Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-10-24

primary assemblies Whilst Therefore. IA. ,ho,,sbt there
peculiar mni'ness in calling upon the ope ofya
70 elect their soveroor judicial and other ministerial
officers. in their Individual capacities he thought the
ienerai Assembly the beet and most approp,.te
tribunal that could he devised for that purposr and had
Always heretofore dicharge that duty tost beneficial.
~ both 10 the people and to the Government lie OBJ
served that the General Assembly consisted of persons
chosen by the People from every nook and Of The
Sate' and let the Candidate for Governor como from
what pert OF the State he might. there would away,
be some OF the members who would be necessarily
acquainted with his qualities and qualification for the
Office 10 which he apircs; aud sucl, mcm.ers awav,
could and always would, as they always have done
communicate this knowledge to others. TaIs is pre-
siseiy mat Kind al knowledge which may he perfect
y conhied in. Tor the purpose enabling each iniivd
ual TO make his choice. There il always pre.
sumption too in favor OF this kind Of Information from
'ne crcunsance, that il IL given by honored BY
the votes OF his Constituents Besides, the me mber, OF
the Gen. Assembly, in their ordinary intercourse soon
become acquainted with each other after their arrival
tne Seat OF Government, and thus enabled, from
heh own observation, Judge Of the degree of cre,
70 Do given to such communications. IL is proposed
then to give preference the Gen Assembly in the
appointment OF ministerial officers for the want Of ca
pscity on the part Of the people Judge correctly but
Tor the want oil that kind OF knowledge. which would
enable Them 10 exercise such capacities rorrccty-
from these consider atoms, and many others which
might be added, it would he much better he concld.
eu' mat me General Assembly should elect the Govern
or anu al" the highest grades OF judicial and ministerial
officers as they have done in 10
referring them TO the People in their Individual cha.
ractcrs. MIR. c. said, it should be re NV Inc
Committee, that the Executive Department formed an
essential part Of entire system of Governments il.
necessarily and intimately connected with the whole.
and therefore, ought 10 be considered in connec on
WIN mat one Government IA a whole. The Govern
ment oil Virginia, whole, has been found for above
"a' cenurys experience, uniformly to have hads ood
moral tendencies upon society, and TO have produced
the best moral effects upon it. present condition. These
happy results could only arisen ON AN barmoni-
Gus cooperation Of all its parts the Executive Depart
meht win the rest, in producing them. The great
emil in he formation Of all constitutions should be, to
promote the common good; and no constitution yet
devised has been found s.ul in PRODUCING
TN, great end, than the existing Constitution Of Yir-
GINA This has been effected by the wise adaptation
Of all its parts in their practical operation to produce
one common sn' and is founded upon the same princi
pie of nature which, in practice constitutes the nor
lection OF all dramatic productions tendency OF all
s incidents TO produce unity Of object and unity OF
action The chief means by which this has beea eff
eced in the Va Constitution, have the tendency of
all It's parts 10 place great prcponcrancy of the 60.
vernmentai powers in the hands Of the mddng class
OF society; through which the great enl-he common
good-has been most etf-ctually produced and Sc
cured. whenever Government il so formed
as from it's intrinsic operations to place great
preponderance oil IFS powers in The hands of the mid
ding class Ii may be said TO be rear approach to Co
vernmentai perfection, whatever may be the us.
ed to effect that end II viii be readily seem
that such end could be produced by any Govern
ment founded upon the invented lotion oil invollbily
Because the anocrat ia in every presumed to be
invested with all power derived too he from
divine ordination In the disposition Of Governmental
powers, the ex'remts Of society should always be
avoided The extreme rich, as well as the extreme
poor Neither extreme can be a safe benef-
ciai deposi,o y OF Governmental powers The Con.
stitution Of Virginia, Mr. Giles said had been more
successful in placing great preponderancy of pow
er in the hands of the middlng class OF society
than any other government in the world: and in
consequence thereof, he believed the condition of
the population oil Virginia. TO be souner and better than
that oil any other in the world notwithstanding the mix
ire in its composition of three castes-the white free
the cooured free-and the cooured slave popu,a,;,u
and the very great proportion of this last caste TO the
whole free white population Mr.. G. said, he had for
long time bestowed much reflection upon this novel and
inf and Nu1rn
at his command for the purpose of asceainng the facts
in relation to it, He said the first evidence was Of a
general and indefinite character but STILL he thought en-
titled TO great respect II consisted of the general
lebry accorded to Vrgnians for an involable adle.
rance to moral principles in opposition their
supposed interests. This honorable celebrity i'm
favor Of Virginans had been manifested on many occa-
sons, and in various ways, since the abandonment all
moral principles and the Introduction Of unprncpled
bargaining, hucksterng and tratckns in the Legislation
OF the Federal Government alike degrading its au-
thor5 and to the Government. II has been particularly
attesed by the acknowledgements and declarations of
the busy authors themselves unprinciped rack
ing course OF legislation Ii had often been Observed
when proposition was made forinroducing Virgnian
any of these rafckine il is in vain to an
ply to him. He is a Observation-Disclosures never
abandon their principles for their interests How hon
orabe this celebrity 10 the Virginan character how
much indebted are all Vrginians to our members OF
Congress, from the commencement of the Government
TO this day. for this honorable Distinction whose uniform
conduct during that whole time has been SUCH as to
draw even from their political opponents this reluctant
admission. And TO what il most nationally be
attributed? Certainly to no other than to the uniform
moral tendencies Of the Virginia fundamental laws up-
on the Virginia people, for more than half century
What other imaginable be assigned for this
distinguished effect And when we see that such eff
feet produced is il not perfectly just and rational TO
ascrbc ii to that cause in preference any other? How
cautious, therefore, ought to be, to avoid every in
terpolaion into Constitution, which might by posi-
bty, tend deprive of this distinguished celebrity.
Mr. g. said that the only other evidence upon this point
TO which he had resorted, through the Penenary
establishment i'm this and several other States His OBJ
ject TO ascertain the number of convictions in each
State, compared with the population respectively; and
to infer the moral condition of EACH from the respective
numbers of convictions in each for Penientary offences
Mr. G.. said that with this view shortly after coming
to his present office, he Instructed Mr.. Parsons the
superintendent Of our Pcnitcnary, when a visit 10
the Northern and Eastern States by personal inspec-
ton of the several Ponitentiaes ascertain several
facts, which reduced to writing and intended to
show the actual number of convcts in each for Peni-
Tertiary offences. This service the Superintendent per
formed very much TO his satisfacon and in addition 10
their systems OF prison discipline obtained an official
statement of the most material information called for
from the officers OF each Penitentary establishment
The resultof the whole highly honorable to the
present moral condition Of thu white population of Vir-
gina compared with that OF any other State from which
the Information had been derived; and, of course highly
honorable TO the moral tendencies Of our Fundamental
laws TO which alone il must be attributed APP
pcarsd that that time the number of convicts in the
Penitentiaries and other correctional establishments OF
New York exceeded 1900; and from subsequent infor
nation, less authentic, II is estimated that the number
! now exceeds 1500.-The whole population of New
York. at the last census exceeded 800 900 and proba
bly, now exceeds 100000. The white population o
Virginia, at the last census, whom fully corrected,