Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-17
FRIDAY MORNING, MAY II, 1861

Virginia commenced scarcely halfa crn:tTy ago.
and UT, SIT, these hardy poinecrs have irr' The
sturdy osk, ana i'll thai short period OF time,
una;ded, and es think, oppressed by their
Eastern brethren, Eayc emergrd from Inc
wilderness AID present 4 prosperous and hap
py people, counting :heIr hundreds Ut tho'l'
Shnds. and Sill advancing with Ii increase
heretofore uuknoNn to Virginia. Bat. Mr.
! President while alufiug 20 the remarks ol
the gentleman from Richmond, permit INC 10
sa: that lo:" ls!a institutions oi Virginia.
love The Virginia gentlemen, their bread
! fields and large domain. Il is be:e that the
| love Of freedom il; inspired and liberty can be
proclaimed Tdo not want 10 see cur Firgi.
MA h'hits pass away do not %ant 10 scc
Y.rgiria sun4elei lrorn tie manufacturing
States and protection between them and us,
Tor the purpose OF building mp corporations
| nnG p:oncyc' aristocrac;es. Ia that wav, Mr.
pres:d@nt. you woui invite Yankee cmigra.
ton to Virginia, and III less than % years,
Virginia Would i'e completely aboiitioniz9d. -
| Ther, sir, I'll tii- pride ard glory CT Virginia
will he swallowed up aud our boasted superi.
or:t5 :.,i;' hare fed, aud j: VII! nc Virgins il
name, and not in spirit
, desire nom to bring myself down 70 the
| question under discussion. Oac reason wia::
/ to bring 10 thr notice Of this Convention, why
orr orsxnc ag should now lie changed, and
one, which, l.: any aspect ofthe case, will bave
force and reason with it. II you are not will
i l3g 10 give us equal taxation and representa-
ton, because you say you entered into con-
trac. TO wait uni: 1865, Of which will here
ai cr speas, I7e have Il right, under any cir
cumstancis, to demand oi you Lha representa-.
ton We are entitled 10 auder the bases yon
| forced upon U.s. You will discover that in 1850
the white population Of Virginia was So5 00G;
ut the present time, as shown by the Census re-
pori, the white population Of Virginia is
| l.0iI. 600, showing an increase oi loZ. 900
rhl:e inhabitants. .; this Increase, 1919 600
are in Western Virginia. Taking the present
population OF the State AMI tie bass OF repre-
syntal!Gn established by you in lS5G-5l, and
! il will oe found that we III the West "ill now
be entitled to 23 representatives over the East.
cru portion 0i the State. instead cl tho 13 Ut
present giyca to u!. We are entitled 10 ten
;uurc representatives in me Lover !!ousc, and
are now entitled to them on this iionr, and
they almost exclusively ~ Trans. A!leshany.
And have We not, | appeal 10 you, . right 1t
| least 10 ask 1T yOnr hands this small boon that
is due US according to your own showing:
Th, let me call the attention OF the Con-
ventiun to another flct. t,a. mast strike
c:cry member with iti turce and justice.
Stand here this day, representing = large con-
sti:ucncv upon the loor Of this Conven-
tun more than double the number
that many d. on this n1nr, and
eTcn laree times the number Of Some.
Let ne give you one ilIus!ration-tuke a
s;nail group of counties around my county
There is my friend frum Wood, my friend
frna. Marshall and myself, representing r. corl.
s,ltueEcy cf 81 3S3, while the six members
here on this floor from another group in the
Valley, da NOT represent that number, 10 wit:
The meInters representing the counties as
ShrnanGoai, Rockingham. Ptnlleton, and
Highland. Why is it that the gentleman
from Marshall represents greater number Of
constituents than the two gentlemen from
Shenandoah Docs nat this great inequality
demand an adjustment Are YOU not willing
| t1 grant unto lis Or plain and undeniablc
rights, stated npon yorr own basis tina. you
forced upon Isl Bu; tae gentleman from
Franklin, (Mr. EARLY says :haf these cues
TOES were all settled in 1851 by n compromise
i % S5 ii ia c2anrT,l9e Il Ws u d rcSs - isS i:e
adjusted until 1860. According to my read.
ins Il the Constitution nf 1851, can see
nothing in i; that can liz any such 4 constfuc.
lion. keep! alone upon the tax question.
