Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1851-03-18

eTnfien IT h,, Tho giT Il heaysn in .Ie east and
NOT in the westl Am lto infer, as that gfhtist'en
seemed sagelY to insinuate, that poSs anu -
~ on this side of the IIouniainr were WcuacS IN
licaycb3 Did they derive their Save PIOP-.''$ ny
the gift of Coda Did deity give man 70 lilaa oE
property in mani Ard yet this IS me sEeat Ecu
Iiar interest that clms all power anu an tIo.eS
zion What uniust dreai tls-thai the west would
overtax or impair the light TO THIS Pec1llat lEpeI
~, held by some forty o. fifty 'honsahI PS"p;e omI4
out Of the nine hundreds =, :" 80
holders living in the Falley ana inc west. arc
these few Shareholders IL rule inc Sta'G ana
tie vast majority Of the whole icoPie 10 IS i ;, VI.
Issue Surely il is the difficulty 1-lc anc !ihet-
tv are the Gift of God and property IL not ihaI Is
the creature OF labor ant enilGo 10 PLoiectiGn and
we are willing TO give thai. speah VI tIIe: lover
possesscd b, the existing minority government not
as 10 the mode and manner in which Il has beeu
exercised / enter not now into that INQUIRY. /
meant mainly 10 discuss the great principle ct the
right of the majority 10 govern, upon WHICH EeSIA
Ibo r;1ht nj self Government. But when II had been
SO boldly thrown up u, that large majority had
adopted our present constitution, ana mat because
majority had called THIS convention, a4Q Ho To
UNFAIRLY come forward AID rendered H., felt called
upon contrary to my utcnded course, TO TeTIeE the
past and show what was the origin OF ihs IN ;ferlty
rule in Virginia, and how power haa neIti On 20
power and struggled Ia retain It. AND l. asnTTn
that have exhibited fairly the miserable, unequal
state OF things, and political vassaage OF tue ma
jority Of tho people, and especially III inc Wt;s uA-
der the old freehold constitution; and the present
sill more miserable ard unequal state OF ihin35,
and political vlssalage under our existing S3ostI-
tuition, and sectional minority rule. With respect
TO the adoption of present constitutions rs no
constitutions based upon white population was pre-
scented or allowed be- presented TO the voters at
the same time it is unjust To say majority have
willingly sanctioned il: The only issue twas a
choice between the old I'd the new and if true, as
gentlemen insist and ! admit there can be no con
vention called under the present government with
out the consent of those who hold the power-no
alternative is left, and no remedy for the evil, but
n resort 10 those great. eternal inherent rights in
the majority of the people, outside of and ndepen-
dent OF this constitutions And the hardship il that
the Inequality and injustice of the present coBst!tu-
tioAal arrangement is still increasing, is growing
worse, and becoming still more aggravated the lon
ger live under it, as shown BY the results Of the
and assessment recently laid before U.S. and
the dissatisfaction of The west has ncrcased and is
increasing, and must continue TO increase, in the
ratio without change, il continued &c be en-
dured forever. Yes THIS eternal clamor fortnight,
not for plumber for the sake of the profit 10 get hold
of the treasury is increasing remember he'hon-
Orable gentleman from Fauquicr, explained away
the supposed use of these terms, and cctainlj 10 my
satisfaction. But the honorable gentleman from
Halifax certainly insisted that, on the part Ci the
west, this was but I" naked question of power for
the lust Of power, and for the abuse Of it." scout
the impuiation, and tell gentlemen that Ere will
not give up in despair We have resources from
which to draw both courage and consolation; we
know, the giant feels his strength come, as he
grows impatient under restraint that this great and
growing west must Eow, or very soon, and thank
basis. Those 'BrivaTlan arms alluded TO Ivy my
friend from Augusta, which the e0st has aided in
extending, at an enormous cost, for the benefit OF
this old city and the east generally, will aid in
rising into power.
