Vested in
"'u consequently uer' ged from the people and sec
d 1 ass.r"' their trustees and servants
ta 60 Ie m enable to them None here question
ac oi.e' Iie 'f' Gh or the practical applicability OF
nile but far IFS or
-; ~ ding between us, concerned the OK
+, tho MO- nentary the high praise accorded to them
.1d ny .nber WERE conceive beside the question
y. w ot affect that issue. The third priHcipcin the
,ts lny friend from Gfeenbrier drawn from:
~, ;ond member of the third article Of the bill OF
!. $, which declares "that when any government
al be found inadequate, or contrary to these purposes
majority of the community hath indubtable. I'M
aennble and iudefeasblc right to reform. alter, or
abolish it in such manner shall be judged
ducive to the public veal" This too constitutes the
second great principle which the member from Augusta
would lay down as cornerstone i'll that edice which
We about TO construct. That principc-thc jus
majors-wich had the sanction Of the urersaiis
sensus hemin,tm omiRu,n. To this the member from
Augusta added another sacred principle contained in
;he !;rst member of the first article in which ii
serted that all men by nature equally free and ,-
dependent, and this IN his opinion, forms the
stone.
From these two principles, each OF the gentlemen
have argued lyon these they rely to sustain the doc
trne that Tor the 'pui-
laon and white population only should be regarded
This doctrine of numbers constituting the only
proper basis Of representation, originally assumed for
the protection OF property, or the rights In property
TIE truth OF the dogma maintained by writers upon ro
li:ical sci encc that population numbers furnished
the true index of wealth that given numbe. Of peo-
lie i'll ans section oi the country, would az l"n-
cral rule, represent quality Of interests III property
but sn &c goyernnen,s have ui>icrtakeu 10 collect sta
tistcs upon IT, subject TINT dogma ha5 proved - be
,r,f I'D fhnl 9.fru nla cuI NM, atbn
priaci piles. The declaration the natural equality and
inder endt of men, and that other declaration OF the
right of the majority to CONTROL are declared to be great
:rincp les-fundanicntal praclcs-and 10 be a.knoS!
edged and applied in the structure OF every government
properly organized. This done, it is maintained that
the proposition results that to each member Of the
mnity be assigned perfect equality of politica!
wei shi and this is the noble end for which gentlemen
are ccntenng But it this reasoning will carry
even them too far. The vcr advocates of this natural
aality of mon-of this great majority rule-srnk
back from tie legitimate results Of their principle
All men equally free and Independent. anu the
majority Of the community has the inalicnabe indu
oitablc right to control and each member of the
Immunity being equally free, must have equal political
weight; the doctrine was too broad Ii this equality
be a natural right-indefeaslbc and malicnable-the
community could have no power TO deprive any single
member OF ths his natural right and this absur ty
sarily resuted-the incompetency of the society
!nunitv 10 fix any standard Of suffrage which should
cudc women, infants, paupers, or clons. How is this
avoided or met I isy oh ngc of frcnt and now tie
advocates Of these great natural right; place before
the true basis Of representation, qualified voters
Voters qualified How qualified! Are tese Gualilica
tons too like the rights of prescribed by nature
Have gentlemen, in all their abstract reasoning been
able to deduce from nature tic qualifications of suf
fragani Is there some secret law of nature which
points the conclusion that institution By adopted
in their social organization, and which must ntces
le rel have been poscroT to the formation Of that
civty when established Is to be governed by natural
lawi principle which admits the right of sotiety
prescribe and fix the qualifications of the voter, but
when prescribed and fixed, the natural indie
penecncc nnd equality 81 I'LL tiers. assigning 10 each
leQua! weight. This right of suffrage, / maintain is
purely conventional. l hazard nothing in the assertion
that there member upon this floor howsoevcr pro-
Sound may be his devotion to the natural hts of
who will deny the right of the community o say its
organic law who shall and who shall not, exercise the
elective franchise Then what becomes of the argument
based upon tho great principle of the bill! Of rights de-
,uced from natural equality, and the rule Of majority
"a fundamental principles which secure to every
equality in suirages submit has, in statement b.
been abandoned and the nalic,able rights of man. BY
their own admission. coniidpd to the discreon-no,
would say the gentleman from au,Gstt-contic 10
that to him. most execrable principle of cypcdcncy
The discretion Of the community prcscrbes the light o
suffrage and that discretion upon considerations OF
expedienty.
But 1.-THE elective franchise is n necessary part of
representative administration and that franchise is two
The and the otter the effect Upon this suliee:
tie member from alsa thinks the eastern Delegation
Involve themselves Ill singular ais,rdty All admit, lie
alc,scs that suffrage shall be equa None are So hardy
to isfsc the fountain with this poison Of oaous
ar-tocracy but the advocates Of proposition, 4 pro.
pose infusc that poison in the stream lower down.
10 illustrate he says, al! admit the injustice Of allowing
the worth ten thousand dollars To east ten votes
vhic his neghbor. worth but Thousand dollars shall
cas-: but ono. But put the effect of the mixed
pound basis, is give to one hundred men, worth one
million of dollars political power in the shape of
representation, than to two hundred men worth five
hundred thousand dollars Further to place this 40
s,rdty in stronger light, the gentleman on to
show that fifty men, worth the million, with fifty po,r
neighbogs. worth nothing, would have this preponlcr
ancc Of political power, over ono hundred WORT; hc
five hundred thousand with one hundred worth nothing
thus only giving to the property Of eastern Virginia
undue ascendancy but actually SO cev,s;ng the poor
man in that section to make him equal to two equally
rich as himself in the west the very droppings from
the houses of the wealthy cfecting sucha result And
these illustrations prove tho molstrons absurdity The
gentleman seems to conclude that the admission that
the suffrage shall be equal necessarily carries with it
the further admission that the effect of that sulIrage
IL. L. rtt