Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-05-08


descended TO ask the legislature, the mere crea-
ture oil their will, to permit them 10 recur to fun
damentai principles. This has been refused them
year alter year, until the political atmosphere be.
came SO lar purified oil its noxious vapours, as to
enable a large majority of the enfranchised cit-
zens 10 through the thick fog of that contract
ed policy, which envelOped the councils Of our
commonwealth, and to ask convention. The
voice oil the people was with our freehold friends
Aristocracy trcmbled at the majesty OF that voice
which must ultimately be obeycd; and, in order to
carry the semblance of Obedience, an apology for
convention was reluctantly granted-not by the
iriends OIL the people aud the rights Of man, but by
those mystical politicians. whose power being on
the decline they rallied around this bill as a last,
desperate struggle, 10 preserve an unequal ba-
lance oil power in their own hands.-It is this act
against which We enter our solemn protest; be-
cause we humbly conceive that the legislature, in
passing this mis- named Convention Bill, have
done that which they ought not to have done, and
lett undone that which they ought to have done.
ihey have assumed powers to themselves, which
were neither inherent, nor delegated.-Powers
which neither the Bill of Rights, nor the God Of
nature ever designed them 10 exercise Powers
which cannot, even by the most liberal construc-
ton, be derived from, justified by, the present
detective constitution. They have done that
which no earthly tribunal has fright to do--They
have manacied free, full, and fair expression of
the public sentiment on the subject Of REFORM
ihey have shut their eyes upon the oppression OF
the people, aud stopped their ears to the voice of
reason, by granting convention, upon basis as
unequal and untenable, the evils which this
convention Is called to redress, unjust and Cd.
Pressve.-It paraynes the voice of the people, &
disregards their well-known will.
Let us pause fora moment, to inquire who are
the People.-Are those only who possess ten thou
Sand acres OF land the sovereign peop!c?-.No!-
Every man in the community must answer, NO ! :
Are those then. who possess five thousand-one
thousand, or even one hundred acres of land, to
be considered exclusively the people 2-No!-Are
those who possess only fifty acres of land entitled
10 the dignihed appellation Oh the sovereign peo-
PIC Here we unilesitaiingly answer, NO -
Our Bill OF Rights answers, NO Common sense
answers, NO But our constitution answers
Pes:-And our legislature have responded to that
answer, and virtually said These only are the
people OF Virginia:-ihese only are worthy Of
confdence:-These only can give sufficient evil
dence OF common permane n interest in and attach
Inent TO, the conInunity.'-To our minds this an
swer Is preposterous and absurd-and revolving to
the plainest dictates Of common sense.
Are you willing, fellow-citizens-you who VIC re
born aud bred in the Ancient Dominion-you
whose sires and grand si-os were nurtrred in the
zap oil Virginia-you whose every hope of tempo
raj prosperity Is conferred here--you who have
exposed your lives in defending your native soil
are you willing, we ask, to have il said that YOU
have no common, permanent interest in. or attach
ment TO, the land already whiiened by the bones
oIyour fathers.-Are You willing TO be hewers
al wood, and drawers Of water to the privileged
lew, VINO now WELD the sceptre of state with des-
potc sway!-No we are confident you are not
Circumstances, beyond the control, perhaps, OF
those who hastily, and amid the confusion of po-
htical clements, drafted the constitution, have
thrown The balance OF power into the hands of
minority very small minority of the people
mat minority Is becoming smaller every day
and yetits power over the rapidly increasing ma
Jority remains the sane.-This lean minority the
scePtred few, are tenacious of their unjust pow
er, as they could be OF the rights which God and
nature gave them.
They, in effect, tell us, and a majority of the
ireeho!ders too, over whom they hold unjust do
minion--"to be Quiet--submt like honeSt peace.
iqi siaves-our iabours are all for your good
Humbly bow, therefore, to our authority, and we
will not abuse it. IT'S dangerous to trust the
great mass of the people with political power.
1bey are too ignorant to use il with discreton.-
!hey may abuse ii by acts repugnant to our feet
angs, and to our interest.-Let US, the enlight-
ened few, continue 10 legisate for them, and all
entitled to them, and we are the Judges, will be
amply secured-They shall have the right of ac-
curing and holding property, provided they pay
US we'll for legisla,ing for them.-They shall be
protected in their persons-providedt they will pro-
tect US in time of war.-They may be sued-pro.
yidcd they have property enough 10 pay our rents
nirst..ihey may even sue us-proVided, however,
they DO not touch our freehoid'' This is. virt,,-
ally, the language Of those who hold US in poiit-
ca bondage And the longer we tamely submit,
liberties. Another half century Of obsequious ac.
quiescence will enbolden them to claim US by
right oil possession Let at least, ihen raise our
voices against injustice and oppression. from whate-
yer quarter 1t may come.-Let us proclaim 10 the
world, that we not totally ignorant of the un-
Just usurpation Of rights and OUR priyileres-l
Let not our tact acquescence in the partial pro-
visions OF the constitution, be construed into SER
vile surrender OF those rights and privileges-No,
They are ours. We have always claimed them;
bat, while the constitution interposed barrier,
and proclaimed to a republican community that
the right Of suffrage &c shall remain, as 6ereto-
fore eTercised," under monarchy, we were dis |
posed, as good citizens, however repugnant 20 our
feelings as reemen, TO submit.-W have submit !
ted longer Than duty Required.It is the duty oil
every citizen TO submit to the supreme law of the
isnd.-But no constitution, in our confsderacy is |
entitled to the appellation of the supreme Ian, az
ter IL ceases to express and execute the piU of the
people 1.-The constitution of Virginia has long
since ceased 10 erpTeSS or erecatte that WILL, |
which alone is the SUPREME LAw---and, there. |
lore, we say that duty did not require from us the
patient torbeaTance which we have exercised. a |
recurrence to fundamental principies-or rather, a
pretended recurrence 10 those principles has com
Pletely absoived US from the feeble liganents of |
a rotten constltutlou.-We, therefore, most solemn
ly proclaim to the world--TItAT WE HAVE A,
UNDIsPUTED RIGHT TO GO FORWARD AND DE-
NAND AyCICE IN THE APPROACHING corx-
we forbear, at this time, the ex-
ercise OF that right; feeling disposed to believe
that there will be. political virtue and wisdom
enough in that body, altho' constituted by one
sided policy, to extend the elective fanchise 10 al,
,oh0 haze q common, permanent interest in nI,d
attachment TO, the c01nnulifV.--H Hoping This yce
snail not ask oil that convention an undue exercise
oi llberaiity towards We ask no more than
bur brethren in other states have received yfbout
'sSing-and not so much as some Of them. We
believe there are lines which il would not be
Wise, polite, 10 pass, These iinea mo L..