Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-05-04
COMMUNICATIONS, The r.rriuiuu.
ILL. CoNYESIlnN.A.,


write 10 serve tie state. and M In n,,i.,
il. Every one Win has at.nilypl, obs.,v.a
The struggle Tor r.fnfm in Virginia. mn., L,n,,
since have SEEN, that hhherio, i h4s been Ia,
The most part. confined tn The priv,leoed. ana
The DISTINGUISHED. In other words il has 80,
the resistance of the owners NJ the soil-an an.
doubted mtnortig--io the asserted rights of tbo.e
WHO (howsoevcr prosperous In other re- >preiS
own no soil--being An admitted mejorifp.
This have cndeayored to demonstrate. has
been, l. yet, and, IN all reasonable probability.
will continue 10 he the case, MI thfs r.nfnst
shall be terminated by better constitution
In revolving the causes winch have created aud
iomeuted this state at parties. II NAV NOT be
amtss to examine. briefly, the outlines nj tb.
constitution oil Virginia, TO prove whai pro.
pose aud To present., by the sile Of i, true
picture oil the oppressed condition o. 4 i,rre
aud respectable class of this community Let
US begin with the
EXECUTIVE DEP AErNENT.
Il consists Ola Governor AMI f,sHt Ganneil.
Tors. The salary OF the Governar i S.3.333
81 and TINT of his Council = eqnal 10 so u
per annum, To each maj. As L the paw. |
Isay no more about il than thS-ihat IT
!" oud not, perhaps, be out oflhe way, provi-
ded there was any necessity fnr an Executive
structure of this department, that would invite
public scrutiny. My earliest views of govern.
men, taught me 10 consider the Governor of
every state as the head OF ihr Siale Wi.
ter, the most profound in the science of gov.
rrnment, have conceded, that in distributing
the powers of government with a view of ey-
t4blisling sultahle checl4s aud balances, the
Executive department should lie strong enough
II coantrfact the undue prepondeIae &c OF tire
coordinate deparlmentS-ihls being the only
mode OF commanding their respect aud sue.
cor.
In Virginia. the Governor IS but little more
than pnppet IN the arrangement OF the drn.
mats psrsoAa.. Maeiza's antemaion would do
AS Wi. The Governor renresenis, nomlnallp,
the sovereignty Of he S'aie-and vet, in fact
h has hui the shadow Of authority. All agen.
cy in the leg Slave fuctons, is denied 10
him-even the po~er o'nnninatlon 10 office,
the lowest perhaps, Ina csuld be gwen 10 any
Executive, wthhp,d. Ia SNORT, he can exer-
else no authn Nv u III the consii ulion with
ont the concurrence OF his Council, who, in
truth dnett he EXECUTE arm. Al best, the
Governor is bnt IA m,he.weishi, intended 10
serve thn purpose of IN umpire between his
Counseilors anata Civ tn casting yate IN sase
Of a ha ance OF opininas among thrm. The
AMI WHO are tie Crunch MN almost With
out talent, indd;iry, ur any sing Gl.l fcafion
Tor .uIsn.s So Their appointing are general,
procured nv their avn MANA gtnnnt--ui thato1
their Ilends--ana after G,si i3yllg Ia yin ey.
e,.v possible MEANS a heueSf hvehhu,d. the,
arc brought al last tn fed and tdti''n on Tie
Treasury c. Id Stations acquired bt subSer.
yiency II parry views, or individual pprpo rs,
are generally retained by like III. aus The
tenure OF Office, So acquired, Is botn pre- arpuS
and degrading. So il with the Executive
Council Of Virginia They live in state Of
mental torment, intolerhbe As the sllfrrlngs o
X on--IDasmnch as thu return ri each iri-
enu,aI cleo ION brings with il the " fatal
scratch "a constitutional process Of amo'ion,
as aeon -Zng tutaem as the ,hock II leriian
ague The con .titullon RECOGNIZES thin As
a,!visers--the laws occasionally superaid 9th
er duiies-but. alter al they render The com
ni5nW tn Tut mail service. 1hls i a faith.
ful prnfiir 9th vaunfed Executive Department
OF ' rainia-a department whlrn has So often
elected the unqualified enlagy n crfaln AMI.
coavpntianst>, nn ace IN oil ITS sHnplI lily and
ito economy. Simplicity MAJ po-sess--but
economy il ms none ltconsuinfs an ag9re.
gaze Of 3 1888 81 of public mon,y annually.
LEI this year, dram oil the Executive anil
n t-e Uniou aud will venture the asser-
ton, TINT ii trtnsceni, the most sp endid and
magnificent among them. BIT II has been
argued that II possesses most admlr1hle iea-
ture in the guards aud limitations of power,
which have been so wisely thrown around il.
as il the design of An Executive was intended
as n mere dppfnd1ge 10 government
Truly, il must have heeu some such lie VI
sion ms tins " hich has made ours the ieebe>t,
the least responsible, aud by Tar iae mort
costly Executive in America.
Its weakness Is seen IN the elteamscrIbed
range Of lis powers us lrrespnn,ihlllty IN tae
acCuma lallon of dutirs ON Il body Of men,
without any division of them among lis mem
bers-wher'by you can attach 10 IndlHidnhl
liability on ANY one III particular and us cost
iness is apparent from the fact, that ~ 49,
"a are approprat d TO Their annual support
an expenditure wholly Incompatible with the
proposed principles of republican eronomy.
THE LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT.
tlerr, too, is another hopeful offspring OF
republican economy. The defective otEFn,za-
lon Of This department aIl-impnrtani a II IS
conceded 10 be. is nearly as great as that oil the
Executive, though il is certainly more Valaa-
BILE b dy.
The House of Delegates, in place Of repre-.
sentng the actual free white population oil The
State, on basis of equality, is but an equal
nallon of territorial limits, laid of INTO
counties of vastly unequal dimension, With a
population not less unequal. This practical
is now admitted by every one, when
it woeii be Useless longer TO deny ii.
At the urIgin OF the con,tituioE, the defects
in its structure we're notso apparent, nor, IN
deed, did they then exist 10 hall their present
extent. The stale of Virginia, beynni the
Blue Ridge was almost wilde,nrss-the poPn.
lation al that day being confined 10 what is
now designated bv the middle and tde-3 alter
This sufficiently .plans thr causc
OF our defective system OF local representation,
nS peciaily when taken in connection ~ it'll the
historical fact, that the majority Of counties
below the mountains ia 10, bore some rcasona.
BILE proportion to each other, in extent, in
wealth and in population.
Causes. not then anticipated. have been
constantly occurring for half ,centoiy 10 pro.
luce tine present state of things, and now, the
absolute necessity Of reform in this branch OF