Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-11-25
[RrroRTED roR rnr wnG.J
VIRGINIA CONVENTION.
Debate IF Thursday, .Vov. ie--Conci,4ied.

Mr.. Chur'nnn II had he asked what in
che rcls'n mud nature of things would have first
nandcd an occ',Dicl tht at,sninu NJ this G. iny.n-
Nnn, Lwond hive aTsw red : accordance with
r2rsol. as IN NIX. that the rst "a h, dis
clsse IL, 'c'5 SbrHbs citi=ep nt ms C0nDn 0eth
The ncvtqun9 ion, embracing tho basis of gov
eminent, woclG have been c'1t NtGN be he ,rriie-
- and Z dies Of u citizen If this Communicable. On
tir'e twJ questions, | think, sir, dcpanls the
Whpe system OF government. These questions cor
really decided, aud rho fran, ct government;
would have be m r"lrc |. would call the attention
of this Cpmn ito sir, to the propricty of tho
citizen II need mt inform you SIR, gentle
maa present, that the term inhabitnnf. is not cqnva-
len t. the term citizen. Evnrv cti"n in All inhnbi-
TINT, but every inhabant is citizen of V,rria-
a.-Thoy arc not convertible terms. In Great Bri-
tain, every person is subject of the King. Every
person from the Duse of York down TO The most OBJ
native of tho British Isles, is a subject of his
Majesty the King of Great Britain. IL Is SO in n 4
Monarchical governments We have. repuiiated
that term in these United States. aud we lnv, CON
sccratcd the term citizen But, sir, though we mire
The term and IN sort nf complimentary way, address
all men "a citizens we do mt M fact rc,ognzc all
men as citizHns.-In Virginia W. lav, comparative
~ few citizens. What lot nsk sir dnrs the term
fiirly import? citizen is freeman who has voice
in the government under which he lives who has the
privilege of being heard in The councils of his coun-
try by his agent, representative. No diSfranchi-
sod man IL citizen. He may be mhahitunt, alien
or what you please, but without vote he cannot be
citizen.
But sir, Ihavc long thought and nm more fully
convinced from the debates which | have heard in
ec tDlL the ScleuCH OF politics. nud the
enc" of government, are yet III progress. We have
MT yet attained to perfection. Very far from IT,
sr-Man IN soc ETY., is capable of much greater EN-
Joyment than any government IN earth has as vet
afforded him. al ule, sir, tn the social cnjDvmens
Which directly, or =-iircctly. flow from government
and which every good and wise government ought 10
nlm at producing. The Constitution of Virginia is
the result of all tho discoveries and Improvements of
'aTly six thou sand years. Yes, sir, the present
Constitution the result Of all the improvements IN
the science of government i'll the history OF the world
ucrfprg - host tho
saw, till the year 776. But how much more ghi have
we attained in the science of politics sincc' So
much, OF least to authorize to say, that that
instrument IL by means perfect.
But sir, the great error of mankind and the
mon of all ages, has been suppose that all
relornations perfect, ,early So as % admit
of little amendment. 1t is equally true in re
gion and politics. We have had both sorts of re-
forms After many ages of darkness, and superst-
ton, two mon arose called Reformcrs; and they
achieved what has been called great rctUrmHtion
But while Luther and Calvin effected much, and
laid the foundation OF real reformation, their
ccssors aud admirers considered their work perfect
and pushed their enquiries farther. Since then,
sir, during interval of three hundred years, their
Gdherents have not advanced an inch. So in politics
Some fifty or sixty years ago, many distinguished
men dcservedy called reiOrmsts arose in the polit-
ral world. They carried their views of reform To a
very considerable extent, and not only laid The foun-
datiOn, but actually accomplished very great rctor
nation in government. These illustrious fathers of
the American Revolution, and founders OF these re-
publics, entitled to the admiration and gratitude
Of all the friends of the rights of But it
to be expected that these sagcs, great and wise
and good, as the" We're, could have perfectly emcr
god out of the political darkness and crrors,-conse-
Grated blythe prescriptions of the mOnarchcs of the
old world for thousands of years.
We are wont to admire antiquity, and to vencrate
long established uSagss We think ancestors
were the wiscs aud best of men. Many of the
cion snges attained reputation, merely because they
advanced little beyond the ordinary stature of their
times. Plato, Arstoi', and Socrates, cum m,iltls
al
lived amongst pigHeS.-Y"t those mon, famous rs
thcy we're and still arc, were but pgmlcs compared
with myriads in after times. But sir
PSnies slough Pcrchcd on Alps, ire p'gnes still.
And pyramids are pyramids though placed in wales.
] DO not say that amongst the ancicnis there were
not great mcn but do say, that liVlt and science
are progressing and that many Ot those Tcputed
great, arc no, worthy nfthC admiration bcsoNcd up
Oh them They owe their fame TO the age IN which
they livcd-rhc greatest Of these sagcs, statesmen,
aud orators have been far surpassed by the modcrns
!, was we'll for the rcpJ,ation OF DcmosiLcncs and
Cicero, that they lived so long before TIC days OF
Sheridan and Burke.
The science of politics aud government u well
understood in thbagc as IN any form"r age OF the
world I would say iCt ~ n cr'io u. Yes *r.
and would say more better understood in these u
States than IN any other country upon the lace OF the
Garth Bot though our present Constitution was the
best production OF nearly G0OO years, experience
and the progress Of political light huve discovered
I did expect, and did promise myself that Virgin
ia would at this time present to tho world model;
the best model If go;crnmon. he world ever saw
When heard OF the talent which was to be nss,ni-
bled here, and which now convened around me
Thought myself warranted in expecting that such
would be the result of our deliberations. Al eyes
have been turned to Virginia, all these u. Sta,cs arc
looking with intense interest to Virginn. She owes
il % herself, 70 the whole United States TO the
world not TO dlsappoInt the general expectation.
Will the Ancient Dominion respect herself and real
ize the hopes Of her fricnds' am SIR, beginning TO
despair, and TO fear that we again to prove that
refrigeration rather than prog ression is the common
Characteristic of mcA
Some call every attempt at reformation, and every
now suggestion, noo hsOrU With them the rotor
mist is a theors, s. hs amendments mere theories.
am no friend to theories, hut all rcf6rmama
lions and al improvements arc .rst theories. can-