We think this change should come now. APP
pcaling TO our own boAOmS to our COnScenccS, TO
our sense Of right and wrong, to our notions Of nat
ura right and the Sreai principles Of justice plant
ed in breasts by the hand that made us, TO the
teachings of those immortal British patriots who
wrote and bed in defence of the same upon British
SOIL which served TO inspire our fureiathcrs who
fought and blrd for the same rights in the r1vou-
tion, to our bill of rights, TO the declarations Of
rights in the thirty constitutions of the thirty free
and sovereign States OF this glorious Union and TO
their constitutions based upon them, and 10 their
practicable experience under them. BY all these
considerations and principles, we feel constrained
TO insist upon this change row. know wefhaye
been told with an air Oh pleasure, that the call
ed the last convention, and have called this. They
prescribed their own terms and conditions as the
honorable gentleman who addressed us yesterday
admitted Upon the uUcqual terms OF uneQualrcp
rescptation the last convened, and they called
this upon the same, which gives them majority
i'll this body, although iIc west has now majority
Of some ninety three thousand white population,
thus securing to them the minority, and sectional
minority and therefore the less Iosrable, still the
power to retain the power. The numbers tc vote
us down here, in this reform convention, and still
10 defeat equal representation, the extension of the
right of suffrage and ali reforms they choose 10 de-
ny, and SO to perpctuak their minority government
over the majority; ands this is the character of the
d. D JT(4lOSeS ScIi-
IIcman from FauquieRS offered a substitute In
this body numbers cOuQt-here numbers give pow
er. Here numbers rule-herc the majority rTinci-
pie is correct and right and is recognized as the
only correct principle, flowing from the jas nl1joris,
that the majority havc the right rule, because it
enables the majority Aerc representing a minority
OF the people posSesseS of the government to hold
on to power, while dekying this power OF numbers
10 be the true Princp&to give power al the polls TO
the majority when the siay would come TO US. The
majority OF the people of the State, OF the free white
,l,fs.,r
powerful here-becaufe this rule, this fundamental
principle, lying thtroo OF the right of SELF gov
eTnmcnt, is denied inEhe basis of representation,
upon which this government rests and has iE pow
And yet this rug works, and is the only one
that will work, or dots work in every other case
and excepting thss single one, OF taking away
power from this Secti al minority in the east, and
giving il to the majo9iy not n the west, but over
the whole State. 4
Thisi still Designating and rejecting the appeal
the long continued appeal of the majority OF the
trcemen of the CumulbnwCalth for equal rights
one that will conlinHs TO increase in earneslness
strength and power az ths majority in the west in
crcases and that wifi grow louder and louder the
longer it is disregardesl and justice denied For il
is swelling beyond tt& mountains and eehuing in
the valley, coming uparom old Accomac, and heard
reVerberating a! the base of the Blue Ridge, upon
voice of ruth, ii mus4a last prevail.
My constituents, occupying the position they do,
as have described, lacking nothing wanting moth
ing and desiring nothtag, but free and equal form
w SoNeIuuSuA, oaSeu apOH people ana eqnalrlghtS,
and not people and lu4Iuating perishabIe souIless
wealth, which is like se stream that is alwa VS. run
ming In and out with Various volume to secure us
in the enjoyment of OR personal rights our lives
and'liberties, as welSas property, which though
less as our ALL is as 6tar TO us as yours Ia YOU
have looked abroad otf II this whole Common wealth
surveyed and contrasAd all its great Interests mar
rowlY inspected and deliberately considered our
present constitution aid frame of government from
its base up, and havS condemned the foundation
upon which it rests f. we'll many of its parts,
and have instructed he so to declare and to obtain
If practicable the desAed reforms and they have in
eleetcharged me to IsocIaim that in coming 10 the
conclusion, that the White basis is the only true re-
publican basis. TheS brought to the consideration
Of the subject minds Gee from all bias arising from
sectional interest or snuence, feeling regarding
their brethren cast al west alike allowing uether
the Blue Ridgeon hi Zone side, nor the Alieghancs
the other to nterpase any barrier to the free and
equal flow of their Elections, bat feeling towards
all and regarding alt: as brethren, bone of their
bone and flesh Of thtsT flesh" part and parcel all
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