The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-01-31
sLis .u4jeef before shem---otons svith tr.s

| remarks, by soay Of hreface -
Il certainly dejtct tn the cons ,itu.scR
ofPirginia. that IL makes no hrop;s,on for
| ITS own amendment The constitution offhe
U. D. ho'nfs our fTvo modes TOR its correc-
| fton-,for Congress are eifhcrto Ero6oSe a
nendmc nss. 4vhcn U r tgvo thirds or 6ott.
houses shall deem il necessary, or whenever
fhe Leg sIatnrcs VI fgvo thirds Of fhe states
shalt ajhhiy for IL, 10 call a Convention fur
Proposing amendments 4" svhich IN either
case shall be valid to all intents and hurho
Sc" as hart Of this conssitu ion, when raft
ned by the Legislatures 2fthree fourfhs Of
fhe sfa'es or by Convention in three fourtfs
fhereo/, as thc one or fhe other made of ra-
| f.feahon may be hrohosed by Congress''-
In the constitutions of.N: Hamhshire. Yer
moaf, Detaauare, D1aryland, Georgia Ohio,
Aenfucky and Tennessee, there are trovi-
Sims mdde-6ut they are nor uni farm, ia the
siateS. In some Of Them, The ordinary Lee
gisls,ure may amend in the others, the
Convention. In Georgia, S. Carolina. and
maryland, hey amend IN tie first zvay !:
on IL must be done by two succeeding Le-
SfSldtnres and the bill that IS Rasscd bu
the FIRST ofthem must be published nrru,ous
"a the Intervening election, so that Ghe heo-
fle may PASS nhon and choose their dele
gates accordingly. Tie sole difference be-
fSveen these states, is as to The majority of
the Legislature necessary 10 ad2ht il, and
the. interval oftime bet4reen rte publication
81 the amending bill. and the eiechon.-Ln
some of the other states named u6oyr, thev
moUe 6y conUention--bm hey differ as 10 me
made Of convening ii In Yermvnt, IL is
conUened by The councit Of Ccnsors 4yho
NEE every SeUen years. In Tennessee,
OHIO and W hampshire, the sense of the
people rs. to be tcken at tile election for
members Of Tie assembly, and iffound in
favor yH, The nert .4asembiy is 10 call
the ConUention-in Tennessee, this sense is
10 be consulted svhen t7vo thirds Of the is
sem6ly think Il necessary TO reuse me con
sfnufton-fn W Hamhshire, il is TO be con-
suited eUery IN year, yet nc alteration is
10 De made IN the constitution until 7yo
thirds " the qualified 90 cs haze AMIR .ved
lie. In kentucky, thr sense ofthe heonie zyoa
TO haze been taken in '97, and eiso IN the
year after--and If on ne ballot IF either
year, majority Of Tie citz na potine for
temperatures zo.:$ not IN fuuor eff con-
Ucnfton. II Scas nofto De called unttt 9 :hirGis
both houses should deem IL erhedienu.
But IN Massachusetts, h. Island, n York,
n. JERSEY, Pennsylvania. n. c arolina, and IL,
TINS state, tneie is no mode of revision pom
ed out-in Pennsylvania 6 years ago, the
L. glsid ure. stated their opinion that the con
st tuition required amendment, but re ferred
shS St'i - q CONVENTION the discretion OF
the people.
I'm this state, the subject has been frequent
ly akenup by he assembly. Petitions from
time to time have been handed in b. few
countess Scarce session has elapsed, IN
winch petitions tim one ~ two counties
Rave net appeared but the question has
been taken up wi peculi4rzeai. tbs sessi-
on. Mr.. Parker from Accomac presented
petition IN the subjecs. and mo S REM
ously urged it upon t!,e house. The best ia
tents, OF those who usually speak, were CAL
Led INTO ihe field. 1t was said, tn It h. con
stituton, though exc llent i'm itself was in
need OF amedment. There was greatiAe
quality IN The Senate---S0ne In the lswrr
t1euse-~-the magi,trates of county cour s
ought not to have seat in the Legislature
&c. &c. 1t was said, on the O her nand
thu, 1t was the best constitution in the world
that there miSht be spots on the sun but
,ha this was not the line to remove them ::
or that they might be wiped nff IN some %
ther way or that the asse mby had nothing
to do with the subject
Such was the course of the argument
-: following Preamble ana Resolution ur,
sented by Mr.. Barbour, was agreed % by the
Cn"mitee of the whole
The General Asse mby ofVirgin;a. che
rish with peculiar regard, as fundanen /
principles in heir Political Greed. the ,IIovc-
ing - hatall power is vested in, and con-
sequentiy derived from the Peoni.-rha
all rec Governments should have for heir
basil, Equality and in pracl,ce ,houjd dis
pense ns bic sings. with no less eouali,v o
| mong the peopie--That whenever a o. .yern.
mcnt shall be found differentl, Organized or
producing different results, i majority of tho
people have an ndubitable, unaiie able and
indefeasble right 20 reform, alter, or abolish
| it in such tanner as shall be Judged most
| conducive to the public good.
"Ihe General Assembly entertain for fine
Constitution of his state i high ,espec, nd
i'm conte nplating the circumstances nnder
| which it was formed, particularly the i. an
cy of political science, find cause Tor snr
prize, that plan OF government IN u d have
been devised, that in It's great .utlin shou Il
have been so propitious to the Ii ,ert e and
the consequent happiness OF mankind. But
It's authors would have been more than m
tai il they had produced a perfect t,I,n of
government. Hence time and exDer,ence
the severe but impartial triers of all bu,n m
things, have developed errors which. in the
! opinion OF some require Correction.
This Assembly are aware of the delicacv
| and danger Of frequent attempts at innovati-
on. Blu when defects exist of such ex,en
sivc conse iuence as to quire remedy. the
experiment of changing the government
bold as il is, must be tried and in the 20;
sis thereby produced, we must look for safe
t., 70 hemOderation, he Patriotism. and VII
dom of the people.
"Petitions Tor series of years having been