I.c! us look into this compromise eycn upon
;l,c tax question. That Compromise was forced
Gpon as ay our E.5tc.n friends. They could
i;st rs eas,l" ha". said that the Constitution
ii9or that question: should not be nte;lc-ed
w,t;l nali 1900 aS 10 say what they did; and
will sny man contend that Constitution can DC
fastened On any pcope,nrd thatit is irrcpcalab!c
by The same power that made IL? WHAT
wcu.d Become Of youc American principle that
YOU talk GO much aGout That Government is
founded in The coriSrnt Ol tlia governed if
such Z Constitution could be fastened on our
pcppl:: But. sir it canao; he fastened on us
as a moral obligation, let alone legal obliga
lion Tie people OF the Northwest protested
a5 airs. such an agreement, and when the Con.
situation Of 1851 was offered 10 them for ratifi
; cal;on they voted against it, although in their
| u;.ir!oH, it was quite AL improvement. upon
lie ud Constitution. Tiey voted against it
because they did nor think that it gave 10 them
!.lat protection ,heT had right to demand.
u;.d ,tcY were not willing thai b. their endorse
lnei,. Of it, that it should be construed into an
nc:aow.cj ;rueat of Compromise. Icl had
Inc power to force it upon Us. We entered
"ur protest against it. aEi get Jon insist that
II was solemn agreement: on our part. The
facts DO not bear you out in the assertion.
We are now assembled in Convention of the
State o' Virginia for the purpose Of promoting
the interest Of Virginia. and if We can con.
vince YOU Ina. it is 10 the interest Of the State
that tic organic Iaw should be changed, arc
you going 10 stand out aglins: it and say that
you are not going 20 90 what Is right
because you forced upon lis compromise,
rs 5ou term it. agaittt or CONSENT and most
solemn protest? Let me say tn my Elstcrri
friends tha, T0w is lEe t!me - came forward,
and offer 10 The Vest her rights. Advance
si;ih the olive branch in your hands and har-
;uoniz- the people Of the State. Unite the
,:eore Of the Elst ard West as one band Of
brothers iea'iy on ali occasions 10 fight TO the
d.ath tGr rac;, others interests. You who want
uito pass III ordnance of secession, ask us ~
g. Lome To our people ard c9nvince them that
i is their interest 70 leave the Union, and cut
asundcr from the general SoTernn!unt Our
ocope will be very az. 10 tase 4 common
! scu:e virT' Of this subject. They vii! ask us
Ftr via; rcason are they called upon to do
ihs thing? WcEil have to answer, that it is
=
~ Inc chcroacnnca.s oi oar sister free States
in this Cent teracy; bat their reply would De
rhat they have no interest in slavery, and that
they should rot be called uroa Tor that reason
TO launch forth in an uHtricd experiment We
won!l then hare 20 reply, that it is true, they
had Nc direct interest in the question Of slavery,
but that our State and our Eastern brethren
hive large aud vita! intcrcs: in it, and that
it Was 10 our interest TO protect the interest OF
slavery in the State. We would then have to
cast about us for arguments aud reasons for
this hypothesis. suppose that the on.
" reason that caulI be offered would
be the one pressed Upon the conslde'
ration OF this Convention by the argu.
n.er, Of the gentleman from Culpeper,
liIr. BAs1orh) the other day, and that was,
that it was the interest and policy Of the " est
crn portion Of this State to make slavery valu.
ss,le fnr in that way 1t would pay more into
IL. a., -, 4 To- r,n