Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1824-04-20


cple burlesqued, either preserve the Royal name
of Charles City, or TO keep up her present undue in
fuencc in the Legislature.
In James City, we are informed, there was ma
jority for a Convention.
FOR THE WIG.
The friends of a Convention have been very elo-
quentiy st.gnatiZed by the orators who mounted the
rostrum on the day of the City Election One gem
teman said that they newlights. but that their
illumination came from the devil. The same GEN
tlcman amused his audience with divers 1ipbts and
figures of Speech and among other things, likcned
us TO gang of Incendaries who wished to fire the
political edihee reared by our fathcrs-The simile
oil the cdihce was very good one, but very unhap-
PLY applied. The amendment of the Con ;titution
deserves no moro to be characterized as n pork OF
destruction, than the repairing of an old house
which has descended from one of our grand fathers
could be so considered-To take down rotten pill
lar, or add roof to the building, SO far from
den,ottsi1ng the structure, would contribute to its
preservation. Can gentlemen be serious when they
tell the people that the laws made by the Leeisla-
ture are wise, consistent, and always hrtellieibe
and because the Bar ofthe Court of Appeals do not
perceive their defects, the people in duty bound
to entertain the same opinion-Are there not innu-
mcrable instances of plumbers and errors in Lees-
ation? To name other do not these learned
gentlemen know, 1hat the strange absurdty is to
lie found III our criminal code of the punishment of
rape when actually committed by fee negro being
stripes anc Punishment only, when the attempt to
perpetrae the crime dooms the offender to the GAL
lows. In truth, the Constitution of the legislative
department is almost universally acknowledged to
be defective. How often have the public Justly COM
planned, not only of the compicxity, but of the ever
changing character of our laws, The Revised Code
OF 1917, which cost very large to the State,
it was hoped, would quiet the restless and inordi-
nate thirst for legisation.-But what is the fact?-
Year after year, laws of a permanent character
have been altered or repealed, and that, before they
were fairly promulgated among those who were
bound to obey them.-Too much legislation has
been the vice OF the Commonwealth. How can the
evil be corrected except by reducing the number of
members, and, by what think, would be very
wise resulation-making the sessions of the Legis-
lature biennial instead of annual-Again, the pow
ers of the Legislature not su -iently limited and
defined by the Cossttution.--It is notorious that
that branch has repeatedly encrnached upon the o.
Their departments of Government, and have usurped
powers which either do not, or ought not belong
to them.
1t would be waste of words to prove that our
ancestors, from conmendable jealousy at that
time, of Executive authority, rushed into the oppo-
site extreme, and reduced the Chief Magistracy TO
| an empty shadow. The Governor who has no pow
er whatever, or next to none, is made annually res
ponsibe to coordinate department, and the Coun-
Gil who advises every thing, may, some of them at
least, hold their Offices for life.
But the Constitution the work of our Fathers,
and it is sacrilege to approach it Our fathers were
but men like ourselves, and subject the same bo-
Oily and mental infrmitics. The work of their
hands though very good was not perfect. The struc-
ture they erected was really excellent, considering
the materials which they possessed and the confIsi
on and turmoil OF the times i'll which it accom-
plished. But experience has proved that some of
the apartments are not exactly fitted for use--that
the props and pillars and partition walls are many
| of them unsound, and require renovation. The ar
gumcnt, that the Constitution is not to be revised
because it was formed by ancestors proves too
much, and therefore proves nothing.--!t hangs a
milestone around our necks which becomes hea vier,
the longer we live. Such doctrine apologies for
every and abuse of whatsoever kind if it hal
pens to be ancient.-Thc generations Of mankind
are but many which roll in succession to
the same ocean. Our ancestors were themselves the
poserty ST their forcfathcTs, and we shall in time
be the progeni;ors of those who to follow us.
| With what consistency can Republicans who re-
probate the rottcn-borough system of England JUS
tify own inequality of representation "A few
years ago the City of Williamsburg alone, with a
population Of few hundred souls had five Resi-
dents the floor nf the House Of Delcgatcs-ft is
said that this inequality gives orr section of the
State more than its due weight, aud that, therefore
VIC should be the last to complain. Such princi-
| pie is too and selfish to be regarded for a
moment as Virginian and Republican, would
disdain privilege which is unjvsty denied to my
| fellow-citiZens al large.
But it is affirmed that it is dangerous to com
mcncc the work of reform, because having common
ced it, we may be buried too far.-This doctrine
is too extravagant and too noparchcol to be seri-
ously refutcdts refutation is furnished by the Bill
of Rights and by the principles Of our Government
! DO not fear that the intelligent Patriots who will
compose the Convention will rush into any wild OK
tremcs, demoish single feature of our Constitu-
! ton that is valuable So far from feeling the hor
ror and alarm which express at the idea of 4
Convention, am not certain that periodical as
sembage of the people every thirty forty years IL
their Sovereign capacity, might not be attended witt
| the happiest effects. do not mean to say for the
purpose Of altering the Constitution, IL no alteration
be necessary, but to correct abuses If any exist, anc
to revise the various operations Of the political ma
chine
will now enunerate briefly, some objections tina
4 entertain towards the Constitution, Which have
not been mentioned in the various discussions OF
tho subject.
1.-The clause relatusto appointment # Militia Of