Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-06-14

'"N'p - w "ttdCh, VIII oupeIlOT bIC 10 IL rGOIic,
the majority of whom have been ever friendly to a
Convention.
How has it occurred, that, the address of the Slcnan-
ooah Committee, of the ! 18th of March, expressly de-
string ga Contention toiLhoud The consent of the G,ueyaf
s4ssena6ty," has, hitherto, escaped the anatheIna of this
father ot the faithful! This address was followed, at
the late election of that populous county, by a vote 33l
10 80, IN iavorof Convention. Itwas published and cir
cuiated throughout the Commonwealth, before the Lou
dowa Committee was created, and the latter part ofttein,
iHddTeSS evidently sought To moderate the ardent zeal.
kirom which the former sprung. The address emphatiI
Dcally expressed a distrUst ofute General .4sSenbln and
Edispensed with their aid, in the work OF reform. The
hLoujoun Committee, discern the origin of this distrust,
endeavored to aPpeasc it. This was to he effected, not
by Tie denial Of a right of tie people, proclaimed and
protected by the solemn declaration prefxed to the con-
shtntion, but by n double appeal TO the reason and un-
derstanding of the opponents of a Convention, and 10
tie good temper and moderation of its most Jealous
friends. And this appeal. which circumstances required
TO be brief, "Mason of'76" pronounces TO be declama-
tion; and not only onits, IN his long quotation from the
Loudoun address, but, by emitting, he intentionally
gives to the address itself, a purport contradictory gifts
true and obvious intent. The "humiliating doctrine"
winch the committee deplore, is contained in the sssome
OF twenty-four lines' crafty omitted and denounced as
mere defamation. 1t is thus expressed: s'Does there
really exist" ask the Loudoun Committee, "a right
winch cannot be exercised, and is the solitary and
mournful example of it TO be found in that of the pcoL
Epie of Virginia TO govern themselves, or to determine
ny 'ohat constitution they shall be governed'" [9his is
IN" doctrine with the committee deem humiliating, and
winch they deduce, by unanswerable argument, from
another doctrine, by no means confined, as this writer
alleges, to cone of the most distinguished members of
the Senatc"-that the General Assembly cannot au-
thorize tie sense of the people TO be taken on the pro-
pretty of any change of their present constitution, or
furnish, for IT Is pushed to that extent, any facilities or
aId' Tor effectng any such change. Hence, the Lou
d"nn address maintains, the irresistible conclusion fol-
lows, that no change can be made of the constitution
OF the state, but by endangering "anarchy" and soon
~uuiSiOn.n
1t was very natural for such an anthor, whose ingen-
ulty must be derived from a highly honorable professions,
often the glory, but sometimes the disgrace of society,
to omit this defamation; for, had he called The attention
u lis readers To ITS manifest import, what would have
become of the s%caffolding ofthe stage which he so labo-
riousiy erected for the sacrifice of MIR Mercer And
what now becomes of his learned quotations from the his
tory of Cromwell, OF the charge of seeking to promote a
revolution OF JaCobinism, sc. &c. 'Gurgons and chin.
eraS dire," to the simple! tools and instruments in the
hands of tins ancient magician!
One topic more, kind reader, if YOU have patiently ac-
companied me SO far, and / have done.
OI the discussions OftIe ex Pediency of any alteration
d me I constitution, at n meeting IN Richmond sin 1921
of which we are Just reminded, the writer of this vindi-
cation although a native citizen and ~inhabitant of the
commonwealth, had, TIL recently, no other know ledge
Than rumor gave bin: for, when those discussions occur
rcd, he was much occupied at a distance from Virginia,
and so continued long after his return to the State
They merited, no doubt, the notice OF the whole com
ni'Iniiy, and would certainly have commanded bis, but,
Tor this untoward circumstance. He is very recently
apprIsed' for the first time, that, among oihcr topics
winch they presented to the public, was the question
again revived, whether, i'll a just apportionmenl OF the
representation of the Commonwealth, a regard should
be had exclusively 10 lis white population? This sub
Iect Isnow stirred in The argunent, lift deserve the name,
ct the writer whose essays | have reviewed. His opini.
ons shall be given in his own language. which, whether
decIanatory or not, Is always intellIgible After ascri-
bing to a speech of MIR. MERGERS, which it is presumed
he did not hear, at the late election in Fairfax, what is
untrue-that he either proposed "o abolisin any of the
present qualifications for suffrage, or advocated il, UNI.
ceiSdl ertentiOn, he adds, docs he not strcBuously
"maIntainthe principle that the representation shall be
"apporuoned according TO the free white population:
:" ! know not what The Loudoun Committee estcems the
- 'laIrest features of the Constitution, ! only know what
zone OF them oncc esteemed so. ! know not what thes~
gentlemen will consider shaking oil the fabric of So
'cial order to its centre'-but Ikn0tU, and they ourht To
'thHohc, that tUhenerer tie aHempt shall be mnde TO appor-.
'tion the representation without regard TO the sitpe no
"PutdttOl--to place that property III the absolute power
'oi those who have bnt little interest 10 preserve il.
"and the strongest interest to ovcrburthen II, II will be
'attended with such a contest between the people of
'the different parts Ofthe State, as the Loudoun Com
'mittee indeed may think a wholesome agitation of the
political atmosphere, but, as | shall think, a convul-
sion Portending the most fearful consequence s.n-Such
a prophecy IS truly awful! But, to inspire Just alarm
the prophet should be himself inspired. 1t has been said,
that the nearest approximation to real prophecy by I'M
inspired man, is founded in that application of analogy
which deduces what is to come from what has bappcnC,l:
and this sentiment, of which do not boast to be The ar-
thor, has always seemed to me to be rcplete with Wis
dom. For the consolation, therefore, of the good people
of thiS 'beIOvcdn commonwealth, for whom dare saw /
entertain as much regard as any ''Mason of 10" now
living, l beg leave TO inform Them, that his Uery Utes-
lion has not only been agitated, but acted upon, in Viz
giDia, aye, and in the very Legislature of the State, with
out producing any ''fearful COnsequences,r nor even "a
CONFUSION ortendng' them. Nor did this peaceful re-
suit happen, because there was no wise man present to
prcveutit. There was one, though certainly no pro-
phet, Il mean no disrespect to bim.) lie was the most
ingenious debater / ever heard, and occasionally tire
most eloquent. | shall not be charged with an exaggera-
ton ofhis merit in these particulars when / add, THAT tie
is the same gentleman whom the last General Assembly
exalted to the Senate Ofthe United States, where. in the
qualities ] have ascribed to bin, It is universally ac-
knowledged that he has not his superior. Now, in the
last arrangement of the Senatorial Districts of the State.
this learned and eloquent representative of the borough
OF Norfolk, did most strenously but dispassionately resist
The was no alarmist,) the effort TO form those districts Of
territories having an equal number of white inhabitants:
and, after two days discussion, he not only utterly failed.
but the Senate @en1sefress unequal as was then the rep.
reseutation Of the Western counties in that BODY. ac-
quiesced in the Just decision of the House of Delegates.
After tins arrangement had been made, still the public
mind continued undisturbed, and no man has, until now
wickedly sought to agitate ii, By suggesting the appre-
hensIon that the security Of the slave property of Vir.
/ ginia depends on its representation in the General As
| -omh1u "A n U.~Tf ~.-fN a t~--. -