Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-06

wonders whether We have abandoned our preiu.
diccs against that body. When that Editor, howe.
YER, shall satisfy Us, that there is the least
blsnce between the two; between Convention
which meets in time of peace, assembled from
all the States Of the Union, for the purpose Of
perfectng the Union; and Convention which
met in time OF war to rally portion OF the u
Mon against the interests of the majority. and
binding law Of the land, we shall then subscribe
TO the analogy and admit the accuracy of It's criti-
cism.
The Editor Of the N. York Statesmen centuries
up other more serious objections" Gorgeous, Hy-
dras and Chimrras dire" He contends that the
proposition is entirely revolutionary in its char
acter; for the Constitution itself makes no provi.
sion for such mode of amendment The pro-
ceedings OF Convention would, therefore, be
wholly nugatory, unless the people Of this country
are ready to recur to first principles, and make an
experiment Of a new system Of government."-
The answer is easily made--It is wonderful how
any Editor can make such assertion, without
having refereed 10 the Constitution of his Country
II directly provides for such Case The 9Th art.
says: % The Congress, whenever two.thrds of
both Houses, shall deem il necessary shall propose
amendments to this constitution, or, on the appca-
ton Of the legislatures OF two-thirds Of the several
states, shall call a Convention for proposing a.
naendments, which, in either case, shall be valid
to all ntens and purposes, part Of this constitu-
ton, when ratified by the legislatures OF three
fourhs OF the several states, or nv conventions in
three-fourths thereof, as one the other mode of
ratification may be proposed by the congress"-
Here, then, is the very mode laid down by the We.
ry authors Of the Instrument tself-As to dangers,
which are conjured up by the Statesman thew are
perfectly laid at rest by the following article from
the N. Y. Enquirer, thatit supersedes the neces-
sty Of another word upon the subject
National Conrention.-In the four hundred
and forty third tome. Of the private history of the
CaImuck Tar,ars, page IO9, near the bottom, there
is an anecdote told in very choice language of an
excitement growing out OF very simple crcum-
stance. A traveller entered one of their villages
and offered to bet that he would make an egg
stand its small end on deal board table. In
that part of the world, eggs from time immemo.
rial had been placed on their large ends The prop.
osition to place 1t on its small end, met with the
greatest opposition. One of their wise men who
lad once counted the stars of heaven got up in
great passion and protested that it was the widest
and most dangerous project ever preached. Ar.
guments, said he, inndmerable, crowd upon me to
show the incxpcdiency ofsuch wicked attemps
IS to make egg stand on its small end 1t is mon.
strous-it is absurd-it is preposterous.
'This curious story furnishes a very striking
parallel TO the fuss raised by the Statesman the
other evening against the proposition to amend the
Constitution Of the United States, il it is amend.
bile, by National Convention. What is Ma.
tonal Convention? II is nothing more than Joint
committee appointed by the several states, to meet
at particular place, examine the subject con.
signed to them, and then report to those sovereyns
who appointed them. In principle il differs little
from any committee raised by state legislature.
81 The present constitution is not unsettled by
that or any other proceeding. 1t remains in full
power and existence, till three fourths Of the states
shall have agreed TO such amendments as NAV
have been suggested, No radical change is at
tempted. The venerable charter of our liberties.
the sacred charter OF our rights the beautiful
charter of our freedom Let US take care that
under the guise Of such poetical common-places,
we admit bad precedent and worse practice, to
shut out the venerable principles of freedom itself
The knowledge OF free governments is acquired
by experence-not by diving into past ages and
taking for truths every thing that is encrused with
antiquity. A scbool-boy of the present age knows
as much Socrates, and Aristotle himself would
tie nonpussed by sophomore.
" The Statesman need not be so alarmed at the
proposition. national convention differs nothing
In principle from any other mode of amending the
constitution, while it has many practical advanta-
ges over the separate committees, and the sepa-
rate proceedings Of the several states. We should
be the last TO propose any measure that would
menace the constitution. Our object is to supply
its wants-amend its defects-aDd make it as per-
feet as it is possible such AN instrument can at
tain.
1--WE hope, therefore, it will receive counte-
nance by the public, and produce discussion and
The following Views on this subject have been
taken by two Of the ablest papers in the State Of
New York
lbrom the albany Argus, Of December 29.]
I'VE published under the general head of ma.
tonai politics, an article from the Richmond En-
'quirer, suggesting convention of delegates from
the several states for the purpose of defining the
powers of the general government or of rendering
explicit questionable and litgaed provisions OF the
constitution. How far the proposition will be
.conded elsewhere, we have not the means of judg-
ing. 1t is certainly entitled to consideration. If
fully or generally attended by delegates from the
states, il might produce very salutary results.
'Thatit is wise to remove existing doubts, the
sources they are, of collision and strife, will
not be denied. For ourselycs,wc are not tenacious
of the mode, if il be done tremendously and con-
siitutionally-and particularly il il be done. We
see no reason why it may not be done in some
shape. All are DESTROYS to terminate the present
agitations. The friends equally Of restricted,
also Of nearly unlimited governmental powers, must
have common desire in this respect for if the lat
ter are borne out i'll their sweeping constructive APP
pcation Of public funds, il were better that were
so declared, than that they were compelled snnu-
ally to encounter constitutional objections well
as objections To the merits OF particular PROPOSE
tons; and the latter surely will prefer decision Of
the question in nearly any shape, to the present
underlined aud unsettled state Of things, in which
encroachment is without limit, and the constiui.
ton is made to mean any thing nothing. We
give the proposition of the Enquirer one Of the
proposed remedies, not as the only one nor az al
together the best. Possibly the individual states
without the intervention of convention, might
effect the object, and end the present lgaiion:
but in this manner, only distinct propositions could
be presented by state TO another, or by one
state to the rest, which might be rejected grounds
affecting only parts OF the proposition; whilst a
convention would present field for the discussion
and comparison Of the various and conflicting
views and for the adoption of some general result,
in which all might not entirely concur, but which
all might be induced TO accept, as on the whole the
least Objectionable.
"The decisive tone Of the Enquirer, in refer
ence to the proceedings in South Carolina, will be