The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-03-25
ToR rur prRetHrt.

foR THr FrPctNTds
FilO3e Cb>snS Of G5rgtnid l take the
liberty of Offering IL vour consideration
few drsuItory sugge,tlous on subject Of
common conccrunpnt. ! can Only say,
/ that they are dictated by the best of mo-
lives and out of personal hostility 70 no
human being II is for those TO whom w
are addr' ssed, caudr.ly and impHtal!y /
weigh thrm. Those who dissent. vii, |
trust, do towards M rs | would IN them,
ascr!he 1t to ar honest difference o. opinion
As IL those of you who set Themselves up
for critics, have only to add, if the end |
have in view viii not propitiatcy our silence
or your clrmeucy, must be'r with torti-
tude the out poarings of yor vengeance.
Now to the suhiect.-Cnill aud during
A greater pAlt Of the last session Of our lie
gisIature, tho interesting question with us
was, ConN entIon or no Convention. lis
decision Was supposed legtlmately to e
| addressed, and To rest with us--the people.
We had been taught by Our Bll Of Rights
and tbe principle, of Tt, Ia believe that We
! had 4 right to aeltate, To discuss, and To
decide II ; we had supposed that in tins
! hrmle pherc the satlsh and antiQuatCd
doctrines of dieinc rlgh', prSspe obedience.
/ and non resistance, were forever exploded .
and fhlt the achievement Of mr mdcpend-
enCe had formed new era 10 he history of
human rights But how sadly ave we been
mistaken, if the tenet. Of our IL Senators
! are received as orthodox III tina our day
aud time They have not ony refused Ia
commit tn us the confront and decision Il
this vital, this paramount, this iuudamegtd
! que slion but have refused To hear our re
| sprctiul and humble opinions on the sub
| icct. They have done what | humhly
conceive the Stnarts of England would not
have dared in the highest times ot the
| prrroghGrc they have danc what is tan.
tanouut to refusal to hear f,om Us peti
ton of grievances, which is guaranteed
, even To the subjects df England. Can such
principles he avowrd aud acted upon in
land of liberty ? the laad of Henry p
Has his mantle descended on mons Of his
! posterty? Does his noble spirit animate
enough to sound the t0csin, " hen prlnciples
al" opcaly aSowrd, winch in '76 drove our
fathers to the awful appeal of arms and
! prompted them 10 stake their lives, their
, fortunes and their sacred hunonrs" upon
/ the issue of that appeal ? Oh yes there is
!, for one, viii do il. | warn you to be
hpon the watch tower and ut your posts.
! The chiyalry and lofty magnanimity OF
| your ancestors, isrot, I trust, Yet quite ex
t!nct ~ the Old Dominion YOU sill nave
/ hearts to feel, power to aNtnge, and fort
tnde To- oppose agrees lons upon your rights,
whether committed by "a foreign enemy or
an lnsldions domestic Toe.
Tn" question, whether your constitution
needs any, and what amendments, need
not now he discussed IN an original form.
Such a discussion would far exceed the
limits OF a newspaper paragraph, ard ii is
rendered unnecessary by the consideration
/ TINT Il has been ably discussed almost con
tmualy for the Last twelve months. In il
have been enlisted the best talents of the
state. All Inc arguments, pro and con,
have been weighed, and the result Was be
You'd the possibility of a doubt, thata ma
JarIly OF the people were in favor of a
convention One Of the hest evidences of
! this result, though not the only one, is the
sense of the house of delegates. | will
content myself with noticing few of the
most prominent arguments on both sides
The enemies of reform tell us we are
I happy enough under the old order of things
that no man, without Judge Or jury, has
been hanged, his property coufscated,
himself attaintrd, and the like, and hence
they say we have experienced no prac
teal evil from the operation of the
old constitution that our disconteuts have
no real foundation; that it is DANCE
rous to apply the sacrIlesioas hand of IN
no,astou to the venerable tree planted hy