Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1826-12-05

loR oatmeal saS pa.a.oes, aaye no time " ,h.as,
no means of calling the mismNnaeeTs TO account;
bu, be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring our
selves TO rivet their chains, on the necks OF our
few sufferers. Our lsnd-holders too, like theirs,
retaining indeed the title ami stewardship OF es'
tates called thsirs but held really in trust for the
treasury, nus, wander Ike theirs, in foreign coun-
tries, and be contented with penury, obscurity,
exile, and the glory of the nation. This example
reads to US the autary lesson, that private fortunes
| are destroyed by public well as by private extrav-
agance And this is the tendency Of all human Sc.
vernments. A departure from principle in one
instance becomes precedent for I'd, that ID
for Sd, and so on till the bulk OF the society Il
reduced TO be more automaons OF misery, 10 have
no sensibilies left but for SHINING and suffering.
Then begins indeed. the bellum omnum in omnia.
which some philosophers observing to be so gen
eral in this world have mistaken i, for the NATURAL
instead of the abusive, state of man, and the fore
horse of this frightful team is Public Debt.-Tax-
alton follows that, and in it's train wretchedness
and oppression.
Some men look at Constitutions with sancti-
monous reverence, and deem them like the ark
of the covenant; too sacred to be touched
They ascribc to the men of the preceding age
wisdom more than human, and suppose what
they did to be beyond amendment / knew that
age well I belonged to it, and labored with it,
it deserved well Of it's country, it was very like
the present but without the experience OF the
present and 40 years of experience in govern
ment is worth century OF book-reading; and
this they would say themselves. were they to
rise from the dead. am certainly not an ad-
vocate for frequent and untired changes in laws
and constitutions. I think moderate imperfec-
tons had better be borne with; because, when
once known, we accommodate ourselves to them
and find practical means Of correcting their Ill
effects; but know also that laws and institu
tons must 60 hand in hand with the progress
of the human mind, that becomes more de-
veloped, more enlightened, as new discoveries
are made, new truths disclosed, and manners
and opinions change with the change OF circum-
stances, institutions must advance also, and
keep pace with the times. we might as well
require man 10 wear still the coat which fitted
him when boy, civilized society TO rema n
ever under the regimen of their barbarous an
cestors; it is this preposterous idea which has
lately deIuged Europe in blood, their monarchs.
instead of wisely yielding to the gradual chang
es Of circumstances, of favorins progressive
accommodation TO progressive Improvement, have
chung to old abuses, intrenched themselves behind
steady habits, and obliged their subjects to seek
through blood and violence, rash and rulnous IN
novations, which had they been referred TO the
peaceful deliberations and collected wisdom of
the nation, would have been put into acceptable
and salutary forms. Let US follow no such ex-
amples NOR weakly believe that one generation is not
capable another of taking care of itself; and
of ordering it's own affairs. Let US, az our sis
ter states have done, avail ourselves of our rea-
son and experience 10 csrrect the cruie essays OF
our first and inexperienced, aItho' wise, viruous,
and well meaning councils And lastly, let us
prov de in constitution for it's revision at sta
ted periods What these periods should be, nature
herself indicates. BY the European tables of NOR
tality of the adults living at any one moment OF
| time. majority will be dead in about 10 years,
| at the end of that period then new majority is
| come into place; or in other words, new genera
ton, each generation is independent of the one
preceding, as that was of all which had gone be-
fore; has then, like them, right to choose for
| itself the form OF government il believes mos,
promotive Of it's own happiness, consequently TO
| accommodate to the circumstances in which it
finds itself that received from it's predecessors
| and il is 70, the peace and good of mankind that
! a solemn opportunity Of doing this every nineteen
or twenty years, should be provided by the cons,-
tuition; so that il may be handed on, with period
ical repairs, from generation to generation sthe
end OF tue, if any thing human can so long en-
dure. It is now forty years since the Constitu-
ton Of Virginia was formed; the same tables in
form us that, within that period, two thirds of
The adults then living are now dead: have then
the remaining third, even if they had the WISH the
RICH, TO hold in obedience 10 their WILL and to
laws neJStOIOIe ny tuetD, tno otuei tWO-
thirds who with themselves compose the present
mass of adults? if they have not, who has ! the
dead. but the desd have no rights; they are moth
ing; and nothing cannot own something Where
there is no substance, there can be no accident
This corporeaI globe, and every thing upon it, be-
longs to it's present corporeal inhabitants, during
their generation. They alone have right to direct
what is the concern of themselves alone, and to
declare the law of that direction: and this decia-
ration only be made by their majority; that
majority then has right 10 depuie representa-
tives to a Convention, and TO make the Consiitu-
ton VIVA, they think will be best for themselves
But how collect their voice? This is the real
difficulty. Ifiuvited by private authority 10 county
or district meetings, these divisions are so large
that few will attend, and their voice will be im
perfectly, or falsely pronounced. Here then, would
be one Of the advantages OF the ward divisions
have proposed. The mayor OF every ward, on
question like the present, would call his ward
together, take the simple Yea or Nay OF its
members, convey these TO the county court
who would hand on those Of all its wards to the
proper general authority, and the voice OF the
whole people would be thus fairly, fully, and
peaceably expressed, discussed and decided by the
common reason Of the society. If this avenue be
shut TO the call OF suffer ance it will make itself
heard through that of force, and shall go on,
other nations doing, in the endless circle of
oppression, rebellion, reformation, and oppres-
sion; rebellion, reformation again, and on for
ever.
These, Sir, are my opinions of the governments
we see among men, and OF the principles by which
alone we may prevent our from falling into
the same dreadful track. have given them at
greater length than your letter called for, but
cannot say things by halves; and conhde them to
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