Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-07-01

Let me now call the public attention TO those
peculiar circumstances of the Republic, which an.
"e"sedio afford justification for these extrao,,i-
nary ans irregular proceedings.
1t Is ins,., ed, that majority Of the people have
manifested tre opinion and the wish, that a conven-
ton should be c7Iled to revise aud amend the con-
sutuiion: that, twice in the last ten years the
ifonse Of Delegates rs admit cd The existence OF
detects W LIch demand reform, aud The Senate has
oosiinately refused 10 take the OF The people
on the expectancy of con, ention: that the pro-
posed meeting At Statint-n VIII make manifest Ike
iact' ulai II IL not small mihG,Ify bat dccided
nsayorHy OF the people, who anw call for reform
and, notwithstanding the dissatisfaction of the
mitiee and people OF Loudoun ,ciih tie gross me
4naifY OF the representation, they DO nI,t believe
majority of the Senate WILL ia spite of de: sense
oil tie majority OF the people ascertained, ofSt-
haely persist III refusing 20 t"ke the sense of tie
people on the expectancy of calling a convention
Now, IN the first place, | cannot forbear to
complain OF tins strong inmation of dssatisfac-
uon with the gross inequality of the representa-
ton In the Senate, put forth in the very same ma,
per, which reproaches with gross ignorance
or wiiiul suppression, OF tie fact that the repre-
seh'atlon In the Senate eIu;iized in ISI6-I7
AID apportloned to HE free white population.
have o stale, in the next place, that having
spared no pains TO form just estimate of the set-
nehts oil the people at large this subject, | am
perfectly convinced, that large majority are con-
tent With existing institutions and o,poscd 10
al change Ii were impossible 10 detail the grounds
Oh TINS estimate here;and, with my adversaries, |
Know, my opinion VIII weigh ohng or rather
be esteemed negative quantity. Ireler, hen, to
the let ers OF judi Brock enbroueh (imsefa friend
Oh reiorn) recent; published in the Enguiyer,
from which gather that he doubts whether there i,
majority In favor OF a convention: no man will
doubt his comp,s .icy TO Judge, or the fairness OF
.s judgment refer, also, 10 the remarkable fac
hat the bill, which was PISSED by the H,use of
DeleSdtes at The last session, for taking III. sense
oil The people on the expedicncy If calling con-
veh'"n, was rejected in the Senate, where the
relres eht''on has been equalized and appor Toned
according to the wishes OF the most Jealous REFORM
rs, by a mSjority OF two votes, representing about
$4,000 tree white citizens. Here Is evidence ,nour
on which side the majority hes. But this Is not all:
I Tor oettere there other senator's and
hhoc there was one (ior he declared publicly in
debate WHO oed Tor the bill to submit ine ou.s
t'on to The people, ard who would not have voted
| TO call conV eition
! In The third Place, would sladl, he Informed
how Tie meeting at StauntOn is TO make manifest
'he Tact, tia" II Is NOT small minority bur decided
majority o The people, who now call Tor the reform
Considering tie plsn which that convention i
proposed !" he constituted nosi.:., \, mel.
~ 10 prevent any thirty, twenty half dozen per
sons In any county OF he common wealth, from APP
pointing past as many delegates they please And
IN point OF Tact, as Tie business has generally
oeen coEductc'i, IL is wonderful how few per-
soas Rave taken any part in these Anomalous de
eSa Ions /; the friends oi the consiituirn can
tahc no part a1-.... that the sense of the: peo-
pie OF Loudoun, Shenandoah, and some zen or
twelve Other coiliies, has beer, la one wav or
other, pretty well a-certaintd | ito not include
Fairfax in q e number, for if my information he
correct, the OF ti.at county has ot been l,i,
ly ascert'Ined. In LoGdoan learn the tieleg#tes
wtre nominated TO the people, not chosen I'm
them and Mr. Clifton demonstrated against it al
the Tine Even Ill Frederick, " here lie proceed
! llgT- i4lNs- hanU IL It
! TO decency, iaifness and dignity, : the case adj
nii;'ed OF, the delegates, set are n0s,i;,ofd 10
lie people. Ia Fairfax, they are said 20 have
been nominated far TIE people, after tie greater
/ part OF them had dispersed Fhcre has been no
! where any thing like election. Nov: waving .be
obvious consideration, that even hose WHO aco,Ii-
esce IN nominations thus made, only express gen
eral opinion THAI there o'ght 10 be sy.ne reform
wfhont IntImafinS riiGf reform they desire how
/ * such delegation make mamife, the fact
! that a majority ,of the people call for reform
cannot conceive any method but one IN reorire
every member of the convention, rs "a preliminary
TO all pro- eedings, to state his honor no - MA
/ ny persons were present aud ConcuTring In the &c;
| OF delegation. AID, as both Mr. Mercer and lie
FRIEND If equal hts declare, that the object of
the proposed convention al S;aun on, elicit Az
/ EXPIRE son OF he real Opi.,ion Of the people, and
thereby TO convince the legislature that there i,
! large majority in favor oil reform, held them
bound to adopt some method ike that have sug-
gested to &c the real number OF Constituents re-
I presented in hat convention.
I T!r last observation | haze - make on his
part Of tie subject, is th.t aho' the Inequality Of
tie representation is lie chief ground of objection
TO the Legislature of its present const-
sutton, yet, lit this instance the complaint is level
led, not against the HON>e IF Dei~gdtes where the
representation IS unequal, bl; against the Sennte
where is equal. II it we're rue that a minority
J of the eope were III favor of reform and if il
were rue (as Mr.. Mercer says that tie House
IF DtieSGtes has twice in ten gers admitted, and
the Senate denied, that the constitution is defec-
tive and true also (as Mr.. Henderson supposes)
that the House Of DeieGGteS vo ed for conve,.-
ton at the last session, and the Senate rejected
the bill we Should then have the striking com
meniary all these theOri.ical objections con
corning the une quality OF the representations that
the House eff Delegates, where the representa-
ton Is unequal is yet competent to represent tie
sense OF the people, and even more competent TO
represent IT than the Senate, where the rcpresen-
taion is equal. But in fact, The House Of
OeieSnteS has not, twice i'll ton years. admitted
that the constitution is defective and it did not
at the last session, vote for convention In
, lS16-l1 that House sent up to the senate two
bills, designed to propose alternative one for
calling convention tle other for equalizing the
representation in the Senate. The latter was pas
sed by the Senate and then the other was dropt,
with the appreciation of almost every man OF all
parties, and especially with the appreciation of Mira
Mercer, warmly declared on the floor Of the House
OF Delegates. At the last session, bill WAS first
brought IN for calling convention, y it'll very lea
lous limitations and it being apparent that the
House OF Delegates would not pass any such bill,
substitute proposed, by which it was provi-
ded that the of the people should be taken on
the question oil convention no convention. h
ven this carried in that house by a scanty ma
jority. The argument which weighed with the