Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-12-03
The VfseGsNIAN.
LYNCHBURG. DEC. Q, 1929.

other States with merited dinpprobauon -
Following the example of too many politicians
Of the Old Dominion, Mr.. Giles exaggerated
her claims 10 eminence over her sister States,
in the superior moraiie, the more orderly de.
pertinent, anI the greater comparative exemp'
ton from vice and crime Of her native citizens.
II NJ. Giles. or any other man, does indeed en-
trrtain a belief that the people of Virginia ara
more pure anI uprigh, than their neghbors, ii
is doub less "a pleasant delusiou: and, for our
own parts, he nigh, remain in the undisiurbed
enjoy ment OF il. lid he not proceed to deduce
from tin assumption, the erroneous and fatal
inference that 1t proceeds from the peculiar or.
ganiya,ion Of our State governmen,--and more
elections, aud The reslr ctions on the right of
suffrage. When De can bring ourselves 10 en-.
,ertain such belief we shall he willing TO dis.
pens. with oil elections whatsoever, a. we shall
prefer &. be governed by hereditary officers.
teg'sative, executive, Judicial and ministerial
For, by carrying ont the principle to this full
"
assumption be true, 70 reach the very acme OF
social p'rtectioa.-Gov. Giles attempted 10 sns
tain his position by proofs and his principal
evidence consisted Of the records Of our Penn
Tertiary compared with those Of similar insli
tntions in other States. He knew" (he saiI)
" no noxe Of ascertaining the moral condition
hui hat ~
assistance of the Penitsntiary system The
Penitentiary OF Virginia contained 40 convicts
the Houses Of Correction in New York a.
bout 1870" "rhe difference was ascrihable 10
the extension NJ thu right of suffrage in New
York. That aud that only, accounted fer the
difference in favor of Virginia Gov. Giles,
whrn he made the absurd declaration that the
extension Of the RICH, of suffrage produced thi.
in,mtnse disparity in the criminal calendars Of
Virginia and New York, forgot two or three
important considerations, which will materially
sou can be seat 10 the Penltentary in this State
ualess he be convicted yf some criminal act
aud It, q shortest period of confinement in that
| institution permitted by our laws being two
years, jury will no, convict, when the offence
is nivsl, or unless the character OF ths offender
he aoturiously bad, bu, upon the clearsst and
! lnSsi uaeg,ivocal evideace- SO that, frequent.
! ", 40 Doubt, persons escape being sent 10 the
peu,entisry secs use the Jury hink the pun.
| ishmeul too severe for the offence, who really
deserv. aoue sighter punishment In New
! no crime. bat who conirive 10 i've without vi.i-
Tile means, are i" furairhed With lodgings in
their House of Correclion-and so numerou,
is tiis c!ass of prisoners, (Se are informed by
a New York paper that Of 49S persons in the
Peni,entiarg Vi that State IN January lat, 323
were rasrants-lea7iug l75 criminals only
80 more than we're in the Pen@eD'ia'y Of Viz
gnia at the same period. So that II the Peni,
Tertiary system be the only mode of aseef'alo'
ing the moral condition of nations, we sha II
have nothing to boast over New York. Nearly
hall OF the 499 persons in the n. Y. prison. loo,
were fJreisners, thrown into the City of New
York, by the facilities of emigration TO that
poin, completely destitute Of resources, and
doubtless apt scholars in all The ingenui'iss
prnctlsed by the most accomplished feloos of
the modern Babylon across the waters-1t is
well known, that. 10 large cities, vice and crime
exist in a very disproporionste ratio, when
compared with smaller towns and with the
country at large. New York, from its peculiar
position, is the grand resort in this country. Of
rogues and Iascals, OF all classes,--n is the
sharpers Of all descriptions, from the genteei
swinder down to the purloiner Of gill OF wbis
key, select for their muitfarious operations.
And therefore. even if Mr.. Ges's theory were
correct it would be unfair to refer to that great
emporium OF villains rs furnishing fair exem
pli6caiion oft. The extension Of the RICH, Of
suffrage may give to some scoundrels, perhaps
many, who do not now presses it, the privilege
Of voting but it may safely be assumed that it
never has created rascal since the flood. and
that, in the nature ofthings, il never can,-We
that furnished by the whole history OF man, is
~ uch preferabe TO that OF Gov. G.--to wit, that
all States are made up of men ofevery hue and
shade Of character, Disseminated with such
nicely OF touch as the painters art may in vain
endesvor to imtate-and that, no matter in
what cline they live, or under what government
they draw their breath, they have been and
will continue TO be Influenced by the same mo
tives, and universally conducted to the same re-
suits In defining the principles Of a govern
ment, therefore. we are not to be led off from
a consideration of the rights which inherently
belong to man, to indulge 10 Utopian specula-
tons on the possibility OF making good men
out of bad, by placing restrictions ga the s1er
else Of these rights.