Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-04-20

mnd ia 10 be equally and fairly shared by all, or
10 be clutched by favored few whose votes IN
the electoral colleges may turn the scales against
all the demands of common justice and equity
WHY should not Virginia claim her rlghtiul snare
II cannot be because she does not need IT, iief
public debt, incurred for the Development Oh her
vast resources. is annually augment'ng '''e @Hc'
upon her citizens and now II Is 'na' "e' ie0'"
nation OF her righttul dues from 'hS qua''et'"o
fi,ly come in aid of her systems ~ eeuc'o' '','
.pnb,;c works and in relief OF her taX-paye:s. IL
20, n,,cr he forgotten that she herself conferred
an ;,n,nense domain upon the General t'overn>
,,on, far The common use ant benefit q @t me
MI, according 10 TIER tts,tal respec!tre proper
firms ia the eeaeral charge and expenditure Is
sbo not sneeally interested in seeing to the TAR.
hn,, 6de execution of this t7tSlY Ought she qul-
etly 10 submit to its plain abuse and violation =
Nevertheless. year after year, these lands are a
Genated by Congress against the terms OF their eeS-
sion and her offended sovereignty raises no voice
ofindionant protest Her right to participate III
the lands acquired by the common treasure anu
blood of all the States, is equally clear and fndsT
putable But her democratic representatives. lof
the mere sake OF party consistency ana 10 nei
manifest injury and imp1veriShment, perSlS. Ill ue
clininp to assert and demand her Just cialuS Il"
this trust fund. In vain, were they co'1uleu "
consider and discuss the proPrlety OF ms uS'f'ou-
ton: the resolutions introduced Tor that PURPOSE
and which proposed to take the decision OF the
question out of the hands OF interested politicians
and submit it to Il direct vote OF the people, that
tribunal which the democratic party profess to rev.
erence, but fear to trust ON this Important subject
were left to slumber upon the table, aud scarcely
voice was permitted to escape from the cham
hers of the Assembly to arouse and enilghten the
public mind upon this vital question. The tyran-
nv ofthe majority suppressed discussion; and there
ia no hone for the State to obtain her rights IN TINS
respect save by the mandates of the people at Tue
polls. The Assembly increases taxes; the Treas
nry must have augmented means; ana yet strange
M saw the Democratic watch-word Is 'aicay tr'm
the land money!" VIII the people longer have
such men to rule over them!
The usual iatoxcation OF party triumphs has O.
yertaken and subdued the dominant party OF the
assembly They have disregarded the CLAIMS OF
the public service; condemned the justice aud mag
nanimity which once illustrated the Legislative
Halls of Virginia and inundated long tired elh-
cient and faithful public servants, merely because
they were Wings, to their Unsuitable '''ore q the
spoils."
But this theatre proved too small for the eSer-
else of their proscriptive zeal aud tyranny, They
have p,oiected scheme to array On partlzan prln-
cipes the rewards and employments OF business
and labor, and thus to SOW between brother and
brother the seed of interminable party feuds and
animosites After proclaiming through their
Press the principles that the members OF the Board
of Public Works are to be chosen by party tests,
they have gone deliberately to work to give all
the power of the banks and internal improvement
companies of the State to this Board and the EN-
ecutiye through an Increase ofthe vote OF the State
proxies Their object stands almost confessed
to reduce to party vaSsaage all these companies
and to enlist in their party service the immense
patronage connected with the conduct and man
aGement of their affairs. This too has been done
in violation of the chartered faith, which this
capital was invested and, in this view, this meas
ure may be taken as fearful demonstration OF the
conclusion to which the democratic party Of this
State has come, to seize upon these Incorporated
companies. to convert them into political machines,
to wrest and su6sidize to party ends public and
private capital and in fine, to establish here that
widely ramhed party domination, (which has else
where corrupted the morals and subyerted the IN
dependence of the people.
To this catalogue Of misdeeds, there remains to
be added greater and browning enormlty-an
offence against the essential and fundamental prin-
ciples of representative government itself. TOat-
tain the ends of such government, 1t is plainly
necessary that representation should be 50 appor-
toned as to secure even to mlnorltles their due
weirht. Every variety of interest and every
shade We'll balanced represeuiatioh q eSrIt-
inc the share of influence they may justly COM
mand. On this principle, the law of CohgrosS di-
reefs elections by districts; and our State consti
tuition, positively preserbes the distIioting of the
State to this end. To attain, therefore. in sub
stance but without the name, the party advantage
OF an election Of Congressman by general ticket,
is greater and more fragrant usurpaton than the
direct enactment Of such law, because it is too
insidiouS to be uunasked to all. and canuOt be sub
iected to the test of judicial sentence Now
this precise end is attained by the apportionmcnt
act of the present General Assembly. 1t accom-
plishes all the objects of general ticket; it has
smothered all the minorities; and makes all the
districts democratic by decisive majorities with
one exception which is nominal rather than real.
To do thsit was necessary TO disregard all rights
of the minority, and to overlap the restraints of
the constitution. A glance at these districts on
the map, will satisfy the impartial enquirer, that
no eye was had in their formation To community
of interest or cOnlpactness of territory but that all
such reasonable considerations were sacrificed to
the aspirations of particular individuals and the
overriding desire to deny all representation to the
Wings of the State. This latter purpose was
scarcely disguised; this abominable Gerrymandef
took its first shape from secret aud Irresponsible
caucuses, was forced TO its engrossment by the
precious question without debate, and the demo-
Gratis who were partially disinclined to it were
with few exceptions finally driven into its sup.
port by the lash Of party discipline, and, uider
this compulsion, WED with each other in their et-
forts to deprive the Wings oftheir just represent
.tation in Congress. In vain, did the constitution
of the State require the congressional Districts to
be formed of territory contiguous aud compact; -
the intrigues of partisan leaders and the settled
determination to suppress the voice of 10000 vo-
ters triumphed over all its sanctions, and result
ed in an apportionment of representation iii Con
gress, the most unjust, tyrannical and odious.--
The disfranchised should be provoked by this ag-
gressioa to indomitable resolution to assert and
recover their rights and much of the gallant
spirit of liberty must be lost among the people, if
such fragrant outrage against the constitutional
rights of the minority shall receive no metted re-
buke at the polls. For these reasons, be it,
/. Resolved, That the people of the State be
earnestly exhorted to organize in the approaching
elections the most efficient opposition to these acts
of the Democratic party, in order to weaken or
overthrow scheme ofpoiicy fraught with such
disastrous consequences, and to rebuke that fierce
spirit OF prescription and party tyranny, that must
inevitably embroil the peace, degrade the dignity
and arrest the improvement, both material and
moral, of the Commonwealth
2. Resolved That with profound sense of the
dangerous tendencies Of these acts, the Wing
members Of the Assembly return to their cunstitu-
ents nrmly resolved to spare no efforts to arouse
item 70 manly vindieation Of their rights and
interests and that IN their infexibe resistance to
this pr0Scrlptlve and oppressive domination thev