Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-01-28

sent OF the people tor 40 years. IL Is OBJ |
iigatory on us, II il were not on the peo- |
pie OF &c. l; has been ratified by 10 years
oi acquiescence en- ihepart of the people,
and declared by the Judiciary TO be the
CONSTITUTION OF this land.
Mr.. sad, before he parted with this
part of ilie argument, he would notice q
mother. The Constitution OF the United
States guarantees 10 every State III the
Union kepublicaniorm of government"
II then the present government be ellaran
teed To us, (he did mean TO DENY that
the p ople may change "a, can You make
new. government without asking in
some form brother for ile consent az The
United States? Can they who have ,rua-
ranieed TO youths Republican CONSTITUTE
on, permit YOU TO change il at your plea
sure suppose, Sir, You adopt such a
constitution as Is recommended TO you
By the gentleman from Wythe. You lay
II before the Congress of the u. s. 4
man from PENNSYLVANIA may say, Sir. ills
vile arlsiocracy; that suffrage should be
extended, amt that your judiciary should
he turned cut By the simple vote of your
Legislature. he representatives of other
states urge smItar objections drawn from
their own state institutions Are Won pre-
pared, SIR, 20 stoop to this Are YOU pre-
!" HeAu '"c pid,e or Virginia IN
Washington, bowling her knee at the door
OF Congress, and asking their consent:
beseeclnns them TO say, that the ins,r,,-
ment she has formed is Il Republican Con
stitntion. Sooner than do this. ! will
stick To tins Constitution, if If were an
hundred times worse. And vet can we
AVOID 1t tor II seems TO me very absurd
to say, that Congress are 10 ,ruarantoe
an act, which act they have not the nr;-
vilege 10 examine.
But let us quit this part of The arm
ment. have shewn Won. Sir. (sajd Mr.
T)that you have no power TO adont this
Substitute but if YOU had the power. is
IT expedient atths time 10 exerciseii I?
am unfortunate in differing from all the
genilemen who have addressed Won on
thlssuhlect. They say that Tranquility
reigns oVerihs land that party spirit is
exunGuis'led that the times are pronitinus
iorreiorm. Slr, my view of the subject is
exactly the reverse of theirs. This Con
stltution has been in force for more than
forty years, and has blessed this land #
has annilIiated party spirit. Ithas raised
us 10 an unriva!led pitch of prosperitv
and yetwe arc told, thattli is preciselv the
time iorusto alterit This venerable free
planted and nurtured by our fathers, until
~ has grown up TO the size and the stenctb
| OF the majestic oak whilewe are reposiuq
| under IFS branches, and luxuriatinp on lis
| delicious fruit, shall we not be permitted to
| cling around and cherish if? AT such a
time as this shall welay the axe at itsroot
with view of planting some water-spout.
and with the vague hope that it too NAV
| grow TO be an oak, the birds of the air to
rest upon IFS branches, and The beasts of
the field torcpose beneath its shade =?
SIR, (saId Mr. TO | am sorry to see this
rage for innovation spreading over this
country-perchlng evenupon the govern
mcnt itself. In England, when small
innovation was proposed by the Monarch
TO the Parliament of old, the barons OPP
! posed 1t WIN these emphatic words: " No
| funuS tegeS Angii@ nutar1, we do not wish
10 see the laws of England changed" II
Was 4 wise answer; and we'll MIGHT we
have predicted the rising greatness of q
people, whose institutions were guarded
| by such profound wisdom Would to
| GOD that the same spirit reigncd i'm this
country! Would to God that this rage
| for innovation was eXtinguisl,ed Rnt the
times are changed. and we are changed
with them. In this wild rage for in
nOvation, nothing is respected; nothing
remains fixed. in this unsettled soirit
wehavc justsoughtio disturb an establish
eds ysten, to attack wholesome institute
on. which we were told addressing him
self with much significance to the Chair
MANI was founded on the preiudices of
thousand years. Sir, like these preiudi-
ceS. ] respect the ancient institutions of
! my country. !, too am ready TO saw, with
The barons oi old, " NOInmuS iegeS Aneis
mwtqri"
have said, that if you have a right to
recommend reform, you have the same
| right 10 recommend Il revolution. | pray
YOU, then, TO Judge of the reforms YOU
mediate in ihevery same spirit in which
! people ought to consider OF revolution.
| Are the evils of endurance greater than
those OF resistance Are tie ills we
bear greater than those we wish 10 flv 10 ?
These are the questions which a wise pco-
pie will put 10 themselves, when they are
| about TO plunge into a revolution. Be so
good, then, while you are making a revo-
luton, as to ask what the people would do
i'll such eases. Are the evils of endurance
or resistance the greatest Sir, we ought
10 wait, until the evils we endure are too
inlolerable 90 be borne. Let us be more
cautious-ior, recnliect that revolutions
never go backwards. You begin with de-
mocracy-VOu advance TO the reign of an
unlicensed aristocracv-and Won terini-
nate your career in absolute despotism-
and by and bye, some foreign invader.
some Alaric or Attila, pOunces upon you,
and sweeps yOufrom :hccarfh. This is the
road we are destined 10 travel, if we Nv
from one innovation 10 another We have
y good government now-let us cherishit
For, change it-and fhs project is on foot