Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-02-20

q. n. SENATE Of VIRGfNfA.


oJJress YOU, ona subject which he deems
a., "''erl,ans enormously of vital Importance
y, th p State.-A Bill has been sent TO Your
nodv' from the House Of Delegates, con
,,;n,ng the details o. a Plan for the Edu-
lion of all the Youth of Virginia. Ii
l,as nassed that House when nearly one
hajf of lis Members had left the seat of
4 ,,oyerumeut, and the other haiti were
,9,,,;te exhausted with the labors OF long
Isssion. Ii attracted very little attention
from great majority of the members,
until the Bill was on its FINAL passage
4 AMI then, the discussion of the subject
was OF thar imperfect, desutory kind,
! which proved, thai little thought had been
bestowed by its opponents on It's great
and leading principles; or that those prin-
ciples had been, too prtcipitateiy, taken
+; for granted Under these circumstances,
il may be permitted me 10 question the
wisdom aud policy ofthc proposed mea
sure and TO state my objections 10 those,
who can now alone prevent its adopt
on.
I'm the last Enquirer, gave a very haSty
Sketch of,what conceived 10 he obJcc-
touable features, IN the bill then before the
\ House This Sketch was written, rs
these remarks are written, with the since
rest desire 10 represent The Bill such as
\ il was, and to discuss fairly IFS merlts-or
rather, since time was not allowed for a
Il full examination of them to suggest such
doubts as might induce the Legislature
to submit this Bah 10 their constituents,
before twas cuactsd into a Law.
am told that that haSty sketch was
honored with ihe particular notice of some
gentlemen, III their places, who thought
il quite fair 10 make a charge against the
writer, of maliciorSiy disappointing the
bill TO that charge, have but two re-
marks 10 make-l'lle one is, that gentle
men are quite safe in such observations,
either from retort or contradiction, be
cause The writer is anony nous, and be-
cause they have the privilege Of speak
ing, where he has not the privilege of
rcply--the other is, that II the writer had
been known TO those gentlemen, lie is con-
fident they would have deemed him inca
pablo of malicious misrepresentation.
But, how misrepreSent the bill! Has
he mistaken or misrepresented its great
distinctive characters Has he given to
the ten Directors OF the Board OF lmstruc-
ton, powers which they do not possess
Was the style of his composition the
style of a man DESTROYS to pervert the mo-
tives or measures of others Or, was 1t
the stvie of one who, strongly deeply at
tachad TO the public welfare, and hav-
ing done the State some service" suppo-
sed he had a right, III common with his
feIlow-citizens, TO canvass, dispasslonate-
Nv, the tendency Of any public measure,
no matter with whom 1t originated, by
whom it was patronZed, or before what
Body it was depending.-Let the Public
Judge.
But, how miSrepresent the bill In
stating that the Board were to supply va
cancies occurring in their own body,
without the controul of the Legislature.
Let any candid man examine the amend
ment proposed, and say, whether this
mistake, as it turns out to be, was not a
very natural one. The clause is, that the
Board shall have power TO fill any vacan-
cy in their own body, either from death,
&C. or any other cause. To I'll a vacancy
in the Legislature mo. Until new G.
lection takes place No. Ii is not so
written. IF il had been, as IS usual i'll
such cases, the writer would have at once
seen, that The blank after the word " cleo
ted" might have been filed with the word
So annually"-As il was, he supposed that
bIankiwas to be filed by the date of the
first election So much for the charge
of gross malicious misrepresentation.
As to the general merits of the bill since
the blanks have been filled, and as a
mended, they stand almost upon the foot
ing Of the original substitute. ] sincere
" wish that time were allowed me to do
Justice TO my own opinions upon this
question, but il is perfectly obvious that
this cannot be expected. These obser-
vatious would come too late for the pur
pose they are intended-that of exciting
serious enquiry and reflection on tins
most important OF all subjects--ifI de
layed a single moment TO sendthem 10
the press, with all their imperiections up
ON them Under these circumstances
all can pretend to, and even this may lay
me under the imputatiOn of egOtlsm and
impertinence, is, TO suggest TO your mos
respectable body some of the doubts and
fears which operate upon my mind. They
may be visionary-they may be absurd
but, entertaining them, should deem my
self guilty OF moral treason to the State
III withholding them from your consIde
ration, at this time, when you are Obliged
to decide for or against the bill.
FiTst-As TO The powers delegated by
this bill TO ten directors, residing in varl-
Gus paris of the State and subject 10 nc
other controul than that of an annual C.
lection
will rot particularly specify them
but emphatcalIy call your serious atteu-
ton TO thcm-and ! ask first, whether
they are not most highly importaut-o
the most delicate character in their exer
else, and of the most dangerous naturen
their abuse Ignorance as well as de