The central gazette. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1820-1827, 1825-01-01
CENTRAL GAZETTE.
voR rRE CENTRAL GAZETTE.
CONVENTtON-Nh. III.
sATURpAY. aAN. i, 1895,

will first examipe,ihis subject IN an
attitude, which the opponents To u Goa
yention have not thought proper to con-
slider. would ask, ifthe present Con-
siituIion of Virginia. is entitled beyond
all question. to that authority which the
term implies? Fin Virginia. as in Eng
land. constitution is to be framed, al
| tered, suspcasicJ or abolished, by sim
Gle branch OF the government, that
| branch Of government too. being elected
| for other and very different purposes. ny less
| than majority Of the adult citizens OF the
l. country, and at time when public sentiment
| had scarce begun to contemplate the necessity
| OF a constit ution | would know of the or
| thodox stcklers for ancient right and estab.
| lished authority, whether we are to claim this
constitution by virtue of the common law right
! of prescription, as we would CLAIM TO tread up.
! on our neighbours grass, or to catch fish out
| of pond And, | would know FuI Their, what
| length Of time, how many weeks, months or
wears, must einpse before the people en-
| trapped into passive obedience, by tacit &C
| ques cnce in any unauthorized meas urea A
| constitution hasbeen termed, the "leX legum''
the supreme, incontroverlible rule or gov.
ernuaent. established by the sovereign power
| OF a community cit is designed to controul
anG KNIT government, as to the mode, the
subjects the extent and spirit Of its operations
| Without attempting to prove, that the instru-
| ment TO which we have assigned these impor.
tant preTogatives, is destitute of that soemnity
or force whichiit should possess without al.
ledging one object Suggesting ore amend.
ment in its plan, might not appeal to the good
sense o nv count,ymen, land ask, whether
| the fact that this instrument is OF questionable
authority. should not urge US, to fix that point
beyond all doubt? Men are too apt TO do
wrong when their obligations to do otherwise
arc plain and obvious but for political men
to err, when they pursue distinction end
and use power as means, 1T Is sufficient TO
furnish them with pre,ext.
That the Trainers Of the present constitution,
designed IL TO have AL the attributes and ef
fects of such an instrument. tat least while
the rev olution lastcd,l have never, for mo
mept doubtcd--that it has been adopted both
in theory and practice, as such an instrument,
is Xix ewise clear But this is not the question
Had the convention OF 1916, power and au.
thority to adopt, or even propose constitu-
ton IL they had, whence and how did they
derive il The people, surely, whose interests
the constitution is intended to secure, are the
only body which have right TO establish it.
In what manner should the people perform
this peculiar and important duty? Certainly,
by delegated agents; for the idea Of any other
than rcprcs cntative democracy, IS absurd
Can an agent exercise any authority, which
he does not derive by his experimentation
he do any thing r1ore than he is deputcd to do
ANY thing which his constituent did not
contemplate, he should dos
Let us sec how these queries are solved, in
the case under consideration The policy of
the British Government towards its American
Colonies, the measures Of resistance adopted
by the Colonies and ,he bloodshed which
sued, left no doubt upon any mind, so early as
IT'S, that contest was approaching, no less
doubtful in its final result than in its immedi
ate objects. The rcdress Of grievances, as dis
tinc,ly enumerated as they were severely felt.
was certainly the first object OF tho Revolu.
ton. But how Tar this opposition TO the mo.
Their country was to extend, or what were TO
be It's consequences, no man venturcd TO en-.
quire The persevering obstinacy with which
the British Parliament continued to heap its
oppression upon the Colonies, and the spirited
reaction with which that oppression was met,
led the American people by imperccptible and
unexpected degrees into war os lndepen-
dcncc or absolute submission. Men who Jiv