Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-09-18
NO. 50.
Slave Representation.

T ihosNSiot w ehc behtih bONCInucntt as IL -cnd-
bles them to control IL at the expense of the
North. But it fails to be equally accepti bic to
them in their state governments. Its influence
is to throw tho whole government of the state
into the hands of a few shareholders. Virginia
had a desperate struggle on the question last
year. Even South Carolina is restless under
this aristocratic ruic, aud the more moderate
slave states, have utterly rcpudiotcd IT,
Louisiana is just now ngtating the question
with no li.u: interest. A convention for tho
revision OF their constitution has just closed
its session. In discussing tho merits of its la.
bors, the following article contained in tic new
constitution receives severe condemnation.
cart. 8. Reprcst ntaiion in the House Of
Representatives shall DC equal and uniform, and
shall be regulated and asccrtaincd By tie total
population of each of the scv ,ral parishes of
the state"
This peculiar feature Of republicanism, against
which only a few of the most fanatcal aboli-
tionists object, which oven the Pittsburgh
Platform docs not sec. fit to propose to change,
which has been ncquicsccd in by all our states
mon, north and south, which it is high treason
to condemn even in this latitude, is receiving
some terrible thrusis in Louisiana. The press
there is not nt all rcconcicd to the tact that the
planter with his five hundred or thousand
slaves, shall have the same political power, as
five hundred or thousand non-slavcholdinr
citizens, incluing their merchant princes, bank
capitalists, sc. They declare that it is "anii
republican," invidious," "impoitic," aud
unjust" They ask with some emphasis, why
the the OK and the ass are not also included in
the constitutional basis, as well as the slave
The necessity for the existence Of this "anti-
republican, invidious and unjust" arrangement
in the federal government is very frankly set
forth as follows, by the New Odeaus True
Delta
"Intolligen. men well know that the federal
basis wa, adopted to strengthen the stare states
dyaiHa he possible encrOacAmeHtS OF the free, and
the prepondcrance, it WAS justly feared, free
immigration from Eupopc would give the lat.
ter. 1t was in point of fact, precautionary
step taken as against, not probable, but posi-
bic, enemies of slavery"
Against the adoption of tho measure in rs
own state, however, it demonstrates as foil lIws
Bit whOeeer heard Of such guaranty de-
mdnded BY STARE state against is oiCn popuid.
fion when ii this constitution he accepted
10y the people, will hr the case? Now we
lave too much respect for the intelligence,
shrewdness, aud circunspeclion OF the large
planters, to believe that they would cuunle-
nnDre, 10y any act of theirs, an itnputaiion
10 dangerous, s0 uuionnded, aud 50 unjust,
as lhnt in amy pnrisl in the state, wherein is
n large white population, any unkihd feeling,
any uniriendly or hostile feeling, exists he
tween them; or ihnt it would he possible.
under any circumstances short oi such con-
stiiutionnl provisions of this basis, which
every one condemns, TO array the people in
opposition to the interest of iIieir, IN n world.
ly sense, more fortunate lrlloM-ciizrns.-
Equally ridiculous would it hc io call upon
the people TO oppose or approve the cousli
tntion on party grounds seeing that party
hud nothing whatever 10 do with the enact.
nctment of the clause containing the nhoni-
nable provisOnwllich puts the Intelligent,
industrious aud enIerprisiue citizens OH tie
same level MS the slave. Men calling them
distinction, aud presses claiming To b. drn.
ocralic approve 10y their silence the ineX,,i.-
bic wrong thereby inflicted upon the people.
" II The delegates who voted or il, did so
under the impression that the slaves of the
state are more eligible as representative
basis than the OK or the ass, recommended
by our ConcOrdia contemporary. we really
cannot see on what principle, any more than
we can possibly iiud excuse or cXtcnuniion
for the violation of everything like republican
equality in what they have already done.
We regard the question only ia one light,
and that is, its dangerous and most odioms
features. We do not regard it as question
affecting Plaquemne any more Than -.
Lmdry, Jefferson Than Jackson, Washing
ton than Franklin parish. II denies Justice
10 The people IL introduces distinctions i0hich
for forty years hare been unknovn in The state
and distinctions phich every one Of lis Southern
sisters, which have Of late years remodrlrd
their organic law, hare repudiated; and it is
for these reasons we oppose II. We oppose,
and shall eper oppose a constitution rhich makes
no distinction betiUeen The ,uhiie citizen and The
sidre in 0ppOniOning The representaiion-a Con-
stitIltion which places the government and
destiny of this city mud this noble state in
the hands of fingmeutOf the population,
exceeding but by n fraction the palIry num-
ber of eighty thousand souls, II number be-
low that of the population of this city, eX-
elusive of Lafayette, (Ihe Fourth DisIrict).
"NO man has yet appeared in print with
efIroniery enough to approve whit this con
venlion has done. Every one, on the COLI
trary, who has spoken, condemns, as we
condemn, the slave basis Of representation
Can il he doubtful, then, whether the people
will ratiiy or reject the constitution, when
even the ock-jobbers aud speculutor, who
hope TO become enriched by II, have nothing
to urge in its favor?
Ii is too late in the day to introduce eithel
the slave or jackass qualification for repre-
sentative basis and that the architects ofih'
new constitution will or we are much mis-