Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-06-14
RlCHM0ND, VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, JUNE Ia. 1895

inonstrances aloud, as well as by gently breathing tbe;r
petitions in the ear of their representatives, tocall nnon
them Tor a redress of grievances The real - Mason NJ
49, and his copatriots, unanimously declared. before
they ushered the present Constitution into beinr. ssLb,y
az po'oer is vested in, and consequently derived from
,he people: that magistrates are their trustees and ,er.
rants, and at all times, accountable to tbo,pr ma mo-.
Tue General Assembly assert a right to instruct the Son.
ators oil the State in Congress, who are not their SERVANTS
ana w'i they deny the right of the people. whose SER
wants those Senators are, audibly and distinctly 10 an
peal to themselves, by complaint and remoDstrance. #
!hey please Or is il come TO this, that il is PROMISED.
!" open day, 10 erect a power within this Common
wealth oy the representatives of a minority in fact, of
we people, 10 rule the majority as Mey please, and that
uhey shall deny the right of those, TO whom they owe
'heir political existence, TO assemble together beyond
~ ih1its OF their respective counties, in order. bv their
aePutes' to compare their wants, and to concert claw
u ana eXpedient means' of redress? Yes. IL as so pro-
posed and IFS arrogant author, under cover of a name.
borrowed from the sage of'76" denonnces the revered
oocuihes oil that period, and labors to crush those who
venture 10 sustain them9 Such an effort, however
boldly, or crafty sustained, will fail. so limo nc tho
public. NC
Whence, if not from the style of the Londoun ad-
dress, winch is not suited, it seems. TO the delicate oar
OF tins 'prdcticdi" replGiican. is derived rho ridiculous
charge, that the Loudoun Committee designed. cspe-
CidliS, ~"eNconmunIcaten him2 Why is il altered.
mat TINS Committee, or any member of IL. desiunod in
eAco"hhuhicate any class of mon? Because, forsooth,
10 n meeting, intended for "A particular purpose. they
nave not invited the presence of gentlemen who could
y nave united with them. This omission has been
sheWh, not 10 be unlawful. Is IL 4 course either mn
common or mex pedient? | refer not to Doy,uo,o,fi in.
sttutions, erected for religious, charitable. or political
purposes; OF the last description, were the organized
"e'"ocrauc societies. Designed To overaw the govern
lhehl' "hlct Tue voice of Washington spoke out of ex-
Istence. Nor is il necessary to seek for ureceJcpts in
the temporary political clubs, or cancnses, for carry inr a
aVofl'e candidate or measure, although they have been
sufficiently numerous, and have sometimes proved TO-
ierably efficient, without attracting the censnre of any
MASON OF 49," but 1 do refer to every case, where
.hosc VINO ieeI, or think they feel, a special grievance,
nave a common interest TO promote; to all transient as
scunoies Tor the rcllet of the poor, or the unfortunate: 10
every association for getting up or promoting n public
improvements road, or a canaI-bv resolutions
among themselves, or petitions addressed 10 others. |
never heard OF their asking the counsel or presence of
nose, VINO are avowedly opposed to their wishes. DID
the Catholics of Ireland ever invite the Prolestants of
their own, or the neiglboring Island, to attend a meet
ing aesighed 10 ascertain tue extent of their griev-
ances! or has their right ever been disputed. Ia An.
\ peal 10 a British Parliament for redress2 Would
"A British Protestant statesman urge as an obiec.
Il tton TO their assemblage for such a purpose. hat
lAey lad accommodated CT iusulted him, because
ne terms oi their public invitation did not iuclu4e
th'n, %orsthey had 1p0t. asked the attendance of ms
congregation, or of the entire bench of Bishops will
ans "lIter estimate the time which might be consumed
IN an assembly so numerous, if required TO debate AL
ft'e uoctrI1eS OF the established church; or, having
translated himself, in imagination, TO Stanton. w IN he
compute the days and weeks, which might, and proba
oit would be spout in discussing the defects of a Con-
'"u'fVh "hiCH thousands deem u IuSt and pXpPdipDt
to amend, but whicl he considers so perfect, a. % be
incapable "f aly Improvement whatever. To Judge
rom ms s'i ie' such an assembly as may be expected at
St"nn'on, would be charmed by his eloqnence, if not in
structed by his wisdom. But, whether they would he
Gained by the suayIty of his tcmper, or edited nv tLc
extent ofhis LEARNING, fromlhe evidence he has recently
cNihol'ed OF hoil', may well be questioned; and ceI tain
~ The aVowed object of the meeting would be fiustra-
'ed, II not by the force OF his arguments, by the impos-
sibIllty he might engender, of %gathring IN so mixed an
Assembly, by the customary mode of voting, the sense
OF the friends of a convention, upon various questions.
which involve the ultimate success of their pIruose-
For example, / have not met with a solitary individual.
who has not admitted, that the right of suffrage shouId
be extended; and the possibility ofunion, on such a snh-
Ject, might be inferred from the existence, in other state
constitutions, ofcertain qualifications of this right, differ
ing essentially from our own; but, as scarcely any two of
those constitutions exactly agree in all these unallGca-
tons, how far it may be desired by the Stanton meet
'ng' TO carry tins extension, l, with many others, am as
yetnnable to determine.
That 4 writer, as remote from the scene Of repeated
dl.cnssions upon this subject, as 'hIason of '76' is
supposed TO reside, should fall into a mistake, as to the
character OF these 'reproaches," which are cast upon
tHe friends OF Tins measure, can be a matter of surpriZc
only to himself. Although lie has distinguished the
Loudoun committee with the title of Jacobins, "A society,
Tor a tme remarkable for their union, he does not know,
That, while they have heeD said by others, as well as
himself, TO disagree about almost every thing else, the
TRENDS OF a Convention have been reprOaChed With de-
signing, not only TO sap the independence of the Judi
cIary, but TO extend the right of suffrage to every free
utSiO III lHe commonwealth! l am not TO tell an old
politician "of 1776," how many a measure has been
carried by the votes Of its enemies, who have merely
sought, by awaiting themselves of divisions among its
friends, to make the measure itself odious; and, in a
meeting designed, in part, 20 repel these reprOaches, il
would be highly inexpedieut TO admit men Of equal can
dor and better tempers, than the present Mason of'76, p
lest among them n policy might arise, not without ex-
ample in councils dignilied by higher authority than can
possibly attach to the expected meeting at Staunton.
Hitherto, the friends Of a Convention have been re-
putcd TO be a small minority Of the people, some 'sfew
counties" near the Potomac, or the northern margin of
tue state. By this meeting, it has been hoped, that the
contrary fact would be made manifest, and, dissatisfied,
as are the Committee and people Of Loudoun, where one
freeman has the political weight of but the twcnty-Ghb
part Of a freeman IN Warwick, thereis moi among the
former, an individual who believes that a majority of
the Senate will Obsiinately refuse to take the sense of
the community, on the expedieBcy of a Convention;
nor can there be many individuals any where, who sup
pose that, when this sense shall have been deliberately
and unequivocally expressed, in favor ola Convention,
the Senate will persist against the letter, as well as the
spirit of the unanimous declaration of 1916, in denying
to the people of Virginia the acknowledged right Of
freemen, a right sindtbitabie, unaiienabte, and indefea-
sibie," to F'aUern or reform their constitution ofgovern-
ment.