The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1826-09-25

iatnrd and which We have before rx-
pressed.
III 81 our purpose, on this occasion.
fo reiierdfe the arguments whlrn b4u,.
ben 50 frequently Urged in favor of
Convention, and when are yet anrehred
although the taleats OF CHAPMAN Jnhn-
snu, aud Benjamin " Leigh have bee.
AZ frequently arrayed aganst them. an
81, nelh'n2 oi the " lar hlng ru-h.lrghl,"
With which The crowd of pun, lmlrator.
ard seville o.shlppe,s nj those emf
nrnt men have 81 >alnly attempted To l.
illuminate the noon-d y They eannol be
utrrthrowu; for they rest on the ALBANIAN.
tine base Of ruth and Justice. II il had
been possible Ia nave detected IN tae yIrns
f The Contenilpnlsts apN de,latops FINN,
those great laud marks 81 dfmoerocD Land
down IN the Bill ri Rights, they would long
since have been sh -" n, 4 the antagonists #
thr measure would not have hrcn driven -
tue desperate alternative Of pleading The
antq6tly OF the constitution a. - counter
pnl7e Ia The IrlustIce and mruualIt, of
many ot lis provision and eff apprall,g
To our vrnerauan for the character of thr
slgr- who framed IT, 10 silence thu voIre
ot reason nd Argument. NJ one gazes
with areoter admiration than ourselves on
the lonsttft Ion of Virginia, perfect, np
siocerely believe. as it was possible 10
make II, under the peculiar circumstances
of the times; but that admiration caonot
blInd us to lis defects. Time and rxnp-
Renee have demonstrated that it reds
mendmrnt, and our admiration shah not
induce us 10 tun deaf ear 10 the de-
mands of Justice. No one feels a sinCerer
veueratiOn than ourselves tnr the patriots
who ushered II INTO existence but that
seneratlon dues not necessarily lmnly that
we are buuad To acqulescr II error, be-
cause il has, no under different cIrcnfn-
stances, received The sane ION OF good
men, and because o. Is covered with the
rust and cob-wcbs ul antiquity. No: II
the friends ofthe Convention were wrulg,
Nessrs. Leigh and Johnson would never
nave descended lron the fl Id ol Argument
III which both of them sllne AS "stars of
the hrst magnitude" IL that of feciing.
III which any man, hoaevrr splendid hls
powers, must appear 10 disadvantage, Ia
the discussion of question OF this cha
racter.
There is one evil, growing out of the
present Constitution, which we will now
barely glance al, because, although of the
first importance, it has been IN a sreal
measure overlooked. 1t is the organIz =
ton OF the county court system. We do
not object, be IT understood, To the system
Itself. We cannot, however, conceal our
objections To the manner of appointing
Justices Of the Prace. Ii leads to 90
thing more nor less tnan the perpe tuatlDn
In certain families, of the most lucrative
aud Influential Ui6ce- IN the different coun.
ties. 1t IS 10 US strange aud dangerous
feature III the constitution of the count,
courts, that the 3oweI If election should
fe lde ~ the hands Of the Justices them
selves. Ii Is no ,nder, that thr onc.
should be aim ST hereditary; an htIr-
loom" III particular tanllles descending
from father To son, or, IN the absenc of a
son OF mature years, div rglng To some
collateral branch of the family, WIN az
much certainty (tnough possibly without
the same strict adherence TO tue law of de,
scents) as the sceptrr of The Guelphs aud
the Hourbons. Even, however, il it led
II nasbad consequences If II could not
hr made the engine of family emolonrnt,
To the prejudice of the public interest :
land although it can be 81 made, we know
OF no instance IN winch it has bren.) stIl.
there Is IN IacUnsrulty III the idea of any
body ot men electlng members to supply
NaCdncirs nr dtfclencIes Occurring among
themselves, that ems 10 require cOrrec-
tion. II an Important arm of the Jadica-
~ can be- entrusted with power liable IL
50 numerous and sttsl dangerous abuses,
why not al once, Organize every depart
me"t Of the government up a slmiIar
Prlnclplr ? Way not make your EXrcn-
tive Council and your Legislature perpet-
nal. with the power of filling vacancies IN
TIER respective bodies as they may occur?
ine good sense of the community re-
solls a tbr bare idea. They know it would
be a source only Of family aggraodlzr
Hent-thht II would destroy thai beau
thu system, OF republican, equality of which
we are such dotng enthusiasts in tneory
aud hat "SiiUer spoons" in the mouths
of new born babes, would be worth all the
wisdom of Newton, Locke, and Bacon
combined. But, if it be wrong, and oi
dangerous import in the one case, why II
il nol IN The q her? Surely not because
the principle is not the same. The Judlcl-
dIy, which administers the laws ought
surely TO be as pure as the Legislature
which makes them. 1t will not BIZ urged
with any face, "a an argument against med.
ding with the county court system, that
the Office of magistrate is of such compar
atl,ely little influence that our parallel fails.
Y { go for the principle; aud even If We
did not, we should hr justified IN urging, as
an irresistible argument against the pre-"
sent mode of electlng Justicrs Of the Peace,
the numerous and great evils to which II
opcns the door. L is not owing to the
excellence of the system itself, but To
the Virtues of the incumbcnts and the
wachfulness of the people, that no gross
abuses have yet called loudly for change.
Tue Justices may not all avs be thus VIZ.
tuous, nor the people always thus watch
ful aud it consequently behooves us To
throw such a shield around the rights aud
,,riV H. tr,c nf the ,,itiZun that no may moi