Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-05-11

ltnat uefrcts may he found in all the works ~
man we are not SD vain glorious as to expeci
perfection to be- attained in politics, Or in any
thing else but il does not follow, that il is
the part OF a wise and free people. to he con
tent with rery defectiue Constitution, when
It IS IN their power to amend il, ipithout diff
Guilty. uifhout ,cur, tumuh or disorder Of any
KIND. The friends OF Convention, hen
they declare their Willingness To frIisfth peo-
pie" for this purpose, I" do not set up the pre-
sump,uous and absurd pretension, that the
people are exempt from iidbihfy 10 error
We use not the " language "f aattery, but the
friendly voice of truth" when we assert tina;
the men now living in Virginia, are Just as
capable as their ancestors. of seIf- gOvprnmen,.
The patriots of 1916, were good and enlight
enrd men, but originally subjects of The King
Of u. Br,to1n lis II not reasonable to suppose
that the present generation, brought up and
educated under n repubticdn government, are
at leastas intimately acquainted with the art
and mystery of Constitution making as they
| were
According To the proposed substitute, "the
feelings. manners, opinions, and desires, of
the people Of Virginia, have been in a mea-
sure, moulded by their present form of gov
" ernmeDt :" yet the same substitute presents
us with the strange proposition, that This peo-
pie moulded by the powerful operation Of
fh's erceltent Constitution upon them, are so
de'ased. as TO be- far inferior to their renown-
ed monarchical ancesiors.;-so ignorant and
corrupt that they by no means are worthy TO
he compared to the statesmen and patriots OF
the REVOLUTION whose hearts liz seens)
A." were chastened, whose minds were expand,
" ed, and enlightened, and nerved, 10 match
" the circumstances in which they were piac-
ed by the very sotemnity and grandeur OF the
" scene IN which they were called to act!
Thus lin substance) we told that the
stormy period of Reroiiiion, is better adapt
ed to iudicious elaboration, and sound practi.
cal wisdom, than the calm of peace that men
whose attention is distracted by the necessity
OF defending their country from foreign enc
my, are IN better circumstances for discussing
and settling the principles of government,
than Convention assembled for that cypress
purpose and no other that the first attempt
that ever was made in the world, TO frame a
written Constitution for nation, produced,
OF course, the best instrument Of that nature
that ever can be made that we, alas ! in these
degenerate days, have m war, no revolution.
to " ch tSten our hearts, erp1nd, entighten, and
nerue our minds" or las Robespierre ssed To
say.) To screw us up TO the hIuteW des cir
constanceS % WE have only the experience of
our oUn, and our Sisier States for 10 uears.
4 10 guide as tee, therefore, cannot safely
touch the ark of our political covenant IF we
do, we are threatened, (f not with Instant
death at any rate, with evils SO horrible that
all the alarmists have terrified themselves,
and are constantly terrifying others, almost 10
death, by bug bears conurrd up by their O,vn
disordered fancies And yet, (says the same
substituted" in political affairs, especially in
" what concerns the practical forms and prin-
cIples of government, EXPERIENCE alone can
g detect what is evil and approve what is
| " goodp
| According to the substitute, las | under
sisnd it, no form Of government, when long
established, ought to be changed, until its
| practical operation has actually proved an
iniolerGble grievance. But the quotations from
the Declaration of Independence and Bill of
| Rights, do not establish such ductrine-It is
only land that Implicitly stated, that changes
Ought not 10 be made for '' light or transient
causes pa truth already admitted, and
which II presume, y no body is prepared 10 de-
ny. Yet the part of true wisdom, certainly is,
to prevent evils. IF possible,l not to wait till
they become insu6errble, and then apply a
remedy. Venienti Occurrite morJo," is a good
maxim in politics, as well as in medicine
| 1t should be remembered, however, that,
when the authors Of the Declaration of Inde-
Pendence and of the Bill of Rights, were fran
ing the clause quoted by Mr.. Leigh, they had
IN view no changes in governments, but such as
they SUPPOSE could not be accomplished with
IN the year l776. no instance had perhaps ever
occuCred ~ peacepbLe change of the form of
government of any nation. II remained for
the people Of these q. States to furnish many
happy examples of the formation or amend
ment of constitutions, without any disturbance.
except the moderate and often beneficial ex-
citement produced on such occasions by ami
mated discussion, and conflicts Of rival intel
lects.
Time tsays The proposed substitute. \ IS the
t0isest Of all things :" And every institution
which has continued long time unchanged.
must therefore he excellent. If so, Monarchy
/ (which, it cannot he denied, is n much more
ancient form of Government than any other !
must be truth excellent ! II follows too. that
the Patriots Of 1875 were guilty Of rash and
foolish innovation, IN exchanging that old and
venerable system, for republic THE truth
is, that time is one Of the means Of acquiring
wisdom hut for those only who learn, and
profit by the lessons OF experience. The big
oted and blind admirers Of established sys
TENS, are conte>t to let things remain rs they
are resembling that honest and very saga
cous Ditchmdn, who always used skiDDIe
stone 10 balance his wheat, because his father
had done the same before him. TO such per
SONS, time brings no instruction, -rxperience
no improvement but, from generation 10
| generation, they 20 On cOnientediY, hugging
the chains Of slavery ADD ignorance; drnounr.
ing all inuovatOrs, as audaciOus iniidcls vh,
regard " nothing as sacred in heaven, nothing
" venerable on earth, nothing terrible in hrII. .
! The SFPes of f776, were characters Of n differ
ent scamp they were bold enough io inno-
! vaie aud change the order Of things then es
4 Il ~. a.