The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-01-28

y
ling and intrigue. A man of real talents is un
willing to go through this annual probation.
He is unwilling to employ potcnefs, folicita.
ton or the other inftrumcnts of flccefs. But
let the power of appointment be transferred to
the people /; ard new fcene is likely to he
developed. Men of real talents will come
forth to fcrve the commonwealth. II is "a
greater hahn tn the feelings of 4 man of tai
ents, to receive the national appreciation. than
that of body Of legiil,tors. No man will be
brought forward as candidate, but one Whole
Qualifications. are 10 well known throughout
tn: whole fate as to entitlc him to the honour
of the feleaion. The people will be the ar
biters of the choice and before them. the
uiual inhruments of po!itenefs, folictation,
and Intrigue, will be of no avail.
Some objections too may he RATED againt
TIE prefent hruSture of the council of fate.
That body in facf confiffs Of too many mem
hers. Not to foeak of the article of expcnce,
which in republican government deferves 20 be
conidered, the reiponlibiiity is too much
divided. InGead Of being concentrated in the
hand of Jingle mag;trate, it ia divided & feat
tered amongcight privy councillors. Let even an
ocr alton occur, which calls for the d'GnifIal Of
theie officers; we G,allfnd there's another provi-
Gon in the contribution, which tleRroys the
8 benefits of IN entire refponGhi'itv. Innead of
ka:ng the authority of diiIniiiing an obro,-
ous Council for every year or every three years,
the legislature cannot in fatet ex"rcife complete
right of con.roul under any period lhort of / Q
years.
c!l like that Of the chief nacitrate is con-
hded to the Legislature. The fame objections
a9ply to each. And there is this ohiettion
which applies to the election of every important
officer by the leeillaturc. When the afIernhlv
meets in the capitol, its members are unac-
qnan.ed with the pretenions of the candidates
who are 20 he brought forward. Either then
the Legislature mnft nut up with the candidates,
WIN are known to- this city and fiioported ny IFS
Influence, or it mutt vote for the candidates
according TO the representations of their ref
pettive friends. And where is the carp exer-
cited by the members of the Hour [? Where
isthe re(ponfhiity i,npofed uoon them Their
vote is not recorded {: when they return to thir
continents, how eafy will it be for them to
efcape the odium Of voting for an obnoxious
candidate. by declaring he voted for his op-
po"ent?
There iso1e appointment, which the Lecifla
tnre had the power of making, that would have
been moro properly entruted to the Executive
The Executive NAV choofe (faid Mr.. b. all the
military officers of fnbordnate degree but
they have no voice in the election of a general
and other important military officers. VIVA;
then would be the Gtuation of the common
wealth, if in a moment of r.ubc peril, when
au active, difciplined ard well-commanded ene-
my was prefiing upon us, were to fcnd
forth the militia under the orders of general,
who had obtained his comminior from the Lee
yiilature, not by the force of his merits, but bv
dint of folicitation and favour? 1t was perhaps
under this point of view, that Judge Tucker had
obferved: "True it is, the inconveniencies of
this conduit in times of profound peace and
tranquility, are neither 70 obvious, nor 70 nu-
nierous or dangerous, as in times nf war or diff
ficulty; but it fhoud be remembered that
when fuch times arrive, there is little leifure
Tor reformation, however requiite.-If by
any fatal event the federal union filould happen
to he di1oived, or broken, there is not fate
in the confederacy, that would fooner feel the
total nadequacy of its contribution, to fupport
IFS liberty and independence, than Virginia.
The organization of the leeiilatnre i.feIf is
liable to many weiehtv objections. Not the
leaf Of is detects is, that II violates that great
priat,Ic of 4 republican government, that the
will of The majority ought to prevail. fiy
r,thing (faid NJ. BY of.hat artificial divifor
OF irteret pro iuced bv the Blu- Ridge IA.
rotbing as TO the comparative Influence poqec-
Jti in .his iToufe ~ the pcope on this or tha,
f;da of the mountain kfv remark applies no,
70 much 20 the natural diyifon of the fate into
fvo great diErj!ts, as 20 It's artiici. diHr
br.ion for the Darpof. ne reDrefentatinn. Are
not our counties Don-ned of unequal popGla-
lion and property? nil! they are endowed witt
IN eouoi right OK renTsfentatiHn In the legi(la.
fire. Wehavc reduced Misrepresentation Of each
cnnnty, to nandarl not lefs arbitrary and
unifr1rm than the failed he'd of Procruies
ana whatever be its izr. allow it not more
nor Irfa than i7po representatives,. Is not the
confcdrrnce ofthis arrangement too obvious tc
be rrit.ke' Whenever msafure comes TO be
decided by the lesllature, combination oftht
I'm lller countries NAV decide the quetion in op
potion 10 the will of the larger, however infe-
rior they may be to the latter in the number
and property of its inhabitants. 1t is vain tc
fav. that thefe fnaller counties are equally
DILUTED through every portion of the fate, and
are therefore incapable Of combining into any
didin(f local intereG. For this argument E.
onaiiy app..tsin favour of the rotten borough'
of England. And is any republican prepared
10 inHify the check, which they inpofe upor
the will or Tire raj5rity of England
There is another feature, in which the or
eansa,inn Of the lepillaturc, is obvouny al
war with the great principle of 4 republican
government. Each county tends two mem
h-re 10 the Houfe OF Delegates. But one o
theft nay fay yg, when the other fays no
Is If no.howeyer a complete f1lecifm to Gay
st.t a.. n ,.ouoty hle two diflinSf wills ? Is Il