The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-02-01


fers it on US?
AS to the contribution, IS It now is, expert
ence has teted its utility but were of opini.
on that it needed fome amendments, fl,ould
Be deferred from attempting them, by the bold
ncis Of the innovation propoftd; when gentle.
men poGefhng the excellent under ftan1ings
which they do who fupport this meafure, talk
or frch wild innovations, as have been avowed
TO day, what may we expect when we are fet
atoat, and iett to the uncontrolled difcretion of
convention, the greater part of whom would
certainly be not 70 happily gifted? Wemieht
expef, MIR. Speaker, wretched piece of patch
work. Onc gentleman has faid that the pre-.
lent fate of representation is unjult that eve
~ freeman ought to have the elective franchise.
underitaiid the true principle on this iubiea
To be, that the great body of taxed ought to be
repreit tied and it is a fact that under orr
prefent iyitem, the Land-koldtyJ do paw thetax.
rs.
The preitnt contribution, Mr.. Speaker. has
ierved rs well for thirty years; il has borne US
thro difficult and perlous war, and has ferv-
cd Us through long ard prosperous peace
let us not then, without the with of the great
body OF The people, on the III fupported retti-
on OF two or three counties, eopardizr this
valuable innrument, by fetting it ailost On fra
o! uncertainty. We are well, 70 let us remain.
ana not initiate him, who being well, wi;hed to
be better, took phytc, and died.
Ma. BURwELL-
Rote 20 anfwer the enquiry of the gentleman
from SpotfylYania, who had aiked. by VIVA,
power the prayer of the petitioners coald be
granted, hnce the contribution was fient. No
thing was more clear 10 his mind, than that the
qoehion OF jurisdiction had been fett!ed by the
reception and reference of the petitions 10 the
mott important committee known To this hout-,
if they had contained language infuting to its
dignity, or demands which could not be
GRANTED without tranicendng the limits of
our authority, they would have been ar
relied at the threfhold and rejected. But,
hr, there is another ground upon which
the gentleman may be anfwered: the right
or TINS houle to tuggef to the people the
neceili5y of calling convention, is fettlsd by
precedent. In 1898 reioIution palIed the lc-
eiature, recommending the election of mem
hers to ierve IN convention, to ratify or reieSt
me federal contribution. This act has never
been coniidered as an ufurpation: but on the
contrary, has heen fancfionedIby the people, who
have obeyed the laws of the general govern.
ment, & thus admitted its legitimacy; it was the
tirf time, MIR. b. faid, he ever heard it doubted.
1t then former Honie of Delegates exerc;itd
TINS power, upon every principle OF politics,
the lame thing may be done by us, who are
equally inveted with authority, equally COM
petent and unlimited. Thofe who contend
that every change effected in government, mnft
be permitted by fome clauGc in the contribution,
will find il difficult to account for the exilteue
of the initrument under which we now meet
The trsth is, faid MIR. B. the right TO modify
and change our inl1itutiOns would be nuestory.
1t the confidential agents OF the people were prc-
cIuded from making arrangements for thief
psrpofes; as it is impofiible that the nation can
! move en- maDe TO forne central fpot, and fix on
the performances TO convention. The ma
ture OF the cafe therefore, in addition to pre-
sedent, places the queaion ont of doubt had
! his motion to relolve the Houfe into COM
mittee of the whole prevailed, he would have
iuomitted proper refolutions, explained them,
and thus anticipate the enquiry iuf made.
He was furpriied at the arguments ufed on
this location, and particularly, by the gentle
man from Spotfylvaaia General Minor.) They
coniift of appeals to our fears, aud eulogies
on the patriots who formed the contribution,
Cine would fuppofe the dogs of war and confu.
| non, were to he unmrZz,ed and uncou.
| Piled ;" that every ligament which binds TO-
cietY together, was to be feverrd, and full
fweep given to faction and civil broil tina,
A new experiment was TO be made, & fIch a
ipectacle exhibited as the world never faw be-
| fore. Has it been forgotten that every fate
IN the union has called a convention, & form ed
a political fabric & that fome which we're de.
feGtive. have been changed for the better {: the
fcience of politics sprogrefiive, and it is pr.
poiterous that fociety fhould lofe the bene.
hts OF improvement, by tenacioufly adherinc
| to old errors. Since the adoption of the fede.
raj government, many of its mott valuable
provhons have been incorporated into that
infrument. Thofc amendments, occurring re-.
, ligious freedom, and the rights of the prefs
are among the number; both of which would
have been invaded but for this barrier. The
| alteration in the election of preident and vice
PRECEDENT, deferve no lefs commentator
When it was propofed to aboih the old
| confederation Patrick Henry exclaimed we are
about to rebel, to become diflatisfied with on,
King Log, aad pray TO Jupiter for a Stork
who will dcvour us but every man feels the
| hyperion bleilings of the prefent government
aud notwithstanding thefe alarming predict
ons. the country is mere fecure and probe
rous than formerly.
| A gentleman fays, beware of extending the
right of fufrage look at Pennsylvania, fe.
what fcenes have enfucd from that caufe. II.
apprshended other reafons might be aligned
more fold |; the diforders Of that fate arof
! from defects in the contribution from the
power and influence of the executive. Tn,
firm tand of the Virginia Legislature in time,