Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-03-31

whose wealth consists in slaves.
Third: Equality of representation is
another of the fundamental principles of
a free government, and the 9th clause to
the Bill of Rights, to our present Constl-
tuition atfrms, ''That all elections ought TO
be free, that all men having sufficient eTl-
dencc of permanent common interest withI
and attachment to, the community, have
the right of suffrage, and cannot be tdTsd
or deprived of their property for public
uses, without their own consent, or that
of their representatives, so elected, nor
bound By any laH to which they have not,
in like manner, nssented, for the pubic
good.
Here, as in the matter of taxation, the
principle is fairly enough stated, but in
all the details carrying out this rcPrcsen-
tation. the most gross injustice has Deen
done to the West.
As in the last instance, let few fig-
ures be submitted, to show that we do not
complain of evils which are only imagln-
airy.
By a mere arbitrary rule, the Constitn-
tion gives to Piedmont aud Underwater
lying East of the mountains, 80 Members
in the State Senate, while to the valley and
trans-Allegheny, in the West, are assigned
but 90 members, while the latter have from
/
ton.
But to particularize The first Scnatorl-
al district, composed Of Accom@c and
! northampton, gave, at the last Presiden-
| tial election, 2,242 votes, while the 5Oth
| Senatorial district composed of ONO,
| Brooke and Hancock gave 4,6l8, or more
than two to one.
The second district, composed of Nor
folk city, gave ,4l3 votes, while the 49th
district, composed of MonouGaliN, Preston
and Taylor, gave 5,O55, or nearly four to
! one.
In brief, we find that the first FIVE Scna-
torial districts, in Eastern Virginia, polled
but 10, APO votes, while the last five Scnn.
torial districts in the West, polled 23,4Ct
| votes, at the Presidential election OF 1896
while the vote for Governor, i'll 1889,
shows still greater difference.
| And all this must be borne without
murmnr on our part, or we are charged as
| Abolitionists and disloyal to Virginia.
! Even in the West the banner of the doml-
nant Eastern party is raised, and its "dhe-
rents cover mp these wrongs or cry peace,
peace, while we bow our neckS to the yoke
and long for relief.
We are told, by luke-warm friends at
: home, not to agitnte these Constitutional
! wrongs, as we arc to have the opportunity
| the State, us the question will then be laid
before the people, when we can assert and
obtain our rights.
But here we behold the crowning insult
| to the list of all our grivanccs, in the fact,
that, while the Constitution is wOrded
with such Jesuitical care as to convey to
the careless reader the idea that the ques-
ton of the basis of representation Will be
submitted to the people for their decision,
we find, on II closer examination, that the
East have kept the rcins of power within
their own hands, hedged about by the
Constitution, by saying this question snail
be submitted to the people in 1860, II the
General Assembly shall fail to agree upon
principle of representation and to reap
portion representation accordance there
with. Who can doubt, for Il moment,
what will be the action of the General
Assembly, as at present constituted-rep-
rcscnting q minority of the people, but
having a majority in each House, which
would pass from their hands forever,
! should they consent to let this question go
! to the people? To pcrpetuate this SUI
premacy, will they fail to agree? BY no
means They will adopt the same princi-
pie in 1865 as we have Mt present, and con-
| tinue us under the yoke for another de-
! cade with the hard consolation that after
another 10 years of prayers and rcmon-
| strnnces on our part, our rights may per-
chance be granted, by our Eastern breth-
! ren.
! Is there nothing in these facts and fig
urcs calculated to make the hearts of
| Western Virginians rebel at the outrage,
! and their checks to blush with shame,
that, under all these wrongs and incquali-
tics. we are still 81 divided people, ready
with our tens of thousands to swell the
maiorities of the Democratic party, which
has become wholly pro-slavcry, and but an
engine of that institution, to battle with
the rights of the free white man in the
Territories, and against the dignity OF
white men in our own State.
| Taking this survey of our political
standing in this State, and making care
full examination of national politics, the
conclusion is forced upon us, that we
must make choice in the coming contest
between the Democratic and Republican
parties, believing that every other party
will be but one of day and be crushed
out of existence in the great struggle OF
1860.
The Democratic party has become the
champion of slavery, and that institution,
which, at the formation of our govern
ment, only asked to be tolerated until the
known wishes of such men as Washington
and Jefferson could be carried out, in the
extinction of the same from our country,
has. from various causes, which space will
not permit to present, grown i'll power and
its demands, until it no longer seeks mere
federation, but openly avows that all the
Territories are dedicated to slavery and
asks that Congress shall interfere for its
protection, even against the known wishes
of the majority.
Against all these successive demands
and aggrcssions of the slave power, {"
great party hns been raised up throughout
the Union, which has taken the approprl-
ate name of Republican, whose professed