Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-20

VI .ne majority OF the people. Those who had
right to aid in establishing this government have
submitted to Il, and thereby have become in az
great degree agents IN TO the pres
cnt time, IL they had origin sily participated Ia
IT'S torination it's continuance has been dependent
on the VIII OF the majority, and every moment that
Vcy nave permitted 1t to survive, il may be sal
they have enacted IL anew IL i. unimportant 10
tile conclusion to which my mind has been led,
whether the constitution was established by the
direct voice Oh the people, or has only been ra,ifi-
cd by their silence; but they alone ought to
have made il, will. for the present, ADMIT that
they did make 1t IN their primary characters as
men. presume II will not be denied, that they
who make constitution may alter or abolishit.-
nut his said that the freeho,ders only entitled
10 the elective franchise under the pre- sent con i
tution and therefore, that they alone, have right
TO elect members Of Convention. The fallacy
OF this position ia easily exposed. The frcehoidsrs
are hut part OF the people, and part have no right
Go govern the whole bn, by their consent: the wbo,
il is nndenabiy trne, have granted TO that part the
right TO conduct the presen. government, hut they
nave not GRANTED to them t'e right 10 prevent a
cnange OF the eovernmen',no In axe laws for the
whole IN any other matters. than those which relate
''ntncoiateivtothea dministra.io: this government
majority Of the people have r-ht TO alter their
constitution and in propositicn to change il tho
trreho''''r stands on no higher ground than If he
were non freeho'dcr. II the votes Of none but
the fre"hoidcrs be rcquisit" tn make or prevent a
change, then the powers OF the frcehoIdcrs, which
are merely conventional, and were granted for
r asons which NAV no longer exist, are irverocd-
6fe-perpctudt IL this be the case, q majority of
the people cannot alter or abolish their govern
fnent when IL ceases 10 afford them happiness-ai
conc'u ion which every man instantly repudiates
The frcehoIders are but mediate agents betw cen
the people amt the administrators of the Govern
ment, and they cannot carry into an elementary
assembly Of the people, any rights except those
mat are common 10 every member of il. With
view to illustrate more distinctly nv objection TO
The second section. will suppose that the people
OF 'irg MIA with one impulse move west of Mis-
so'i1 and determine to form Cons .itution: every
man would be entitled % he heard in their Conven-
lion; they frame aconsttuon in all respects like
our own, and limit the right Of suffrage for
members OF their Legislature to freeholders ;
fnty-two years after, they propose TO go a. !
eaii' into Convention. and can it be asserted
that the freehoiders alone could elect members l
TO that Convention! If IL be true that none but I
lreehoiders could elect the members * is equally
true, that none but themselves would 90 into Con-
ven'!on II this he the case, majority Of the COM
Inun,ty cannot alter their form Of government: a
position which no man in t,i. commonyea Itb will
nave the ,ntrepidity to take. Sir, every man who
voted 10 form, has IN ndispua'le right to vote to
amend or destroy the constitution. If these be
the rights Of the people, the power to restrict
shy portion OF them in the of these rights re-
side in tho two houses Of Aseemblv, TIL. NOW !
'r' IA .-.. o'ic "a IT ~ E-rtss; ksssnbiy we
MI know; but il they limit the right 10 vote
or members Ola convention. they may also ena- /
lIeYlSlatlrpl
cannot confer authority where the people have /
'ad they should not The people have not given /
20 Tue Legislature, power to mako Lords of one
portion OF the community, and slaves of the rest;
.ut ,ney VIII have assumed this power, when They'll
snail have passed the second section of that bill
Mr. Charman-it is said, that if we go on patu-
raj rights, that women, children, and slaves have
right to vote. do not agree to this--The male
n every rank OF animal creation, whether human,
brute or fowl, is the natural protector of the fe
male and her infant offspring, and therefore has a
Ight to rule them: Tweny-one years is the pc
iod fixed upon by the Judgment and observation
" the people Of the United States, and those from
whom they have descended, as the time at which
nan is morally competent to perceive his interests
mo physically able to protect them. At that peri II
ID guardianship ceases, because protection is MOI
onger necessary. As to slaves, they have never3
'een received into our community, and they can
lot, therefore. have right to vote in communitvt
" which they are not members
nope Sir, that the motion TO strike out the
Irst section will prevail, and that the second will
re so amended as TO recognize the right of eyeryj
zee whte male citizen OF the State. who is twen-
y-one years old. to vote for mernbers Of the Con-
entioo.
Bank Of Tie United Stdses.-At an elect;ons
leid ny the Stockholders Of this Bank at theirs
banking House, in Philadelphia, on the 9th and
tA inst the following gentlemen were elected Di.
ectors iorthe present year, viz Nichols Bid
lie; Thomas Cadwaliader; Richard Willing; Am?
rose White; Matthew L. Bevan; John Hemphi.I;
Manuel Eyre; Paul Beck, Jr: Lewis Clanicr.
Thomas r. Cope. Aiexander Henry; James C'Y
isher; John Sergeant; John Potter, Of South Carl
lima; George Hoffman, of Maryland; Roswell l..
or. OF Maryland; Robert Lenox, of New York;
filiiam ID. Astor, of n. York; Nathaniel Silsbee.s
etts. /
And ut meeting on tie evening of the 9Th inst
the Directors OF this Bans, NICHOLAS BID
LIZ Esq was unani mousIy reelected President
'r the same period.
The mother bank at PHILADELPHIA. has declaredi
dividend, out Of lis profits for the last months
L. per cent, which will he paid, after the 10 n
lst TO the Stockholders or their legal representa-.
yes, either at the Parent Bank or at any one of
ne branches nearer to their respective residen-
es that they may be pleased to designate.
We have received Our file of The Vera Cruz No
cioso Commercial, down 10 the 7th uit inclu-
We IL is difficult to collect from it the state of af-
iFS In Mexico, In consequence Of the prevalence
party spirit and the declamatory style ofthe edi
'Fs. We infer from some oil the paragraphs that :
anita Anna had finally proved too strong in Gaia
a. Tor the troops OF the general government The c
aper oil Tie 9th contains proclamation, dated
ead-quarters in Coyuca, 22d Nov 1923, and | /,
gned Isidoro NOnfeSheoca in Which that Gene ,
81, who IL vice governor Of the Stat, Of Mexico o
vows himself TO be in concert with Santa Anna
'gether witt several of the genera- AMI chiefs in
ne states Of Eallaolid, Puebia & Guapaiuato He
eciares Tor Guerrero a. Pre- sident The HoticiOso
the 9th ssys-"fhe latest adyicss brought to
his city portend great evil. fJr IN Republic. The
enom Of discord diffiiscs itself revolution gains
round; the laws are 6isregarded. Guerro the i'm ,
lacu.ate, the meritoiious has left the capti!; he
an be no traitor; he hastens, no doubt to save .
10 country, &C. insurrccioDsry movements 2,
ad taken place in Acapulco and Costa and and !
general cry raised for The INN -diae am alb
outc expulsion OF all Spaniards. as rreconcileabei
nd restless enemies OF Independence AMI lib .rty