The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-10-13
For THE yiRGINiAs.
CONVENTION.

Whether we should have con,es So,
10 revise and amend our state ton,titu,2'
Is subject pregnant with importance IA
The good people Of Ibis commonwealth
aud whenever a subject Is an important an.
to ourselves and our progeny, il shnud
he well weighed aad mstnrely reflected
on, before any decision is made upon IL.
1t ought to be freely Investigated in the
public prioi4 aud talked over aud ,nqnr,s
into among the people in d0mestir circles
and public companies so az for il 10 he
fairly understood--A!l this should be don.
with moderation, with good temper AMI
with honest views. II has been a source nj
regret to this writer to see how indtcorou,
~, how unwarrantabiy, hon i'll na,ured!y
those who are opposed toa conitu,iup haze
treated the friends of that measure. Tneg
charge those who are advocating the no.
prety of a convention with laying prUlans
| hands upon a structure which WAS reared
by our Revolutionary brroes-with wish
10 break down and dcspoil one of the best
| systems Of government, merely for tie
purpose OF pefsonai ggrandlsement-Iba.
of these friends Of a convention, some have
met with political dsapp ointmeot, and hst
under their feeling of chagrin and mOrIiG.
cation they are striving to overthrow the
bulwark OF our liberty, of our happiness
and our main glpry--in short II has been
charged thai the friends of a eon, enlioO are
composed of desprradues, either political 0l
peculiarly, who haye nothing 10 lose ahi
may probably gain by any change TINT
might be made in oGr civil poiity--that
! they may gain bot cannot lose in any a.itI.
,iiOn that ruay he effected in the cnuS,tu.
ton therefore ii is that they are striving fT
a convention. That this is hbellpns and
slanderous charge will he clear n every ops
who will take the pains Of Inoking around
him aud making himself acquainted with
the characters Of these irdil duals mary
Of them are persons Of great wealth, and u
| proUity as conspicunus rs can be presenb
I'd by the strongest lineaments of 'lttne--
Whose patriolism has gone through t"00!
the most trying ordeals that ever esird In
dividual w1fih-our revolutionary aud later
wars. II would be well for the anti.conven.
tonists in their silupera,lGn and abuse oi
the cOnventloHists to rrcnlltct that the "
lastrious patriots and statesmen Jehe'sn1
Madison and Monroe are OF The nlImbrr VI
those who ARE If apni0n that our state
constitution requires amendment, ana VINO
are Of course ~ favour vi convention Tor
that object.
In advocating convention there is no
design las has been chargedj ~ dispaTase
Or take ausht from the we'll GAINED lame
of those Distinguished patriots who formed
& adapted lhe present cnnstitntlon-Iht1
services are admitted and venerated by the
Observation-Disclosures ioora Is rec0li'Ptec
| with gratitude and treasured up IN our mo
| mores with tenacousnrss ard an appro'
baton which defy the ravages OF tune
They were great men, good men ana WISE
men and il is believed that II these re'o'
lufiOnary heroes had cot passed Oh E0a'
this Stage of life they would now b" prom''
ntnt in this movement for change ~ ''s
constitution, which they formed uncor CIR
enmstanres SO inauspici0us. The cons''u-
toa of Virginia was formed at the very eve
OF our revolutionary war, and those grea',
good and wise men who assembled LOT '""'
purpose were no doubt, from the state V'
the times, harrled IN this their great worn
L ought 10 be lefoilpctpa, too, that TINS rs'
pertinent of theirs was the Grsl one h'aut !"
this country 10 the ESTABLISHMENT OF nv
publican government. Under these cIrcu'n'
Stances, how could it be reasonably P%Psc.
ed that this constitution should slaho )"
seed Of no amendment ! To say lh"' W.
cause those men vino formed our consul"
ton were able statesmen and pnls pa'''"'''
1t is presumption to undertake. u VI"
prove what they did, is al once to h'clH..
war against all Improvement IN all lhr al"
and seize noes. Newton, Milton, Bacon
! Boyle aud Descart' were perhaps VIZ
greatest Philosophers that the wo'iu . 81"
| boast of--yet we find that many OF ' n,
theories lave been improved upon
according 10 the anti coayrnl"h's'' '"''
theories onght never to haze been q"tsl,"u.
edit was sacreiislous to do. So '"''E
Werc u host al llierat in the reign "' qI,:o
Elizabeth, so profoundln learning q s"u
in All the arts and sciences. that II wa w.,
sldered by the critics that they I'D
from wells indebted" s, thai literature ~"
reached its acme--thai style ana ia"5' 10
had arrived In a purify that copld nv
| s,rpassed-ihat the human inind c0uiu II
falhom further nor polish betrr-S''
the time OF queen Anne, EnSlsh r,..
iere received an Improvement Elnfh e'"I
ed all that he'd been exhibited IN any "'"
age--and in this our day it is though ,ps
have authors FAR surprising those Oh , VT
time of queen Aunr. THIS proves r I'm in
the human mind is constantly mars ''s
improvr,nent.-And WHY is if-"h,
the reason, that civil government shonIu
come in, hut be excluded, as a par"'STy5
10 this general ameliuroiion we ""
upon and profit by the knowledge Sp 1'.. ~ -.
perience of oar predecessors, AID '""' pn,
rive nearer aud nearer to perteFtl?n ,or.
all this in the doctrine of the anu con-
,iupisis is crimiaal.-Stan where yoI "'i ,r
vonrs,Iyes and dare oct maze forward w.
cement wi,h your conaition aud aim nO' >
;,rnyo II sa.,,,s ia be their ro,io. .