Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-04-17

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sideraton of public services"
WITH respect to the right ofsufrage. am Of opi,,-
loa that it should be entendedo a,ee rchite aaaie
FREEHoLDERs Or Not, v 1e' are eanab sA q,
Furnishing sufficient eridenre of peyuun.nf co,n,u ;,
terest 10Th and attachment to tie coamasty. he
iieve there Is general dspostioa prevailing through
out Virginia, to extend the ge very con-
sderaby, but there is diffe OF opinion as 10
the precise extent to which Slf66Id be CARRIED
Some are in favour of extending Frecholders
and housekeepers, and some for eS} ding it to oil
persons upwards OF twenty-one yf75ftof ace
would not agree to extend the right 66frage Ist
10 persons who had been eorictcd Of sao,,:os oea-
eesI2d. Nor TO persons ,'ho are supported 6y pss5
llf ch"'Ity az ne foo, House-3d. Yor 10 persons
tcho haa not pad all 1dres aud Leries assessed uoon
them for The year pered;Es, he time Mcy offered to
rote-4th Nor to persons ,sho hal nat resided M
p.ryi,ia nore then one yea prerlons to The time aey
9Dere8 10 oe 9Th Nor to those ,vie had bee, con-
Dicted Of icing uagro,ts; and do not know shot
soald be disposed to impose any other restrictions
upon the exercise of the right of suffrage by free
age. She ODIOUS DISTINCTION BETWEEN \;
iFREEHOLDER AND NON-FREEHOI, DER
OUGHT TO BE ABOLISHED.
Let the right of suffrage be extended as it NAV
am aware that Some bad men will be admitted In Inc
polls and who ought he excluded If there ,oere ann
moral standard By tcic could be tried; aud such
is the fact under the existing restrictions ON the
rght-but II extending the right of suffrage upon
particular principle would include 500 men who had
before been deprived oftl.er right .50 of whom were
good men, who were well qualified to exercise the
right, and the remaining SO were bad men, who
ought norally speaking) to be- excluded would not
he With inc sufficient Argument against ex-
tending 1t TO the 45o good men, that you wonl6 in
clude the FIFTY bad men, .Ny prJ,ciplc IS. thar
the right Of suBrage should be e1teaded aud DubHc
education encouraged, to quuLfy epery 1,un M
G'7defstahGand appreciate has 7ights.
IN determining upon representation in the future
Legtsiasote would not agree to equal represent
tation 6y countless by which under the present con-
GfI ftnn -.zJ.
zeal power as ten men in Accomacb or twent, men
IN Frederick Representation had heretofore been
apportioned according to population or taxation Ac
comack, instead of having two menbers, ought
70 have had Certainly three and probably
four siembsrs. l would adhere to the prin
cfple proposed by ut Stauntou, by eivinp
one delegate to the smallest countless and more than
one according to population, 60 the larger connties
end upon that plan the relative weight of Accomack
would be increased. when the Convention Bill
lately passed the House of Delegates providing for
representation IN convention upon that plan was
highly gfatifiel considered it right in itself and
was moreover gratiied because thought that there.
by each small county, could one delegate in the
future Legislature, but the bill was amended in the
senate and finally agreed to in the house of delegates
the small counties have thrown away that chance ami
must now depend upon the liberaIity of the larger
counties to grant them favor, that which they
might haze claimed as a right.
think, that the Executive Council ought to be
;, abolished as useless expense to the state and
Should haze objection tho governor benp elect
ed directly by the people. would also give to those
~hoperform militia duty, the election of al militia ofi
GERS exceptsta officers who ought be appointed by
the field oicerst who. they ched. think tina,
the senate ought to be elected for 9 instead of
SO as to bring the members directly under res
possibility to their constituents, and should prefer
that the number of members il the House of Dele
gates should be diminished and That OF the Senate in
creased to about So instead Of sl members Us at
sent.
: With regard to the Judiciary, some persons bs.
: lfaITo iu p Tod -
people for short periods, and some 90 so far as to
wish them reuoVa able, also at the will of the people
believe and hope that these opinions have but few
advocates and believe there is state in the Union
where the Judges elected By the people, although
III every state but Virginia. the right Of suffrage is
tended think, to no-freeholders as well as freefol-
ders. The mode Of appointing Judges is different
in different states. In some as in VIRGINIA thew are
appointed by the Leglslaturein others they are ap-
pointed by the governor alone, and in others they are
appointed By the governor by and With the advice and
consent or the Senate in the manner as is pro-
yided by the constitution of the u States for the an
pontment of officers of the u. States. This last
think the best mode of appointing Judges and per-
haps also, of militia officers, above the grade Of CO.
ionel from tue inconvenience which might attend the
appointment ofgeneral officers in different manner.
But IN whatever mode the Judges may be ap-
pointed, the concurrng opinion of almost every state
IN the Union is In favor Of their holding their Off
ces during good behaviour 7 think that those
who have the power of deciding upon the life the
liberty aud property of their feow-czens, and the
power too, of deciding upon the consttutonaity of
the laws passed by the Legislature, ought to be APP
pointed with great deliberaon and Crcumspection-
but that when appointed they ought not to be reno
vable except for msbehayour in Office, and should
deplore it as calamity upon the state of Virginia. to
see different tenure Of judicial office established
Although should be unwilling that the judges should
be removable from Office except for misbehayicur
should nevertheless be glad to constitutional
provision adopted, which would guard against the
Inconvenience arising frotp retaining supeTannuated
judges on the bench.
There is another part fhe constitution concerning
which know the people of this county feel very
great interest and concerning winch / confess have
felt doHbt and difficulty in my mind than APP
on any other subject which will probably occupy tie
attention Of the convention-tha is the county court
system. in theory the mode Of appointing county