Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-11-04
MENTION.


been long accustomed to Legislative debates, gen
ticmcn who well able to sustain distinguished
station thcrc felt embarrassed in attempting ad
dress the Clair before this Convention, how much
more ought To feel embarrassment waking the
nttenpr, VIM he~a reyer been nccustomeo 10 oe-
hate in an ordinary Legislature. Yes SIR. do
most sv.>Sihy feel it. and nothing but the solicitude
feel, arising from the subject matter In debate,
winch Is still stronger feeling would have
that repugnance which fcel, N arising to address
this body But cast myself fir few moments on
its benignty and indulgence, while occupy
short space of time, whilst other business i'm
incdiately presses. would premise the few obseryn
lions have to make, by observing, that although
conflicting opinions In matter in controversy, may
appear coincide with the interests of those respec-
lively who maintan those opinions, yet they
BE- held on each side with all the honesty and
sinseris which conviction of their worth could pro-
ducc. Tins believe to be the case OH the presen,
occasion With this conviction, and with the highest
respect for the opinions of those gentlemen from
whom am constrained to differ. | beg leave to
state few of those reasons which thus constrain
TO differ. In attempting to remedy that garing de-
feet in the existing Constitution of Virginia, where
by the citizens of one section of the State have much
weight ON the floor of the Legislature and the cit-
zens of another section have little, (which ia in
the extreme as twenty to one it is contendcd the
side that representation in the Legislature ought
To be based on white population and taxation coinb-
ned because. it Is said, that property wealth
of much importance in civil society that il ought
to be protected by giving to it direct suffrage in the
Legislature. This, the other side, is resisted,
because il is inferior in its nature, to PERSONS the
ratio that persons more valuable than pro-
perry in community, that would be thus subsitu-
ting the inferior for the superior, and usurpne the
place of and taking from persons their natural rights
that wealth is adventitious, incidental and too
fuctuating its for the basis of a fundamental
law, which ought to be founded we'll ascerfained
and Interchangeable principles. But is denied BY the
gentlemen who contend for this mixed basis that
there any fixed principles to govern us in this
case-that government is just what you make il,
and therefore struggle in which the most powerful
:. - al. 10
win-that it is altogether Conventional. to be
regulated entirely by expedence-T Therefore the !
whole effort of the gentlemen has been to dis. |
prove the existence of those principles which |
contend for, and indeed of any principles
whatever 10 regulate In this II was necessa-
ry for them to do this they have denied the pr-
mary right of the majority to rule; and If they do not
this barrier out of the way they cannot get
But we need not entrench ourselves behind A. /
although might do n with safety, for we have no
cause to fear, to meet them hand hand in the omen
field of expediency. But if they had even carried |
this barrier, there another lust behind it. which
think they can never pass, that is, the public sen
ment and almost universally received opinion not only
of the people OF Virginia but of the whole people or
the United States You may travel ATTY distance you |
please IN Virginia, and ask the question of every
man you meet whether he thong the majority have
right TO rule in Republican Government, and iii
he did not laugh AT simple a question, he would
unhesltatlngly answer in the affirmative. Yes sir
Tins would be almost universally the case, from the
man of grey hairs, down to the STRIPPING of tender
years. And 1t has been truly said, by wise and ex-
Perenced statesman, that he was most unwise in
framing government, who has dfsregarded the fixed
Opinions and even the preludces of the people But
the gentleman from Hanover, seemed TO think that
we have given it up a principle in republican
government, that majority have an inherent rleht
90 rule for one have not given it up. I do con-
tend that there are fixed principles in the science of
government and that this u one Of them s. leading
one 10 stop now to prove that there are, would be
work OF supererogatOn, especially after what the gen
has to- l,af II IL
indeed, be attempting to prove axioms or self evi
dent propositions But If farther proof were necessa
sary, we have 1t incOntrOvetibe and beyond all dis
Pute III the Bill Of Rights, which positively asserts
thom aud recommends frequent recurrence 10 FIRST
principles IN so many words which has been recev-
ed and assened TO, by ali tue people Of Virginia for
upwards OF ifty years And since their existence is
indlsputabie the only enquiry what are these first
principles, how are they 10 be discovered2 The an
swer IS, they TO he discovered in the same wav
mat they are discovered IN all other sciences that is
1y tracing them back to their primary elements.
we most then m this refer man. i'm his prrn-
tive condition. j know the idea of man in state OF
nature has been ridicuIcd beng imapinsrv onIv a
as never having had existence Now il is not ncccs.
sary TO dispute about this, though more instances
than one, can be referred to in history But in reason
Dg upon the subject, have right for the Ike or
the analogy, TO prosuppOse il, JUST a mathematician
prcsuPposes line, and point, before he proceeds
with thc demonstrations, which carry conviction with
them, and cannot afterwards be disproved by saving
bIat the mathematical line, and point. were only i'm
nglnary and never had an existence We cannot d-
vest ourselves Of the idea Of the state which man
must have been ~, previous TO the formation of the
social compact. This was a treaty, To which everv
member of the community 'eame a pafty bv which
they unanimously agreed TO form one body and so be-
came Incorporated rs such. This formed not onlv
~ the consept ofe ma ory but by the consent ofthe
whole. And when the compact was formed, il resul-
ted from the very nature Of the without any for
rial stipulation, Tint u could only act move or be
guided by the consent Of the majority. True
they might afterwards by tho consent Of that mao-
my agree that minority should rule, they could
agree 20 create monarchy, but still tho act that
cfosied the oligarchy or the monarchy was the
act OF the majority. This majority was still the
i'"Wsn 90 tho delegated power, which proves what
J contend Tor that there an original inherent
'gh'ia TIE majority Co govern. For this have the
sntnoty OF as great political philosopher and con-
tu,onsi lnrlst OF the last present age Wis John
Locke Esq passage from his work on civil socie
w. peg leave to quotei-"For when any number Of
mon nave. Oy The consent Of every Individual made
community they have thereby made that con,,nn;-
" one body, WITH power to act as one body which
. org BY the viii end determination Of tho maiody.