Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1853-04-20

bssJ SvA& ~ alu VI 1tf byosoHs ~ euutAtkuu
and publis works ard in relief Of ker tai psy-
srs. IL en- never Be forgotten Hist she her
self conferred an immense domain upon the
General Government. .for the common use
and benefit Of all the States, according to
their usual respective proportions IN the
general charge and expenditure" Is she
not specially interested 10 seeing to tie fair,
bona ode execution Of this frust7 Ought she
quietly TO submit to its plain abuse aud VIC
lsticn? Nevertheless year after year, these
lands are alenated By Congress against the
terms Of their cession, aud her offended SOW
ereignty raises no Voice Of indignant protest
Her rightto participate 10 the lands acquired
by the common treasure and blood of all the
States is equally clear and indisputabIe.---
But ber democratic representatives. for the
mere sake Of party consistency and to her
manifest injury aud impoverishnent. persist
In declining to assert and demand her Just
claims 10 this trust fund. In vain were they
conjurcd to consider and discuss the proprie
~ Of this distribution; the resolutions intro
duced for that purpose. and which proposed
to take the decision Of the question out of the
bands Of interested olisicians. and submit it
=. -" wv NosS VI shc PSOP'rt tnss siio~""'
which the Democratic party profess to rever-
ence. but fear TO trust on this important sub
jcct, were left to slumbsr upon the table. and
scarcely a voice was permitted to escape from
the chambers Of tho Assembly to arouse and
en!ighten the public mind upon this vital
question. The tyranny of the majority sup
pressed discussion; and there is no hope for
the State to obta;a Der rights in this respect.
save by the mandates of people the at the polls
The Assembly increases taxes; the Treasury
must have augmented means and yet strange
to say the Democratic watch word is away
with the land money" Win the people lon
ger have such men to rule over them
The usual intoxication Of party triumphs
has oyeriaken and subdued dominant party
Of the assembly. They have disregarded the
claims o.. the public service condemned the
justice and magnanimity which once llustra-
ted the Legislative Halls Of Virginia; and
inundated long tried. efficient and faithful
public servants, merely because they were
Wings, to then Unsuitable love Of the spells
But this theatre proved too small for the
exercise OF their prospective zeal and tyranny.
They have projected scheme to array ON
partzan principles, the rewards and employ
ments of business and labor, and thus to SOW
between brother and brother the seeds Of in
terminablc party ieuds and animosities. At
ter proclainiDg through their Press the prin
ciple that the members Of the Board of Public
Works are to be chosen by party tests, they
have gone deliberately to work to give Gil the
power of The banks aud internal Improvement
companies Of the State to this Board and the
Executive, through an Increase Of the vote Of
the State proxies Their object stands oil
most contessed-to reduce to party vassalage
all these companies and to ealist in their par
ty service the immense patronage connected
with the conduct and management oe their
affairs This too. has been done in violation
of tha chartered faith on which this capital
was invested; and. in this view, this measure
may be taken as fearful demonstration of
tho conclusion to Which tue Democratic PARTY
OF this State has come, to seize upon these
companies to convert them into
political machines, to wrest and subsidize TO
party ends publis and private cspital and, /
in 6ne, to establish here that widely ramifed
party domination, which ha. elsewhere cor
rupted the morals and Subyeyted tho Jude
peldence Of the people
To this catalogue Of misdceds, there re
mains to be added greater and crowning
enormity--an offence against the essential and
fundamental principles of representative gov
eminent itself To attain the ends of such
government. it is plainly necessary that rep
resentat.on should be so srportioned Us to
secure even to minorities their due weight
Every variety Of interest aud every shade OF
opinion. should have a lair and equal chance
in well balanced representation Of exertiug
the share Of Influence they may Justly com.
mand. On this principle. the law Of Con
gress directs eections by districts; and our
State constitution, positively prescribes the
distrcting Of the State to this end To at
tain, therefore, in substance but without the
name. the party advantage of an election Of
Congressman by general ticket, is greater
and more hagrant usurpation than the direct
enactment OF such Il law, because il is too in.
sidous to be unmasked to all, and cannot be
subjected to the test Of Judicial sentence.
Now. this precise end is attained by the ap
portionment act Of the present General AS
sembly II accomplishes all the objects of
general ticket; it has smothered ali the mi.
hoiities and makes all the districts demo
cratic by decisive majorities. with one excep-
ton, which is nominal rather than real 10
do this it was necessary to disregard all tights
OF tue minority. and to overlesp the restraints
Of the constitution. A glance at these dis
triets on the map, vii! satisfy the impartial
enquirer, that no eye was had inthe;r forma.
ton 20 community OF interest or compactncss
OF tsrritoryj but that all such reasonable con
siderations were sacrificed to the aspirations
Of particular individuals aud the oycrrulinr
desire to deny all representation to the Wings
OF the State. This latter purpose was scarce.
ly disguised; this abominable Gerrymander
took It's first shape from secret and irrespon
siblo caucuses, was forced to its eagrossment
by the previous question without debate, and
the Democrats who were partially Iisinclined
to il, we're. with few exceptions. finally
driven into its support by tue lash of party
discipline, aud. under this compulsion We'd
with each other in their Efforts to deprive the
Wings OF theirju representation ia Congress
In vain did the constitution Of the STATE re-
mira ha fAuuros al d,.t,,,.. a. L.