The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1860-05-17

! curity to rob white men of their dearest
| privileges, then ay il is time for those
1 who have been so disfranchised 20 consider
! among themselves wha. is best to be done.
[Great applause.
Even 10 the new Safe Of Missouri. this
/ institution has worked out its fatal and GER
tain effect. There is siitutiona! pro-
vision to this effect: that county having
certain ratio shall have one representative.
| but il it has Ioable or treble that ratio, it is
! not to have two or three representatives,
| but it falls off. and il requires nj CHER ratio
to give it a second represeLt ative. The city
of St. Louis. with twenty-!our times the
ratio required for small county, or
sparsely settled county--with twentyfour
times the ratio. has only twelve representa-
tives; so that you see II requires absolutely
three men TO have the same political weight
there that one white man enjoys in another
county. This is done because the slavehol-
ders understand the operation of these laws
They krow that where white men congre-
gate in manufacturing establishments. or
where dense population comes together.
slavery cannot exist, and therefore they dis
franchise those counties which have large
populations-reduce them down-make it
necessary that they should have a double
ard treble ratio IN order to have a represen-
talive in tile Legislature.
This is the certain and never failing ef-
feet Of the in sti,u,ion, because il is Jealous.
Because the owners of slaves are jealous Of
those who do not own them, they require
different and additional guarantees for their
safety; and. if it is necessary Tor their safe
~. they require that the free white people
shall be deprived Of the representation
which they are in Justice entitled to. Is
there a man-is there native born Virgin
ian-is there any man in Virginia who Is
not ready to cry aloud against this atroc,y?
Which of these Democrats can look a man
in the face and say that for the security Of
this property the Tree non slaveholding
whites are to be deprived of their political
rights? Your fathers bore arms for less
offepse--tor less indignity put upon them
than this: is was the taxation upon tca--this
tritiiug thing oi a money tax--ihat reused
your glorious ancestors to resistance; ana
am to b. toli-are we TO be told that their
sons have less spirit--tlat they are willing
to have their political rights stripped from
a man who lives on this side OF the Alle-
ghanies or the Blue Ridge OF less weight
than the gentleman who saunters upon the
sands Of the Chesapeake?
Not only do you bear this burden--not
only are the non shareholders OF Virginia
and Of every Southern Safe, called upon
to strip themselves of their political fran
chises 10 order that they may be loaded over
by this other class who assume to themselves
higher and greater preroga,ves-- only
have you to bear this burden, but this instl-
tuition taxes you and burdens you in many
other-I cannot say In any greater res
poets. Wherever there is negro slave at
work in this State it takes the occupation
T. l,
cludes, wherever he stands upon the ground,
white man. and many white men. The
State of Virginia, which should have in
creased as the State OF New York has. for
| her natural increase must have been quite
as great, has driven from her soil three mil
lions Of her own children to make room for
half million Of negroes. What did you
gain by that exchanged This institution
has banished your strength and your pride,
has driven three millions of white men out
of the State OF Virginia. because tn. natur.
al increase Of the Old Dominion would
have made her numbers upwards OF four
millions at this hour. if she had increased
rs the State OF New York has increased
You behold the spectacle hat you have sent
into exile from this State-or this institu
ton has sent into exile three millions Of
whie people. to make room for half a mill
l non OF negroes. IIaNc you iuauc tAluS
by that exchange Are negroes valuable
in that proportion. when compared with
wlite people? Your sons are no scattered
throughout the great West and Northwest.
| They have fled before the face Of this in
sttution They were no, able and not
willing to bear lis degrading competition
they were not willing TO be excluded from
the privileges Of free schools and education
| for their children--they lave gone forth as
exiles-,hey lave gone forth end fled from
| the face of this institution. and they have
| left you this residnum of 100000 negroes
in this State. Never was there such mis-
take made in political economy. 1t is like
a man taking bis lie blood from his arm
and injecting poison into his veins, and
thinking that he was strengthening himself
by the process. The Old Dominion has
been dragged down. DOWNTOWN into
the depths. or will be. if her sons do not
asser. their privileges and their rights.
But not only you disfrsncl ised. but
your property Is rendered almost va'uel-ss.
Take the State Of Ohio, snd contrast the
value of its landed property with tha. Of
Virginia, and undertake to say tha, its .x-
cess OF value over the land of Virginia
would pay for every slave in Your State -
[Great applause. You have submitted to
see your property anuihilated thus They
talk about the rights of property in theiI
slaves. They have those rights, and nc
man would undertake to deprive them of i
. without due compensation; but the pres
.nce of these very slaves in your mids
: has annihilated treble their value in othe
. property. Your lands would be to- morrow
if you had no, slave in Virginia. thre
times the value they now are. So you ar
robbed of your citizens, you have drive
: them into exile. you are robbed of your pc
: litical franchises. and robbed Of the vall
!. of your property by This institution. an
: you are told if these plain truths are spoke
to the people Of Virginia. (it was held
J. one of the morning papers. that it is q
9 indignity-you were this morning told th,
Q | Is this Con nfian hcldin, th. ssntirna