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

more
pleasant and agreeable 10 the majority of those
who live under its roof This and This only
IS - the head and front Of our offending"
Tue substitute proceeds 10 draw, in the heat
S.Sie oi It's Ingenious author, a very pleasing
picture OF The prosperity Virginia has enjoyed
under her present constitution from which
II Is argued that, by attempting any alteration
IN ulat instrument, we may jeopardize the
c"n''nnance of this happy state ofthings and
erge' that mo- such periious attempt should be
made. w
The friends Of amendments, do not DEW
iia' great blessings have been enjoyed under
'ne constitution of this commonw ealth, and
'nai The government has generally been adj
, .', with republican virtue and purity
WIN hearts truly grateful to the glorious au-
NOR OF al, good, we acknowledge that, as citi-
zens ni Prg'hid, we possess many sdyanta-
ges. which cannot be- TOO highly prized adj
vantages far superior Ia those enioyrd by the
SUBJECTS ofany Monarchy but that our con-
u''ion mas been, or is bitter, than that of our
sister stdteS, we cannot admit. Certain il is
that the Old DOmtnion." which formerly
stood At the head of The American Union. er-
ceiling all the states in population. and proud
ly pre- eminent in political influence. has now
sunk into the third rank, and soon will into
the fourth or fifth her federal numbers heinz
now inferior TO those of New York and Penn
syvania, and even of Massachusetts, before the
District of Maine was detached from that
state that Ohio and Kentucky also, are ad
vancIng upon her with gigantic strides
These unpleasant facts will nanifestIy ap-
pear, by comparing the population ofthp sever
al states, in 1890, 1900, 1910, g. 1920. according
10 the census made IN each of those years.
by consulting the same autbentic sources of
| tfr NAT M, tuIlI Al
FIRE increase of population in Virginia. was
much less during the thirty years which clans
ed from 1890 to 1920, than even in the states
OF North and South Carolina, where slavery
exists as well as here, hut where the Virginian
restriction upon the right ofsufrage, does not
exist, except that III n. Carolina, it is applied
10 the election of Sen1iors ONLY. Ii is
certain too, that the progress of improye
nent of every kind, in this our highly
favored commonwealth, which has enioyed
the blessings attendant upon the constitution
OF l776, for nearly half century, has been
slower than IN almost any other state in the
Union To what extent, the practical inGu-
ence OF our political organization, has been un-
iavorah'e TO The prosperity of the state, is not
easy to be asceriained with precision but IL
cannot be denied, that "Me tree is to be iudgea
by ITS fruit" there must he some invrterate
malady in our system secretly proving upou
the Vitals OF the commonwealth sone mis-
chlevous cankrr not absolutely ruinous, bu
greatly rrtardng our growth. and diminishing
that lively health and activity, which other.
wise would nVigorate and beauiiry the body
polite.
| IL should he recoiiected that, in our happy
country, we have right to expect, not oaly
exemption from oppression, hui announcement
IN prosperity. If therefore, II is discovered
mat our state government Though not actu-
ally guilty OF oppression or iniquiiy,l is no,
so skiiiuIy c0nfrived for the great purposes
OF increasing the population, political strength
and general improvement of the common.
wealth, as ought to be, and as in fact the
constitutions of our sister states are f.: it must
be admitted tn he high time. to resort 10 fun
ddmentat princrpteS"; to rall "a convention, ia
supply deficiencies, cut off redundancies, and
eradicate whatever may be found pernicious
IL IS time TO adopt those political improve.
mrnts, by means of which, the other states
are enabled 10 excel MS, 10 almost every
thing which contributes to the convenience
OF their citizens, and aggraudizempnt of their
communities in the scale of political import,
| anCP.
But these desultory remarks have swelled
already to an announcement length. This in.
| leresiing subject will be resumed in another
number of your paper.
REPUBLICAN, OF '98.