Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-10-07

does nothing) ninety-nire cut OF Il hundred
part OF ihe whole quantity, the remaining hun
utedth being divided among the nineteen Ia
borers. Now The Laws which is said 10 secure
TO the nineteen their single part, as well as TO
the one ii,S niuety-uDe parts, IS in fact the law
mat compeiS lac ninvteen laDorers 10 gite 10
one idlcr ninety nine parts IN 4 hundred OF the
fruits q their labor. That is, when aprliel to
England, 10 adhere 10 the principle Of distri5u-
ting property Actually IN force. Aud strange
To say, the power that sanctions this law, = no
OTTER than the Joint iorCe OF the twenty. Such
Is tise sacrifice made for the security OF the 'i0-
pCftS inteudai COUNT ,a;id ia Englandamong
the rest
itwould be hard enough if the monopolizers
vito nave succeeded m apprOpriatinv ninety
line parts Ia hundred OF the fruits oit,ie COM
mon i1boter, should still grasp at the remain
ING hunCredth and the enccuiaSt> 81 British
jurisprudence make tl,eii boast tnat the owner
OF tue huudIeIth part is aS safe in his pOsseSsi-
on as the cwl.sr otihc Einety-n.ue. what is
TINS but saying thaI the monopoli1er has sense
, enough not 10 disturb an arrangement which
secures to nina al. Tic advantage, ana &c the rest
ali the labcr: Wien ieutlal uSurpations have
! settled down Bto The form of established POI
| hueas institutions, as tuey have through al Eu-
/ rope, the inferior ranks O! society aiC rs t!rm
IN their places theoretically 1T least as the sI-
| pertor. That they are not so, j. not 50 much
| advantageous 20 the Inferior IS the Superior
Hecau>e an interruption uf the regular course
! OF events would produce inquiry, des elope the
| vices q the arrans emeLt and substitu for il
I one more contJrnmiie TO reason and-matilro
! hat The humble ate materially better protect
~ n their f,shts IL England titan ia the other
| lSNd4l countries, am not, however, quite sat
| .,ueG. IL the tOrmS of administering Justice
! hSld OUT some appearance of advantages, as in
! the .Iabeas Corpus act, aud the trial by Jury.
! ihey are probably more tii~H cOmnterbaanccd
! .! tle gTeatP eNpence and delay OF legal pro-
| ccedInES a.d tie criminal code of England is
| more bloody aud harbaIous than any other in
| Tue world. To ieCur 10 my former illustration
| one OF the nineteen iabOrerS, whose industry
supplies the single iler with ninety nine hun
CisILiS OF tie Whole stock in an emergency
or munger, piiierS a single Kernel from his Su-
pertuOus heap--tl:c conseq ueuce is, he loses
his life. Ii is clear that no natural aud ration
al distribution ct property would require 10 he
enforced 10y such sanguinarN aud absurd re,r,t-
latioEs. The Na5caS Corpus act has lis value
Dut, considering thatit is suspended whenever
tie ministry please, which is ct ccurs the pre-.
cise and almost the only periods when the peo-
pie want II and That Its ap plicatiOn is waved
ia ordinary times, when il suits the convenience
OF the government rs ~ all cases of impressed
seainen, this value cannot he rated very high
iheFeiS Il difference between the liberty of tie
press enjoyed III Great Britain amt in the rest
OF Europe that III the latter, people are vrc-
vented from writing what is called Sediiitn;
aud that IN the former. they are punished Tor
II; Se6iti0n being about the same in BOTH
Which fthcse cOursesis the most humane and
rational, 4 need not take upon me TO deter
mime.
Upon the whole, am inclined to think that
dispasSionale and philosophical! observer
would consider the people OF England as en-
JOying about die same share ofireehom as tiat
OF the other :eudai countries. Ia all OF them
me rights OF he people are by the theory OF
tieir institutions completely sacrificed, and
Tor what advantages and security thew praCti-
c2!ly ENJOY, they are indo oted TO the improved
state OF pubic opinion, which protects them
against the pretended prerogstiVes Oftheir op-
pfesSorS, aid 10 which their oppTessoTS are
compelled 10 attend. The state of public o.
pInon IS about the same on these subjects in
England rs on the continent, and the protecti-
on afforded by ii l. ah0ut equal la Soth-'rhis
discordance between established institutions
and enlightened public sentiment would rcS,.!t
IN the immediate reformation OF the former
were not the personal interest Ct powerful bo-
dies aud individuals concerned in retaining
old abuses. As IL is, society Is kept in a CONT
nual !cFment by the conflict between opposing
interests. Europe is arYayed into tlgo D.r-
ties, tie adherents Of ancient forms with all
their abuses, and the friends of Improvement
IN political knowledge and public sentiment
The knowledge OF this fact is the true Key 10
the history Of the European world, lncudin-
this country, for the last half cemlury--to az
present political situation and IFS immediate
anc U'tmatC future proSpects--It uplockS al
the same time the mysteries Of the great par
~ division that has distracted oar own coun-
try. But into these interesting aud curious re-
ceSSeS have not time at present TO penetrate
further.
=. Axe the English, as they pretend, the most
sirtuoNs people upon earth 1T they we're this
would be strong testimony Ia favor Of the
character OF their social institute consider
ing how very important they are III the forma-
tIOD of character. III VIII be found, however
1 believe, by impartial enquirerS and obser-
ycrs, that like other boosters they are in gene
raj no better than the rest of The word--They
have reached about The same nointof improve
meiit with the other European nations. The
divisions of suciety are marked in about the
same way and preserve aDout The same dis
tsnctlye character. IOu viii ,,YObdbiY tud
N l. r1flu l
is nearly an equal proportion of capitalists aud
ahOreTs, and that each class possesses in equal
Dc gTceS The vices aud virtues incident to its e.
ducat.on and pursuits. ] hat the labOrers in
England are more moral than the labOrers
IN France Of the mobiles R London less viCiOu,
than those OfParis, il wonld be found, believe,
very dithcuit OprOve.-WIth regard 10 the no
bles, they have, as d body, no pretenSiOuS 10
morality in either Countrywide peaSantry iu
both are subject alike 10 the necessity of id-
boring, the great source and protection ofVir-
tuc-Ihere are even one 10 tNSO circumstances
Of cOnSide raj bic force that may be urged i'm ia
yOr Of the probable superior morals OF the
French peasartry the infinence of the Ca
tl!oiic priest hO0d-who>e cercm Onial is much
more strong and direct than The corresponding
Influence in the English Cimrch-and the force
Of domestic attachment is acknowledged to be
much more remarkable among the French
both very strong Inducements to correct ha-
blts-mBch Is said of the superior character
Ola supposed middle class existing in England
but not upon tie COntinent--But it we ana
lyse il cOrrectly, we shall iini the notion ex-
iremeiy vague aud at bottom iucOrrect-1his
middle class consists OF uIe moderate and
small capitalists, the lower CieTgV, the LAWYERS
and physicians. The tTadesmeH ana mechanics
And has not France and the other powers of
the Continent tile same class composed Of the
same nIitera,s2 and why IN the name Of com
mon sense, shOnld the morality of an Eng ish
lawyer an English ply stefan be superior to
that Of the French onel lt IS really time that
we should begin To lay aside the habit OF view.