The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-09-10
Fa0M-THE AURORA.
THOMAS PAINE
TO THg
CITIZENS or PENNSYLVANIA,
ON THE
FROM THE AURORA.
THOMAS PAINE

| CITIZENS or PENNSrL
| PROPOSAL FOR CALLING a CONVENTION
| As reGded in the capital of YOUR fate (Phi.
ladeiphia) in the I" time that tried mems /sni5,
and all my political writings, during the reyo.
| ntionary war, were written in that city, il
| Teens natural for me to look back on the place
| OF my political and literary birth, and feel an
intereft for its happiness. Removed as now
am from the place, and detached from every
| thine of rcrfonal party, atdreis this token to
| you ON The ground OF principle, and in reme,n.
brance of former times aid friendships.
| The fubjett now before you is the call of a
convention to examine, and f nece1ary to re-
fern, the contribution of the Gate or to fpeas
IN. the corred language ofconftitutionaI order,
| to proroie written articles OF reform 20 be ac-
cepted or rejected by The people by vote, in
| room of thofe, now exiting, that ihal he i,,dy-
| ed improper or defective. There cannot Be, on
| the ground ofrafon, any objection to this /; be-
caute IT no reform or alteration is necefiarv the
| tentc Of the country will permit none TO be
| made; and Jfnecegary, it zvW be made hecau!e
| 1t ought to be made. UNTIL therefore, the rcnie
of the country can be collected, and made
known by convention elected for the purpoie,
| al! oppo'ion to the call of convention, not
only paics for nothing, but fcrves 10 create a
iutpicon that the oppofers are confcious that
the contribution will not bear an examination.
The contribution formed by the convention
| of 1876, Of which Benjamin Franklin 1.-THE great
eft and mott uftful man America has vet pro-
| duced) was prefidei't, had many good points in
| 1t which were oyerthrown by the convention of
1870, under the pretence of making the coait-
tuition of the Fate, coBforrnable TO that OF the
United States as ifthe forms and periods OF
election for territory extenliye as the Unit
ed StatesiS, could become rule for a Jingle
fate.
The principal defect in the contribution of
| 1875, WAS. that If was iubjee, in practice, to
too much eclpitancy, but the ground work
| of that contribution was good. The pretent
contribution appears to me to be clogeed with
| inconiitencies ola hazardous Tendency, as A
| iuppoied remedy agaiuft a precipitancy that
| might not happen. lnvefing any Individual
| by whatever name or official title he NAV he
called, with negative over the formation of
| the laws, is copied from the Englih govern
| ment, without ever perceivng the inconliften-
| cy and dbfurdity OF it, when applied to the re-
| PREVENTATIVE iyitem. or understanding the ORR
| gin oft in England.
The preient form ofgovernment in England,
and all thoie things called prerogatves oe the
crown, of which this negativiny mower ;s ooe
l.
| pact Their or gin was the conuueft OF Enp
| land by the Normans under William of Nor
mandy, iurnamed the Conquercr, in lO66. and
| the genealogy of it's kings takes lis datr fro,,
him. He is the frft Of the lit There. il mn
'Iitorical certainty of the time when parliaments
began; but be the time when it nav, they beoan
by what are called grants or charters from fine
Norman conqueror or his fuccehors TO certain
towns and to counties, to elect members to
| meet and ferve in pariiament- fubieef to his
controuI; and the cuitom fill continues with
, king oil England calling the parliament ",yy
parliament )" that is a parliament originating
from his authority and over which he boIds
controu in right of hirnfelf, derived from that
conquef. 1t is from this affirmed right, de-
rived from conqu IT., aud no, from any conni
tntional right 10y compact that kings OF England
hold negative over the formation of the laws
and they hold this for the purpofe of prevent
ing any law bring enacted that might abridge.
invade, or any way affect or diminifb what they
claim TO be their hereditary or fimly rights s,
Prerogat'yes, derived originally from the con-
queit or the country This is the origin of A
KING OF England's negative. 1t is a badge of
diizrace which bis pariiaments are Obliged TO
wear, and to which they are sbieGt enough TO
fubmit.
But what has this cafe to do with legif,ture
choien by freemen on their own authority. in
right OF themielves? Or in what manner does
perfon NiIed governor or chief magiilrate, re-
temble conqneror fubjugatmg a country. As
William of Normandy fubiugated England. &
fayjng to il ron. BaH bazr no L1tUs bur 7ybot
PIcGf The negaiv!nG power in country
like America, is of that kind, that a wife man
would not chute to be embarralfcd with il, and
man fond of uiing it will be ovsrthrown Nv
it. It'll not difficult to fee that when Mr.
M'Kean negatived the arbitration ata he was
induced to 1t as hrqVySr for the benefit of the
protection, and not as a magi7rafe for the bene-
ct OF the people for il is the office of chief
nagifrate TO compoie differences and sre7,.yt
law iuits. If the people chufe to have arb.
tration initead of law inits, why fhould they not
have them? IT is matter that concerns them
as individuals ard not as a fate or community -:
and Il 10 MOI a proper cafe for governor TO
interfere in, for 1T is not a Fate or government
! concern nor does it concern the peace there
| OF, otherwls than to make il more psaceable
| by making it ieis contentious.
This negativing power in the hands of an in.
dividual ought to be conftituiionaly abolirbed.
1t is 4 dangerous power. There is no prefc,:,,-
ing rules for he uie OF it. Il is Discretionary Gl
arbitrary; and the will and temper of the Der.
! lon at any time polefling il, is il only rule.
| There NUT have been great want of rc6eefi.
on in the convention that admitted it into the