Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1829-10-29

u
in al tine toco,ne, neither foreign paraEaeks nor
kings, nor C9sars. declaration that tilfoniy le-
g'timate government is government OF niagtstsutes
deriving their power frogs the people, aud RESPONSE
bic to the peone.--Iie could well conceive with
what propricty principle pregnant wnh mean-
ing, subveTsNe in its practical effects, of power
usrrped and abused, could be called mere abstrac
ton.
But aguu, sir. The bill ofrights declares
''That ull men are, by nature, equally free"
And this is considered the very abstraction OF ab-
strac,ons-and yet it is practical principle fever
there practical principle. The governments of
Europe I'LL iNc,unbcred with privileged orders.
privileged orders 10 England, the Priests and Mobiles,
uniformly took sides with the crown, in every
scheme OF usurpatun or oppression. Privileged or
dcrs lad therefore become justly odious TO them,
aud they denounced them in his article of their dec
laraton. They moreover declared the great practi
cal truth, that is born with natural
right to control any other They declared, III
effect, that oil men are originally equal i'll ,,oticai
rights. they are not to be understood as hay
! ing been guilty of the ahsuraity of saying tia,
Soh,ical rights belong equally to oil men, all 40.
we 10, that as OH the judici.ras aud Sateltsent ex-
ercse OF political power by tho citizen, which is, in
short the right q suffrage, depends the we'll being OF
society. 1T could not, ats ue,y nature, be exerci
sed by children, persons of immature reason. They
knew, too, that election choice, IN Which the
right of suffrage, political power, essentially con-
ssts, necessarily implies free agency, it could
belong TO women, whob the law of nature, which
has made them weak and tifnid comparison with
men had been placed ander tie coz,tyo, ef n,e7,
They knew too, and they declared, that the unvez-
salty of this principle the equal political rights Of
lcn was further limited by the power OF tho 'mnio-
rhy OF every coinnunity to exclude, by its fanda-
mental law q portion, even of the rleu of mature
age, from the OF political power because of
their onhtncss 10 exercise u. In declaring. sthat
the ma orty ola community" possesses and tneces-
sity must possess, the supreme control of its con-
cerps they but affirmed the supreme law of ncces-
sity, nnd therefore Of nature. AS in all free
cOugl unitics, questions uat be deeide by the people
f or their representatives rule of decision must
be adopted It necessarily be assumed either
that the majority the minority Isl ght Ifthe rule
we're adopted, that the minority to be considered
right, the qiority would submit TO it. and the
rule You'd be q nulity. But the Jus sn1jo,is car
reS its sanction With IL, and is u lazy i;npoad nv
r necessity on ali free communities.
IL Is difficult TO conceive of Guy principle essen
tally practical than this of tho right of the ma
joriIy TO govern And yet this falls ike tho rest
under the sweeping censuro of being an ''abs,ract
princple"-a principle which canuot be applied to
the ordinary aSairs and business of government.
But 1t has been said that the authors of the ecIa-
ration OF rights themselves, admitted, III effect, the
abstract and impractical character of the principles
@hich 1t contains, by ablishing government whose
practical regulations are wholly inconsistent with
those theoretical principles. Chat while, in the
+, declaration of rights, they asserted that al
power IS vested IN lie people, and should be
2 exercised BY a anGo'7ty of the people, they
those conpe 10 yi t The eso ys o1 ,h see JIT ~
units, ESSENTIAL elements of political power Thai the S
r.ioriS frame is violated in TWO dTeie,
hodeS wbo Vn n5 we Power s IN each county IN the free
ing small masses Of people in the small counties, large
masses in the large counties with equal power in the govern
iaent.
Sir the argument you'd be good if the premises
ae Declaration of Rights established anomalous
Under which we have lived these fifty years and The,
ond ,f esabishe and they unable, that period
turmoil and confusion alter particulars The
those who formed it continual danger being driver
from the very Hall of Legislation the poiot OF hos,
stances to I.i down and erect the whole abric
government The people had been, accustomed, for hun
# coGniies, and to the freehold limitation of the
right OF Suffrage II you'd have been to The last
teerce' unwse and inpolItc, at such fearful cri
CAS-, W0en the whole physical force the people wa
barely sufficient to defend the commonwealth enojns,
l. ne superior force of foreign enemy to distract
1ner ,'adS by new arrangement and distribution
o. poHtlcai power In leaving the counties and Thu
jreehoers as they found the1, the trainers of the
constitution acted like wise and practical states en-
they we're well aware of the Inconsistency be-
tWecn their theoretical PRINCIPLES and their pract
cal regulations Even Is early as 1871 that ircon-
sistency was pointed out by one of our wiscs states
G men as early as 1871 the and unhen,d Of
ton, regard should be had to the white population
Why, urged .c::'o on the people Of Virginia by
81. Jefferson, who eXhorted them in the most earn
est and impressive language TO reduce the principle
10 --acc go soon leisure should DC afforded them
e'for fntrenc1i1 toithu good FORMS the rights for
which they had blcd"
Fifty years have passed by, and IT, "efiod q
leisure has at length arrived. The representa-
yves OF the people of Virginia have at last as
sompeo IN tul and free convention" to revise their
iundainentallaw special committee of this conon
ti"n has recommended the adoption of resolution
] - mat In the aPportionment of representation in
te blouse OF Delegates, regard should be had to tie
white Popnlat or exclusively"
70 the amendment sought to be engrafted on =, IS
resolution shall presently advert-hfy first inoujr
10, now FAR this resolution accords with the great
pciles OF political law solcrnnly announced BY the
fathers of the Revolution in the deoloration ri tL
rignts OF the people of Virginia" have tested t.
s, oy those principles, md ind Il in strict accor
~ LOOKS to The people the only legitimate source
ana fountain Of political power.-Tt establishes tho
Potcal equality Of The electors throltrhnnt the cor