The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-01-27


meeting III Collector to convene the
Legislature. lt-was the case with
the Blnfton excitement a fey years
since; and, more. recently, was, the
case with our secession doctrines.
The population and property 3of a
country have to defend the gov
crnnent and support it, For their
protection, governments are, organ
izel, they bear the burdens of GOV.
elnneut,' and should control the
government. They should both be
equally represented in all good gov
crnmcn;s. Every act, before it
becomes law, Should lavc ap-
proval of both these powers. If
tile people alone were represented,
the property interest Of the State
might be i.jarcd. If the property
alone was represented, it might be
to the injury OF the people. But
when both are equally represented,
no injury can accrue to either intcr-
est. And whenever the l.co]le and
the interest. Aud whenever the
people and the interest of the proper-
t.y Of q State require the passage
Of law, it Should be enacted, and
not defeated by rotten borough, sys.
TEN.
The same rotten borough system of
representation was continued in Eng
land for many years, until the
people rose up in the majesty Of their
strength and demanded lis reform
alton. The aristocracy of England
resisted this retn, nation lis long as
they dared to do so. They con.
tended, as is now contcndcd i'll Sonth.
Carolina, in regard to the parish re-
presentation, that no evil had
resulted from it! But the people
knew better. When the representa-
tion of the borouyhs ir England was
first adopted, it was just and fair.
So, too was thesparislffepr
il, Il & II M 3a,ethofousi,s vf
England wcrcS,>at Que time, the NEST
iourshing towns in Tie Kingdom.
They afterwards became deserted
villages, and new towns sprung
up, having thousands AMI tens Of
thousands of inhabitants, without
representative in Parliament. The
same thing has happened to tl.c
parishes. They have lost their
relative wealth and population, aud
great districts have sprung up, like
Anderson and pickens: with two and
three thousand voters, without Sen
ator! Shall this system be continued?
Are VIC behind the people Of England
i'll our republican principles, and
notions ,fpolitical justice and equity?
The sooner this evil is rcmcdied,
the better for the lower country.
All history shows that the postpone
ncnt of remedy makes it more
terrible when it does come. So it
was in France, previous to their
revolution. The nobility and fcudal
lords owned all the lands, and paid
no taxes. The burdens of the gov
ernn1ent fell on the POOR and indus
trious, whilst all of its protection and
advantages were claimed by the rich,
idle and high born. The waters were
damned up as long as they could be,
and when they burst asundcr their
barriers, they SWEPT over the country
with death and dcsolaticn.
The reform bill in England was
resisted till the kingdom saw it must
either pass, or Il revolution would be
the consequence, in Which church
and lords would 90 overheard as
they did in the days of Olive,
| Cromwell.
The people Of the lower country
should give up freely and clcerfully
an undue political influence, which
time and circumstances have acci-
lcntally given them. They can
suffer 10 dctrincnt from thus placing
themselves on an equal footing with
the rest of their icllow.citizcns. They
| nave n) ulStinct interest TO protect.
They arc shareholders and planters,
and so are the people in the upper
country. The upper country, too,
has a deeper interest i'll this property
than the lower country, as we have
a;rcaly shown. When the State
Constitution was first formed, there
might have been some reason in
giving the lower country check on
the legislation of the country. At
that time there was comparatively
few slaves in the upper country. 1t
was not known that the upper coun-
try ever would own much of that
species of property. This doubt has
been solved, and there are now
almost two slaves in the upper coun-
try to one in the lower country.
No people can live together in
harmony, and with perfect good
| feeling. unless thew arc upou an