Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-12-21
RICHMOND, DECEMBER 81.

II u " Al II ~ .tbj REX.
SIR-1lrough your paper | wish 10
draw The attention Of lie Governor an
Council OF this cOmmonw eaih, to sub-
Ject which has excited much collision
between the executive department Of our
government, and many of our county,
courts. The 18th article OF the coustllu
iioa OF Virginia, as presented in our
Kevisrd Code, both new and old, is, i'm
these words. The present Militia oil
GERS shall BE- continued, and vacanries
supplied by appointment OF The Go
vernon with The advice of tie PrJvy
Council, or recommendation from The
respective county courts 6ut The Co
vernon and Council shall have power
OF suspeDdIng any officer and ordering
court martial on complaint of misbe-
iavior or inability, or TO supply vacan-
cies, OF officers happening when I'D ac
tual service" IL will be observed i'm
The first place that if the true word be or
IN tins section before recommendations. that
The whole succeeding part of The sentence
is contrary 10 The rules Of Syntax. The
proposition iUiM never governs the word
recommendation as II must do, provided
The on - the true word IN This instance
we say on or Mp0n reCOmn endaIion, bnt
IL YER with recommendation and HE
former is The phraseology whenever the
Nofd recommendation is used in any o.
ther part OF The constitution of Virginia ::
BESIDES, the distinctive conjunction 5nt
cannot grammaiCslly succeed the first
member of the sentence, il iie true word
beer. However, laying grammatical con
sirucfi0n aside, The last mcmber of the
article " or 10 supply vacancies Of officers
happening when IN actual service" is
complete surplusage provided The
word be or and not on before recommen
dations. How unnecessary and incon
sIstent would il be TO vest the power OF
supplying vacancies in the Governor and
Council IN certain specific cases, when you
bad before given them the power OF
supplying vacaucies ~ any cdSe rch0tSosrsr.
That there are sound reasons why the
executive should have the power 10 APP
point officers, when The militia shall BE- IN
actual service, which 80 not exist IN time
OF peace, must be obvious 10 every mind
that reflects al all on iIIe subject but
there could be 10 obie in vtsling This
poverty a specific clause, when il had been
already delegated III The most general AMI
comprehensive manner. There are seye-
raj facts which have come TO the know
ledge OF The writer of this paper, which
/ ~ ~ ave w btdiNs wv OF lUc NODtfF
OF the constitution Of Virginia which
have examined, land they are numerous,
which have been published out Of iht
state Of Virginia, the word used before
recommendations in the above cited
clause is on aud not or This would seen
TO indicate, that ~ some period since ih,
adoption OF The constitution, perhaps i'm.
medlaiely thereafter, il was published bS
the authority OF Virginia IN that manner
else bow could this mistake have 80 uni
veTsaily prevailed ia other states | cal
fiud 10 printed copy of The constitution
undar tie authority of Virginia latter
diiIgeni enquiry Of date anterior 4
the printing Of The chancery revision ii
1882. In that code, and in all subse
quent editions OF the constitution undo
The authority Of Virginia, the word is o
and moi on. But have searched for th
original manuscript Of thecOnsllulIon, a
adopted by lie convention, and hag
discovered this curious circumstance.
Is evident that the word on was first writ
iP:, and that With a knife or some olhe
instrument, The rigII hand potion of Ill
u has been scratched out, and sirOk
made with a pcn TO convert the into ,
To my eyes, Is appears that this alteraiio
has hecn made with different ink G0r
that used III The ilrsI instance, aud som