The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1826-12-04


i. fofeigl. COUNTRIES, a. b. eaa cuf d uith perjury,
obsenrny exile. I he gigls Of the natieB Tia
example reads the saluiary lesson tiisf PR
yaie fortunes Destroyed by public, well as
by private c1traYag aDce. Ana tins l. tendency
OF al human gepel k4Hehfs. A departure iion
I principle iu one instance beromat a precedent
Tor ID, thai ID. Tor I'd, end 50 on, till the
liils Of the society Is reduced To- be mere aiion-
al ons Of misery. 20 have sensibilities lei but
/ for shining aud suffering. 1hcn begins indeed
the bellun omaira ~ ornnin, which some PIN
losophers, observing 70 be so general IA this
world have mistaken Il Tor the natafal, instead
ofthe abusive tate OF man, and tie forehol sc
Dfths iiightul team IS Public Debt lax aiioh
follows thai and IN is tram wretehedness and
oppression
Sour men Look n Constitutions With sancti.
Iaonious reverence, and deem them, like the ark
+ OF tie covenant too sacred to be touched -
4 They ascribe 10 thc ucu of the preceding age
J wisdom mUru thu human, and suppose " hat
] they did tn be beyond amendment | knew that
+ age we'll: belonged To If, and abofcd with II;
/ il deserved vel GIFTS county, u very like
Z the present bat sthou, the experience Of the
present aud ~ years Of experience IN govern
lneni Is worth century Of book reading and
this they would sly themselves, were they 10
Use Il On the dsad. ! an certainly not an adj
yocate Tor frequent and aatttcd chang1s ia laws
4 and constitutions ihinl. moderate imperfect
iinns had better be DO ~ Ith because, when
! once known. we Accommodate ourselves TO them
and fin PRACTICAL means ui correcting then di
/ effects nut | know alsO thai laws ard mstltit-
tlop luist 70 hand IN hand with the progress oil
the auman mind. As that becomes more dere-
Hoped, more enlightened, IL new discoveries are
made, new truths disclosed, and manners and
opinions change with the change of circunstan-
ces, institutions must adsanc also and keep
pace WITH the times. We might as well require
man 10 wear sill the coat which fitted him
when boy, as civilized society 10 remain ever
under tue regimen OF then bai barous ances-
ioIs II II tbs preposterous idcR which has late
y delnged Europe in blood, then monarchs,
instead Of wisely yielding to the gradual changes
Of circumstances, Of fasoring progressive ae-
conInodaton 10 progressive Improvement, have
chung 20 old abuses, mtIenched themselves be-
hind steady habits' and Obliged their subjects To
SEEK thfo blood and violence, rash aud ruin
GUS innovations, which had they been referred
10 the peaceful deliberations and collected viz.
dJm Of the nation, would have been put into
acceptable aud s5lutary lorms.--Let us follow
no such examples, nor weakly believe that one
generation is not as capable as another of tn.
tlng care OF itself, and OF ordering MS own AT
fairs Let u.s. as our sister-states have done
''"A ohi |IlNff - oui ibh5bn anu experience 10
correct the crude essays OF our frat aud mex
perienced, altho' wi.c, vlriuous. and well mean
ing councils. And lastly, let us provide N our
constitution for its revision at stated periods
Nliat these periods should be nature herself IN
dlctteS. BY the European tables Of mortality of
| the ADULTS living al any one moment ol tlme a
majority will be dead in dbout h years: al the
| IA of that period theu new majority is come
| INTO pace OF IN other words new generation.
Each generatoni is as independent of the one
preceding, as that was OF all Which had gone be-
fore IL has then, like them right TO choose for
itselfthe form OF government II believes most
promohve GIFTS own happiness, consequently
| 10 accommodate to The circumstances IN which
| il indg it,clfind received from It's predeces.
| oors and il Is for the peace aud good Of man
kind that a solemn opportunity OF doing this
every - or 20 years should be provided by
| the constitution that II may be handed on ,
with periodical repairs. nom generation TO gem
Grafton TO the end OF time, II any thing human
can 50 long endure.--it is now 10 years since
the Constitution OF Virginia was formed, the
| tables inform us thai, 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 right 10 hold in obedience 10 their
will and 10 laws heretofore made by them. the
other two thirds, who, with themselves, compose
tlt pfeSenulndSS Oh huuiis u llltY nave moi,
who hasl The dead butthe dead have no rights
they are nothing and nothing cannot own some
thing. Where there Is no substance, there can be
no accident This corporeal globe, & every thing
upon It, belongs TO it's present cofporeol nhab,-
tants, during their generation. They alone
have a right 10 direct what is the concern Of
themselves alone and to declare the law Of that
direction and this declaration can only be
made by their majority thnt ma iority then has
right 10 depute representatives. TO Conveu-
ton, and 10 make the Constitution what They
think will be best for thefselves--Bnt how col
lect then voice this is the real difficulty, If
invited by private authority To county or dis
tict meetings. these divisions are SO large thai
few will attend and their voice will be impeI-
| fectly, or falsely pronounced. Here then would
be one OF the adyantantages of the wa,ddlyi-
sions have proposed. The mayor of every
ward on question: ike the present, would call
his ward together take the simple Yea or Nay
of its members, convey these to the county
tcourf, who would hand ON those OF all it's wards
20 the proper general authority, aud the voice OF
the whole people would be thus fairly, fully
fsud peaceably expressed discussed and decided
/ by the common reason OF the society, Ii Til,
avenue he shutto the call ofsuflerance II wilmal
itself heard thro that OF force, and we shall 20
on, as other nations are doing, in the endless
NliIlt ol oppression, ltbtiiioi, anu
oppression, rebellion, reformation and again,
so on for ever.
- These, Sir, are my opinions of the govern
mentswe see among men, and ofthe principles
! by which alone may prevent our own from
! falling into the same dreadful track. | have
given them at greater length than your letter
called for, but cannotsay things by halves and
conhdc them 10 your honor, so 10 use them as
to preserve me trom the eridron of the public
papers. ltyou should approve u enforce them,
as you have done that Of equal representation,
they may do some good. if not keep them 10
yourself rs the illusions of withered age aud use
less time.
! shall, with not the less truth. assure YOU OF
my great respect and consideration.
Ill: JEFFERSON
Copy of Letter received by :. Kcrcheyal esq dated
| " Monticello, Septembor5, 1916
SIR--Your letter Of Aug 10 is Just reccv-
Cd. That which, wrote To you under the address
oil IomlSinson was intended for the author OF
the pamphlet You were 50 kind as 10 send me