has been so eminent and distinguished. He,
(Mr. J.,) would ask the clerk to read from the
dehates of the North Carolina Convention the
portions which he has marked beginning at page
358
The clerk then read as follows:
"Mr Gaston of Craven, observed, that it would
be recollected the Convention that some days
ago he had laid on the table a resolution involving
an important principle, as he conceived, the con-
sideration of which he now asked for Since the
introduction of the resolution, he had reflected
much on the subject matter of it, and his views,
as to the expediency of adopting the principle
suggested, were more thoroughly confirmed. He
wished to have it acted on with deliberation and
hoped the Convention would therefore vow take
it up.
The resolution read as follows:
"Resolved: That it is expedient, in framing
amendments to the Constitution, on the subject
of representation, in the House of Commons, to
provide, that in making every apportionment,
the Legislature shall divide, or cause to be divi-
ded, those counties to which more than two re-
presentatives shall be assigned, into election dis-
tricts, consisting severally of contiguous territory,
and of equal federal numbers, as nearly as con-
venience will permit, each of which district shall
elect one representative only."
"Mr. Gaston said, he did not feel disposed to
occupy much of the time of the Convention, and
would therefore with the utmost brevity, consis-
tent with perspicuity, state the reasons which in-
duced him to bring forward this proposition. In
the first place, it affords the best opportunity of
having a full expression of the public voice.
The chief object in all representative govern-
ments is to afford the people, whose conduct is
regulated by legislative enactments, a full,
fair and free opportunity for the deliberate ex-
pression of their will. And that mode of election
is to he preferred, which gives the fairest chance
of arriving at public sentiment. That this ar-
ragement would afford such an opportunity, he
thought demonstrable. By means of it, the same
number of individuals in every part of the State
will have equal weight. For instance, if a district
should consist of 6,000 federal numbers, it would
elicit as fully, as the nature of government will
admit, a fair expression of public sentiment.
"But suppose a county with 24,000 federal
numbers, entitled to four members, elected by
the whole county—that 12,500 of these vote for
one set, and 11,500 for another—the voice of all
these freemen is unheard in the legislative hall.
It was also the fairest arrangement for this rea-
son, When in a county, there are a number of
candidates, they form combinations and enter into
intrigues. It is now frequently the case, that there
is a tacit or express understanding between can-
didates to this effect:—"You run me in your end
of the county, and I will press your claims in my
neighborhood." And this kind of management
increases in geometrical ratio as the number of
representatives in a county increases. But where
there is only one member to be elected, there is |
a distinct expression in favor of one individual.
"There were other reasons why this arrange-
ment should be adopted. He presumed every
gentleman on that floor would admit that if the
counties in the East had equalled in size and
population those of the West, no Convention
would ever have been demanded.
"The real grievance complained of by the West,
and that it was a grievance he admitted, was that
5,000 men, in one section of the State had as
much weight in the Legislature as 20,000 in
another. It was not because counties were equal
in representation, but unequal in numbers. To
remedy this effectually, we ought to equalize as
far as practicable, the voice of the people in every
part of the State This will not be done if the
large counties vote in common for the whole
number of representatives to which they are en-
titled. as is now the usage—because the majority
will be represented, but the minority will not.
This mode gives to those who wield the power
in large counties an unfair strength.
"In other States this evil has been prevented
by increasing the ratio entitling to representation
as the number of members increases. * * *
For he asserted distinctly that this division of the
large counties into districts would not derogate
in the slightest degree from their political weight.
But this effect would justly be produced It
would prevent a party having a temporary as-
cendency in a county, from wielding it to pur-
poses of personal aggrandizement. No one, he
presumed, whould would deny that if every State
in the Union would agree to choose their Electors
of President and Vice President by districts,
that it would be much the fairest mode. But
the politicians of large States were always
opposed to this change, because it prevents them
from wielding, by the agency of combinations
and caucuses, the entire power of the State.
So, the politicians of these large counties may
oppose the proposition to district them, from
similar views of policy. Another reason, said
Mr. G., which operated with great force upon his
mind, was this: He had more than once declared
that he came to this Convention, neither as an
Eastern or Western man, but to make peace and
produce tranquility.
"Nothing can render the painful privation of
political power more tolerable to the small coun-
ties, than the adoption of this plan. The dele-
gates could then go home to their constituents
and say—it is true you are entitled to but one
inember, and the county of Orange sends four:
but it takes the same number of voters there to
elect a member as it does with you, and therefore
every voter has the same political weight. He
thought it a matter of no slight importance in
making a change involving principles of such
magnitude, to render the operation of those prin-
ples as little unpleasant, as possible."
It was objected (continued Mr. J.,) to the plan
of Mr. Gaston, by Mr. Branch and others, that
he left counties with two inembers undivided,
and hence it was unequal This objection can-
not attach to the plan I propose. It was ob-
jected to his plan further, that the census was |
