The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-05-21

@I nby dee1ning the confederation radically delec.
tse and uniuiceptib,e Of Improvement, devifed the
preient contribution of the United States.
This was ipe ttacle. which ,e political aunsls of
the world had never before diiplayrd. Alnoi all the
governments which had preceded it, had Been Tie OF.
fring ot force, or fraud, or -dgeited policy They
had been founded by the defpotie power, or the in
trigung arts of afsw deligning All the improve
nhent' which had been introduced into their fonda
mental principles, had flowed from the unobl-r ve,; in
nova,ioas Of time, or fprung from the inf,rre9iye
inpulie of the nation. 1t was left to the Tinted
States to exhibit the Unprecedented fpectace of reg
pie calmly eecng representatives TO organize the p,a
of written couiitution, founded upon the in,psr-
criptible rights Of man a,i uncontar,inaed by pse-
age privilege.
The work of 70 auguf body, all the member. of
which were OF very Respectable, and fome Of prceni
nent talents; neceiiar,!y commanded gteas r.lree
1t was no iooner publiihed, than became the pgne.
raj topic OF dlcuilion every where throughout the
United States.-Al the people from Georgia to New
tiampthre were animated by the fubjea.-'Tbe
mechanic and farmer were IS eagerly engaged in the
invetgstion, as the man of fcience or the prorE.
ed politician The prelles teeaIed with cf-
lays Tor and againit it. Its advocates and opponents
Were equally enthutiaitic but though the powers
of language and argument feemed to he exhauaed
the dileuiiipn was an,icable and candd.-No ndeco,
runs of violence expreion interrupted theharnonv
ct therPublcor private declares; no alp aui or
virulent fcurrility difgraced their writings Hsppv
for the people of America, party fpirt that bane Of
focal happneis, was then unknown to them He,cp
the minds OF the great body of the people, BEGAN.
more enlightened on the icience of government than
perhaps the people any other country ever were be-
fore.-lt was indeed fublime fpe6acle to behold
all the inhabitants of free and enlightened commu
NIFTY IN time efProound peace engaged in canvaiI-
ing the merits OF new plan of government formed
Tor their coni.deraon and at their requeit by
feleet body oil their wiief and belt citizens
The people being thus informed, every late Ie.
lected fome of its sblea citizens to conyen. for the
purpoe OF celebrating the merits of the promoted
contribution. Virginia was in this reIpeea, feccnd
to none OF her filter ates.-In an,oft every county
etizens, conpcuous for their talents and integrity
were ehoten-No citizen was excluded from feat
IN the convention (asfrom the ordinary Iegiature)
peeauie ne enjoyed an executive or judicial Office the
governor, the chief jutce other judges, and the at
torney general of the commonwealth, were all
members OF this mott Respectable aGemby
lhis convention was collected into fecret CON-
cave. 1t was not to deliberate OH fubietfsof limited
or evaneicent Importance. But it was held in the
face OF the univerie ; and the whole univerfe miqht
have feen it engaged in difcuion the .nof nteret-
ing OF all TO free people. 1t was rot whether they
ihoud ieeet king parcel of mobiles, to rule over
their country; 1t was not to decide whether they
thoud eniiit henlieves under the banners of white
or red rofe; whether they Ghould irleef "a Gurus
or an Antaxerxes, aMahomet or Munapha" TO iyay
the fceptre OF empirebut decide how they ihould
belt organize fyttem of policy, which might perpetu-
ate and perhaps nnorai=s the exiting liberties Of the
nation The members of the Convention differed
about unfortunate eYpediento they differed about the
propriety of previous fuliequent amendments
But the fundamental principles of the contribution
on the ianetty of the 7DW Of 5e peo3l on the inter-
minable involabty OF Tie rights eman, there was but
one ientment and one voice. AT every fuccefye Zen
he 1,..I = 4
lame nndiguiied dignity of ientnents. Every fpeech
breathes the prit OF freeman: and ihou!d the fol-
lowing record defend to enilaved poherity every
page will become a monument OF the political purity
OF their fathers, and of their own dgracefu degene
racy Should the tooteps ola tyrant hereafter con-
tamnate the o OF our country, the Debates of the
Virginia Convention" will, probably be among the
earleit victims of iuipicous profcrption
he talents OF thee ftateimen were fcarce inferior
to their independence. They had been cuiled from
the nais of the people, repreent their mott impor
tant ntereits; and the people, regardul of the i'm
Portance OF the truit, had ieeGed their mott enpht-
ened friends decide upon the contribution II wa,
an aiemby OF the moff eloquent, the moi experien-
ced, and mott iagacious tatellen in Virginia MANY
Vt whom had already filed the MOI honorable offices
under the confederation the commonwealth In
exorable death has robbed of many; yet MANY OF
chem till iurvive to direct the affairs of their country
The eioquence of Henry is mute The Roman
ASJ Va NAa!oH Has expired PeDdietOn lumber
Ing under the laurels of the tomb And the genius of
Grayton is gone forever. Yet, when this convention
aiiembled, Henry, and Mafon, and Pendeton, and
Grayton were among the living ornaments of their
country 1heie were the contemporaries and fellow
iabourers of men, who fill occupy the mott dlin-
gmihed tations Among thefe let us rlention, the
preient venerable Chancellor of Virginia the Score
tary of State: the Chief Juce of :E United States
q our interchangeable Miniiter at the Court of London
When fuch talents were combined with fnch an un-
lhackled and manly fprit of nveigaton, what could
have been expected but luminous and valuable DIFF
cuiions :.
Thcgreat general eagerne to know their delibera-
tions, induced the publication of thefe debates which
were taken down in ihort hand, as fully and accurate
" as an ineligible feat, and other advantageous cir
cumitances Explained in note at the end of this pre-
facel permitted the Photographer to take them:
Though they are much more detailed than fueh
debates uiualy are, and though ne was governed by
the mott iacred regard TO itri& ultce and mpartiay
IN taking and tranieribng them the peculiarly Of
his iituation mutt have rendered the publication i'm,
perfect, and perhaps in iome (he hopes few inan-
ces have oeeaioned mfconception of the meaning of
the peakers. Yet the fubAance of thole debates
was 10 citing, that the work met with general APP
probation; eeamuch greater number ofvolun1es might
nave been eahly fold, than were publihed.-The
10 in