Alexandria Gazette

It will be seen, by the proceedings of a public meeting lately held in Ritchie, that the good people of that county are very much incensed at the decision of the House of Delegates recognizing Mr. Snowden as a member from the county of Alexandria—a decision which they pronounce to be not only flagrantly unconstitutional, but highly injurious to Western Virginia.

We shall not undertake to discuss the former point—though it seems to us, that, if it be constitutional to "re-annex" territory to the State, it is the indubitable right of the people who inhabit that territory, and who are to be taxed for the support of the government, to be represented in her Legislature. If we remember aright, the act giving the assent of Virginia to the retrocession of Alexandria, passed the General Assembly of Virginia without a dissenting voice. Would it be just to receive it, and to subject its people to taxation, without allowing them to be represented in the body by which those taxes are levied? It cannot be doubted, if Alexandria had constituted a part of the State of Virginia when the present constitution was framed, that a delegate would have been allotted to her both her population and taxable property clearly entitling her to such delegate. The decision of the House of Delegates may not have been in exact conformity with the express provisions of the constitution, which, its framers not foreseeing the event that would render it necessary, failed to provide for it, and only failed to provide for it because they could not foresee it. The East has now only the number of members that would have been given to it by the constitution had the retrocession of Alexandria taken place before its formation instead of afterwards: and we cannot perceive, therefore, that the Western people have any substantial cause of complaint.

Still less have they such cause, however, when, in point of fact, Alexandria, though geographically an Eastern city, is in its interests and sympathies, which constitute a much stronger bond of union, identified with the West. Hence, altho Eastern Virginia has one more Delegate, Western Virginia has one more vote on those questions of a local character, in which the two sections are most frequently arrayed against each other. For an illustration of this remark, which we respectfully submit to the "sober second thought" of the people of Ritchie county and of the West generally, we refer them to the votes of Mr. Snowden this winter upon the several Internal Improvement bills that received the favorable action of the Legislature.

A threat to "divide the State" is much easier made than accomplished, we beg leave to suggest to the people of Ritchie—requiring the concurrence not only of the parties immediately concerned, but of Congress also: though really, if it could be effected by their own vote, we must be permitted to say that the mode of redress is exceedingly disproportioned in violence to the matter of complaint—Richmond Whig.