Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-02-04

uot more tnan oUO representatives IN par
lament. Here there is .not one million
OF people and nearly 200 legislators. In
other words, with less lhan one fifteenth
part OF the population, we have one third
oil the representation. The British par
hamcnt however is not thought too small.
In the United States of which Virginia
forms componen, part, there are not less
than millions of people and The number
OF represent atives does not exceed 40:
and yet that body has been found too
cumbrous for The orderly dispatch ofbus-
ness. They have adopted the ratio Of
one representative for every SO 600 !;
whereas We have fixed it at one for eve.
ry four thousand. There is also another
reason for diminishing the number of
representatives. BY extending the le-
presentation over larger compass, it
would have the effect of destroying those
petty local interests, which are produced
by contracted districts. Let us enla ge
our districts and we should see AN END oi
that narrow interest, which springs from
the influence of family and relation,
an interest, which hangs, like dead
weight upon the freedom of suffrage and
the liberties of the people.
Consider too the defective organization
OF the senate, under the present constitu
ton. That body does by no means fair
ly represent the public Will. A gentle.
man from Wythe, few days since OBJ
served, that one senator represented a.
large humber ofinhahtants, beyond the
Blue Ridge, as six on CHS side oft. IT.
| other words, the Inhabitants to the East
Of the mountain have six times as much
senatorial influence, in proportion to their
numbers, as the inhabitants 10 the west
ward. This defect in the senate ough,
to be corrected by dIfieren, organ, 1a;l
on. Thomas Paine, for introducing
whose name into tha: house he hoped he
sh oid be under the Decc ssily of apollo.
gising to bu, few members, has recon-
mended new plan for the structure Of
that body. He proposes that when the
house OF delegates assemblies, they should
select committee frnm their own body
10 ACT as senate. The debate in every
case should be conducted separately in
each house, and The decision be, eff cted
by majority oil both. A plan of This sort
has obviously the efsQ ef Introducing in.
10 the deliberations of the legislature, all
that leisure, calmness and maturity ofd
cussion, for which sena,es have been re-
commended. Blu, it is not my design al
present (said Mr.. b. either 10 examine
the propriety OF having my senate at all,
or the best mode OF constructing it.
As to the organization ofthe Judiciary,
Mr. b. declared it was with extreme diff
iidence he should express any opini-
on. Some opinions hover he had
formed on this subject, and he thought;
himself bound 20 express them. l was
to this part OF the constitution he Tad al.
uded, when he spoke of some improper
'estrictio s, that had been imposed upon
tbs Legislature. The constitution unwise-
ly prescr!bes the number, jurisdiction and
form of our courts: au arrangement,
which should be entirely intrusted 10 the
wisdom and discretion oil the representa-
tives of The people, who were best quaiiii
ed TO select such system, as might be
demanded by public convenience. II was
true, ina, by retaining the name, it was
easy to int oduce any new modification of
the courts that might be necessary /: But
there are always men in the Legislature,
50 squeamlshy attached to the consti,u
lion, that they will never consent to violate
lis spirit and its letter, however strongly
the convenience of the people might de.
mand it.
Mr.. 8 declared he could no, subscribe
TO The doctrine, avowed IN England, which
rendered the judges independent Of ali
human authority. II was certainly cor.
reet that Judges should be rendered lnde-
pendent of the parties who came before
them; and upon that account, it was cer-
tainly proper that they should be made
independent of the crown of England.
Consult the English writer's and they will
tell us that the monarch. or his ministers
bad always been in the habit Of Involving
some question of prerogaiiye IN judicial
cases. They represent them as frequent.
ly interposing their power and influence
to screen the gull y lelon from the Justice
of the law and incarcerate the intIex,ble
patriot in the damps of the dungeon. IN
England, therefore, such an independence
may be necessary but in Virginia, where
the commonwealth is never implicated in
the decisions of the courts, The same me-
cessily cannot be- supposed to exist.
Possessed Of unlimited power, the com.
monwealth would never condeSce,d In mn