Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-11-17


strict, though not that of his Coun-
Gil He is at liberty to follow to refuse to follow
the advice of the Council He OH his own res
possibility, he is not bound by the Council The
journal shews the facts, and the responsty How
then is he screened from his own responsibility,
This Executive then, Is wisely ordained. 1t is the
wsest effort of the great genius of the writer of our
Constitution in making the whole Executive respon-
si6e to their electors, connected with Kcpubi-
can Legislature. He had been struck with the re-
marks oflhc gentleman from Loudoun, MIR. MercerO
s had wondered that gentleman ofsuch Intelligence,
Should have fallen into such error, it appeared
to him to be. He had felt it to be his duty, TO do
away the imputaton not only from sense OF Justice
10 the Council, but 20 this, and to all nations This
Council had been in operation 81 years. If there
had been any inisrule, the gentleman could point it
OUT lie invited gentlemen to attend TO the
condition of the Executive, not only at the present
moment but from the of it's organza-
t!on and would thank them for any criticisms on any
Of its proceedings and particularly those of the pre-
sent day There was merit in The administered, ion,
except INERT of principle merit of responshlity
II we have had an Executive in Virginia, which has
gone so smoothly, easily, so little known, and
scarcely felt, for Sd years. dIschargng al il; du,ics
why should it now he changed? If it should lave
done all Which was expected, he would ask if there
some hazard, boldness in chanUin,r il
Tor something untried, unlsnown? As to want of
power IN the Executive, so far as his experience had
gone although he had been OF accused of an in
ordinate love of power, he there had much power
as he Wished TO have, ought to have, or as any
other human being should have. Executive
patronage, and power, the true causes OF all
political nlischiefs. The dcmoraIizng influence
which we have seen throughout the whole United
States, arose mainly FROM giving too much patronage
to the Federal Executive. But gentlemen had cone
further and made more general charges aGaius
The Constitution. Tho gentleman from Brooke.
MIR. Doddrdge,) to WHOM he always listened with
pleasure had said that the Constitution was made
amidst pefil aud alarnl-that it was constructed
adopted under the eHigencies of the times
ard Was never considered permanent organic law
10 a fol- tod t,l.-
the gentleman as taken dopyn IN the nrvspcrers no;
With u view Of throwing them back upon him, but
from his extreme reluctance At msstating the express
sions of shy gentleman The words are the follow
ing: 1.-The history of the State would show that The
present Constitution was adopted in period of dan
ger and alarm that it had been hastily enactcd was
never considered as an organic instrument deljber-
ately agreed upsn, with view to its being
but adopted under the eHgencies of the times mere
y as u temporary eNpcdieDt-" Suppose for a mo-
ment, the Constitution a chance-ncdlev-a
God-send II it were God send, it the most
blessed lTod send With which ever favored.
So happy have we been under it, we have lived so
tremendously, and enjoyed ourselves SO much at our
case, as almost to forget that there was any govern
ment. Government may be said to approach per-
fiction when does not know that he is governed at
all. Would gentlemeR discard then this Constitu
ton, merely because they conceived it to be lucky
hi, and not dictate of wisdom because they deem
ed 1t special inter osition of Providence rather than
the production of the wisdom of man? We ourht
to cherish It and make the best possible use of it. for
such IS The which Christians ounht TO treat
every God-send. So directly contrary was the ar
gnnent OF the gentleman to the views he entertain
ed as to the manner IN which the government was
formed go shew the mstsle INTO which the rem
tleman from Brooke had fallen, with respect to the
Constitution, he would read account given by the
President of the Convcntion-the celebrated Ed
mund Pendleton-whose name in itself should give
to every thing he said the unquestionabIe sane
ton. He would not fatigue the Convention with
much readings but the mistake was so serious and
called so loudly for correction, that he must ber its
attention to single paragraph, because these nsta-
Ken opinions prevailed OH this subject drought the
whole State The paragraph he should read is from
letter from the late Mr. Jefferson to the late Judpe
woodward, giving an account of the proceedings of
the Convention He would read but few sentences.
He MIR Pendleton,) informed me (Mr. Jefferson J
afterwards by letter, that he received it on the dnv
on which the Committee of The Whole had reported
to the House. the plan they had agreed to-; that that
had been SO long in hand, so disputed inch bv inch
aud the subject of much alteration and debate that
they were worried with the contentious it had produ-
ced, and could not, from lassitude have been
induced TO open the instrument again but that beng
pleased with the preamble to mine, they adopted it in
the House, by way of amendment to the report of
the Committee; and thus my preamble became tack
Ell to the work of George Mason"
tie begged the gentemens best attention to this his
torcal account of the proceeding of the Convention,
and they could NIL avoid seeing the direct contrast
! between it and the account given by others
So far as he enabled to do il would now be his
pieasng task TO defend the Constitution from other
inpptations. de regretted his inability do justice
to the subject In the first place the wisdom OF
our foreiaheTs fixed the basis of the CONSTITUTE N ON
iand-or earth-mother earth. We are taught when
We pray to say to cur Creator 'in thco we live and
move, and have our being" He would extend the
reflection so far as to shew that the instrument
IN the hands OF God land earth--cmphaticaly
our mother Garth, through which we do live
and move and have our being" We look to
1t Tor our existence and look to it for our sub
sistence 1t gives the coarsest food that indl-
gence requires and supplies with all the highest
Injuries which refinement can desire. 1t Yields our
ordinary covering, and affords all the ornaments
winch decorate the fair of the land. From the low
est necessity to the highest luxury we are indebted
tor all to-our mother earth Are there not then an
affinity and an association between our mother earth
| and the beings who exist on IT, Would it not be
unreasonable, unphilosopkica, to establish govern
mcn for the inhabitants of the land without refer
enCe TO land ianf2 lie thn..c-La