Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-08

PaSeu III INC Pontcal scales. by the Colonia
Charter, the legislative power was possessed by 8
Coordinate branches; an House of Burgesses, a
Council, and the King The first of these and tho
first only, was elected by the freeho.ders and the
members were 50 far representatives of the people
Their property qualifications were double VIVA,
they now are by law. The Governors were the
Kings Deputies or Vice Roys, and had power 10
convoke and dissolve legislative Assemblies. -
When dissolved by Royal Authority, the Burgess
was reduced to the condition Of a private free
holder. he was no more Burgess. According
", when the mantle of Royal Authority fell from
the hands = the Earl Of Dunmore he dis
solved the General Assembly and fled from our
shores, all wLagrce that Society was resolved in
70 lis original Elements. There was neither Cow
ernor, Council, nor House OF Burgesses.
The State of Society, in ITS, was precisely
what the Regal Charter was calculated to make il.
The government tended TO an aristocracy and had
produced it. The King was master Of the Exc
cntive Pow err and oil the Legislative Council The
iiouse OF burgesses was 10 be managed like the
House OF Commons. The way to do this was per-
fectly easy. Each county was entitled 10 two Bur-
gesses, without regard to population. To keep the
Representative Body under the influence OF the
Executive, it was only necessary 10 have major.
iiy Of Burgesses elected from the vicinity Of The
faace, and within the circle of Executive patron
age. The Map Of the Go,nmonw C l,h shows how
inns was DONE 1t was done by dividing and SUBJ
dividing Counties in.o small precincts. so az to
oat-number the votes of more distan, and less "a.
vofed settlements; by giving separate representa-
ton 10 small villages, and to the College OF VIM &,
Mary. BY these means, an aristocratical class OF
families sprung up in the East, and principally be-
tween the head of tide-water and The sea- This
aristocracy was further promoted and strengthen.
Gu ny large aud profuse grants of Crown Lands to
particular favorites. This practice produced i'm
inense inequalities in wealth, while the policy of
government placed the means of public instruction
beyond the reach Of the Commonalty. The ten
aency OF the Colonial Constitution, was to produce
an arstocracy OF wealth and OF learning, and the
period OF the Revolution found that aristocracy in
iu' vigour OF this aristocracy, the dissolved House
OF burgesses was the Representative. That BODY
found its members reduced to the condition of pri
vate citizens, and they resolved on one of the bold
est usurpatons ever effected by hand full of men,
without arms in their hands. The great object OF
TINS usurpaton to save the country ami for
inns hazardous step, we owe them an eternal debt
OF gratitude. The House of Burgcsses met in
March, l775, and called themselves Convention
onaer this appellation, they clothed themselves
WIN the whole powers oil complete Legislature
When they finished their first Session, they adj
Journed; aud by resolution, declared their authori-
ty at an end. The Country submitted TO the laws
and ordinances of this Convention; and in July
they being joined by a few others held anothyr
session, In which they passed an Ordinance for the
regular election of members, to sit in Conpe,,iion
under which the Convention Of I176, land which
made the present Constitution) was elected rSee
journals OF Convention, p. As This Ordinance is
W. made
by ireeholders, and none but freehoders were per-
mitted to vote under it, The Convention which
MADE the Constitution under which we are now
governed was, of course, Convention of free
holders, elected by freehoders; and it is not to be
wondered at, that they provided for the perpetla-
ton of all power in the hands of this favored class
and II Is apparent, that none but the freeholders
al all times the minority Of the Community were
ever consulted in Virginia about m tiers of gov.
eminent. The non treeholder has he IN Who'll Y
nhaH- htrtk n.s L.
clude him,or when he will begin 10 break his yoke,
IL is not for me TO saw.
AS all the Colonies were of English origin, and
the people had imbibed fom the mother country.
their notions OF government, and of Society, as
well az OF civil and religious liberty il was 10 be
expected, that upon declaring the mseves iudepen
dent, and proceeding TO the new work of establish
ing freer governments than they had been accus-
toned to,some OF the states should retain some of the
features oil that aristocracy, which they and their
ancestors had been so long accustomed to view
win approbation; and, accordingly, some aristo-
cratics features were introduced into the Consti-
tutons OF some of the States.
1 propose TO review those features in each. and
10 trace the course of public opinion in relation TO
the topics thus presented, from the period of the
Revolution 10 the presen, time and, thereby efJec
tually establish the position, that the friends Of the
bli under consideration vaniy struggling a.
gainst that irresistible tide in the opinions OF their
couptrymen, Which Mr.. Jefferson is reported TO
Union, would shortly render each free man in these
States equal in all political respects TO each oihis
fellow citizens.
In Virginia, have already shcwn, solid,
weli'debned, and located aristocracy already ex-
listed, and the new Commonwealth look the most
early and decisive steps TO preserve it and perpet
uate It's authority. Under the regal government,
1t was the policy Of rulers to strengthen their
hands, not only by sub divisions of counties around
The Seat OF Government, but by retarding the
n al =
nation of Governor D;nwiddie of 1863 is an eyi.
dence OF this policy. The charter of Virginia ex-
tended 70 the western ocean, yet this proclamation
Iorbad settlements on the western waters, or the
issuing OF grants Tor lands there. Ii even an
nounced tie intention OF his Majesty to disnen-
Der the old Colony by the establishment of new
goTrnments in the western part Of ii. This
would forever, as II was supposed, preserve the
balance OF power on tide water. How effective
~ this policy was seconded by the Convention,
viii now be shewn. West of the Allegheny
there existed two great sub divisions of country
In the actual occupation and under the government
OF virginia; West Augusta and tire county OF Yo-
higeny. The latter was settled under our aulhori.
~, IN part before the peace of l763, and its for
tress, Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg was deliver.
ed into our hands aud garrisoned by our troops
This country, now composing nearly one half of
western Pennsylvania, was recognized by all AZ
part OF Virginia; but the charter of Penn cover
ed nearly the whole, and was supposed 10 cover
the whole of it. The charter of Penn was about
az years younger than ours, yet the Convention
OF July ITS had already, so far, determined on
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the west, as the King had
determined before them, and, suppose, for the
same reasons, that they gave to old Yohigeny no
representation in that very Convention, which, in
the year following, made the Constitution under
which we live. They gave representation TO
West Augusta, which was not an organized coun.
ty; but TO the other they gave none In the Con-
veution there was no delegate TO claim protection
mir Is. A.. r..
sacrificed to political considerations, and accord
ingly its separation was scaled by the following