Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-03

Can II, the1, be doubted, Mr.. Editor
that these corporations possess The hig 4
Legislative powers OF raisin. mon " upon
The people, and OF appropriaiing it a
their pleasure and have not the assem-
bly, ct our state, quo afhoc, appointed :
sNb-isgisfatpe, 10 enact laws for their con
siiuentS
| Again III sa fundamental principle %
onr bill of rights, that those who make
laws for the people, should not only be e
lected by them, Tor that purpose, but also
return again into the body of the people,
at short and fixed intervals. The reason
OF tins last principle Is, that the deputies
| of The people may be res ralned from OPP
preston, by feeling the burtheus they in-
pose. All these excellent principles are
iniringed in the case in ques ton. The
great ,iigni,aries composing these corpo-
rations, have not been elected by any por-
ton OF the people, for the purposes of
| raising money upon them, or ct voting 1t
| away: Nay, some OF those characters,
| however respectable, have never been e.
lected by the people themselves, or any
part OF them, to any office or trust whatsO-
eyer.-Again, these officers do not return
again into the mass of the people. Some
of them hold their offices forlife, and 9th
ers for long periods. The people are,
therefore, taxed by those who do not re-
turn to them, nor feel, in common with
them, the burthens the, have imposed.
SO important is the power of voting "a
! way the public money, and so necessary
it is to be held under check, that even
the legislature itself cannot, without vio-
lating a standing law, vote away shil-
ling of the public money by resolution
They can only do it by "a iaw, read three
times in both houses, to afford due DELHI
Grafton on the subject. No such check is
imposed on the corporations, now in
question. They vote away large sums,
,n,o fatm they act by resolution only, and
thus are free from the salutary restraint
imposed upon themselves for the public
good, by the immediate representatives
of The people.
1t is declared by the 4th article of our
bill of rights, Mr.. Editor that as public
services are not descendible, neither
ought the offices of magistrate, legislator
or Judge to be hereditary" Ifthese Off
ces cannot descend from father to son,
neither ought they from a predecessor 10
his successor IN Office Tlie principle is,
i'll both cases, the same This principle
goes to explode the delegation of these
important functions by mere official de-
signation. Tie delegation should be
strictly personal. Yet, in violation of this
principle, all the members of the literary
corporation, hold their places merely mr.
t'ite oDfcii. They consist olthe governor,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, treasurer, attorney
general, and president of the court of APP
peals, for the time being, and their success
SorS forever. Not one of them has had a
personal delegation to Ibis high legislative
trust.-They take il by succession, and in
derogatlon of the principle of the bill of
rights, as aforesaid; and the same objec-
ton applies, in part, to the board of pub
lie works.
Ii is understood, sir, that the funds of
the two corporations now in question, a.
mount, severally, 10 more than a million
of dollars, and that they are daily and ra :
pIdly increasing. The faith of the COM
monwealth is pledged to continue the
funds of the board of public works, till
the year lS66-and those of the literary
fund are pledged an perpetuity. | be-
lieVe, 1t is an admitted principle that
whatever changes may be made in the
constitution or government of a country,
MS debts and engagements remain invio-
liable whatever changes may therefore
take place IN our government or IN pub
lie opinion, III relation even 10 this very
subject, this enormous debt will hang
like Bill-stone around our necks.-
Even change of our constitution can
not get rid of il. 1t is perpetual mort
gage upon ourselves and our posteritv,
torever-and were these funds to I've with,
drawn by, even, the people, in Convent
on, it might be doubted whether the
courts would deem themselves at liberty.
to respect their wishes.
Are the honest representatives of our
beloved Virginia, aware OF these things !
Do they mean to bind their constituents,
hand and foot, forever; and for that, too,
IN lation to the primary schools, &c.
which must be, at least, considered as an
experiment.
Accept, sir, these hasty remarks upon a
most monenious subject. mug hereaf-
Ter, send YOU some structures upon the
mammoth bank your legislature is about
to establish.
Yours respectfully,
|