Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-02-28
VIRGINIA. LEGISLATURE.

Virginia. LEGISLATURE.
PROCEEDINGS or THE HOUSE of DELEGATES
Monday, Ftb. ga communication from
the Senate, that they had passed with amend
ments the bill to amend the act respecting the
Penltentiary, which was passed on the 9th
islarch l82l.-These amendments were agreed
20 by the House.
Mr. Johnson of Harrison submitteda resoi-
ton, which was adopted, to make it the duty
at the directors Of the Lunatic Hospital 10
give in an annual report of the state of the
Hospital, of the disbursements of the money
appropriated, &c.-also to have standing
comnittec appointed each session to repair to
Williamsburg, to examine the situation and
management of the Hospital
LITERARY FUND.
On motion of Mr.. Griffin the bill to amend
The act entitled san act concerning the Litera-
ry Fund" was taken up. The amendment
previously offered by him repeating the au-
thorty now vested in the president and di-
rectoIs of that fund, to " dispose of any real
or personal estate of the said fund, being I'M
der consideration Mr.. Griffin remarked that
The power in question was important, and I'M
necessarily vested in the p. and ID. The ques-
tion was, would the legislature take the guar
danship of that fund as they ought to do ?
MIR. Raymond thought the amendment
would tend 10 increase the legislation of the
country, and that the p and ID. could be safe
Iy trusted with the power The amendment
was agreed to-Ayes 10, Noes 81.
motion was made by Mr.. Cru,np Of Cum
herland that the said bill he amended by strk-
ing out the whole-thereoi, from the word 50 AS
semhly," IN the first line, and inserting a sub
siliute IN the following words: F." that so much
ol any law now IN force, as vests the Literary
Fund in President and Directors, and con-
GfI fnt... has 4 ~.
body polite and corporate, shall be and the
same is hereby repealed. And all power of the
said President and Directors, over the said
fund shall henceforth Cease and be forever de-
tcrmined. And all the rights, titles and inter
ests, vested IN the said President and Direct
ors by virtue Of any lars now in force, shall
hereafter he deemed and taken to he abso-
iuttly Vested in the Commonwealth"
Mr.. BLocitHa opposed the substitute. He
conJured the Ho,iseto pause before they adopt
Ell measure, the effects of which would be
SO seriously felt by poslerity.
Mr.. Cramp, of e.. objected 10 the mode Of
distributing the fund for the education of the
poor according to population, instead of the
number OF the poor in each county. One
hall OF the chatita.. fund OF the state, he said,
was absorbed by the manner ofdistributing it,
4'his he thought dissraceful TO the country
and called aloud for the nterposition of the
legislature. He asked if the legislature, or
any portion of the country had been improved
since the establishment of the literary fund !:
twas sight which had not yet blessed his
eyes. He took this occasion to repent of the
votes he had given in favor of the primary
schools.
Mr. blackburn said that instead ofrepenting
OF any vote he had given, he reoced that he
mad helped III laying the foundation of the
system. Ii 1T had not answered the purposes
contemplated, he looked forward to some day
when 1t would He said he had rather 20 to
the cross, he had rather go to the wheel and
be racked, than give Il vote to put down that
iund. He hoped the House would not do il.
Mr Gr.Gn dwelt upon the importance of
enhShtenlnS the public mind and especially
an republican government. All history had
sheWn that, whenever ignorance had predO-
minated, liberty had fallen. He regretted
that the subject had been agitated at this time
At abuses existed, he thought il the duty of
The House to remedy them. He considered
elementary education as the basis of all lcgis-
iaiIon in favor of literature. He referred to
DINER systems which had been agitated in
virginia since the revolution, and thought the
present the most promising 1t was borrowed
from forasn country where the genius of
the government was more cOngenial to its
lIlted the primary schools. Here the primary
schools are not filed in consequence of the
scaDty appropriations for their benefit. But
ne Ropcd the accumulation ofthc fund would
remedy this Inconvenience. He referred to
the fuli tide OF successful experiment" now
making in New York and Massachusetts,
and asked If Virginia should he behind her
sister states, in such noble undertaking He
considered the act of Assembly as It now
stands, the brightest star ia the escutcheon of
Virginia; and dwet on the advantages of edu-
cation, as lmparting dignity and morality to
the people, and force and effect 10 our laws
and institutions.
Mr.. CrumP did not think the remarks of the
membeP nom York as TO the effects of ignO-
rance or liberty IN other countries, applicable
here. Sufficient intelligence, he said. had
been found, unsupported by public patronage.
to sustain the rights of the country. The
public mind had been and was still in state
OF progressive Improvement, independent of
The literary fund. He contended that the
universal principle of appropriation was, that
u IT was not absorbed by the object contem-
plated, IT should enter into the dispOsable fund
of the succeeding year. IN this case, he said,
IT was otherwlse-the appropriation for the
primary schools was drawn whether it could
Systematically used or not. Why, he asked
Keep fund when it does not answer any Ii.
terary purpose whatever?
Mr.. Boiling thought if the substitute were
minutely examined it would not appear 50
Objectionable. The proposition was simply, to
take the money of the fund out of the hands
of those who did not know how to take care
of It, and put into the hands of the le sisla-
lure to whom the people had committed all
the rights Of the commonwealth. He did
not intend this remark for the present presi.
dent and directors of the literary fund. II