Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-04-16

sdoratien OF pubic services"
With respect TO the right ofsuffsge / am Of opin-
ion That a should be ertendsdt 10 free ,che male
Gn,,ens ADORE tcenty.one years Of age, WHETHER
FREEHOLDERS OR NOT, scho are capable of
Furnishing sufficient episnce of permanent common in
,ere" ,o't and attachment to the community. be-
eVc there is general disposition prevailing through
o virginia. to extend the right of Suffrage very con-
siderab'y but there id difference of opnion a, IN
the precise extent to which it should be carried
some are IN favour of extending IL To- al Freoholdor
ana housekcepers and some for oxtcnd;no - 20 III
persons upwards of twenty-one years ~ arc
wond not agree to extend the right OF SUFFRAGE rst
10 persons ,clo had Gee" CONNECTED IF elonos 9en-
ees-2d Nor 10 persons ,cho are Supported by r,,6
hc charity fa The Pour House.-3d. Nor 10 ,er,or,
oho had not pad all Tdres and Le.ies assessed ,non
mem Jor TEE year preceding The time Mey offered 10
pol".-lth. .EOr 10 persons tcho had not rcsdsd a.,
ptrgt>d more ttn ysor previous 10 The fn,, tbe
offered 10 vote 9Th Nor those ,pho had bs,v, corr
oitfea Of beng pTsrdnts and do not know that
should be disposed to impose any other res,rct;o,,
upon the exercise of the right of suffraoe bv frcn
white male citizens upwards of twenty.one wars of
S are r., THE 0Di0Us DiSTINCTIoNB BETWEEN
FREEHOLDER AND -NON-FREEUof mn
OUGHT TO BE ABOLISHED.
Let the right of suffrage be extended as it nav I
am aware that some bad men viii he admitted to the
polls ana who ought to be excluded. fttere ,cere onu
mora standard by iich men could be kyie and aucI
is the fact under the existing Restrictions on the
! rght-but if extending the right of suffrage mon
particular principle would include 500 men who had
before been deprived ofthcir rrbt $50 of whom uo-
right, and the remaining 80 were bad men yybo
ought norally spcakng) TO be excluded i, would mn,
. be WIN me sufficient argument against e,
tending 1t to the 400 good men, that YOU would IN
cludc the FIFTY bad mcn Mn pri1cjn,c 80 a.,
me rigHt Of suffrage souid he ertcyed and n,,6J;c
ea"c"Hon e"co'"@cd, 30 as 10 quaffy cpery man 10
understand and appreciate his rights.
In determining upon representation in the f,t,,r,
begiSiature, would not agree to an enua reurcser
tauon by counties, ny which under the present con-
stitution one man in Warwick hos ms much ,,oi;,
Is ton mon in
Ill Frederick. representation had heretofore bcon
apPortioned according to population or taxaton. A.
comHck, instead OF having two members, ought
to have had certainly three and proh.tjv,
four members. l would adhere to the min,
cipie proposed by me at Staunton, by irving
one delegate to the smallest Counties and more thnS
one according to population, TO the larger counties
anu upon that plan the relative weight of Acconact
would be increased. When the Conyention R;iI
lately passed the House OF Delegates providn, Ia
representation IN convention upon that plan Twas
highly gratitcd. considered il riyh, in sclc NIL
was moreover graticd because Thought thai tbo,
by each small county, could one delegate in Tho
future Legislature but as the bill was amended in FL
sehate ara hnay agreed to IN the house of delegatcs
the small counties have thrown away that chance .nj
must now depend upon the beraty of the lnrper
counties to grant them as favor, that which tfcy
might nave claimed as right.
| | think, that the Executive Council orc,, .. l.
abolished as useless expense to the state and
should have no objection to the governor being elect
ed directly Ivy the people. would also rive To those
militia duty, the election all
except taft officers who ought to be appointed Lv
the field officers TO whom they attached think thai
the senate ought TO be elected for instead of
so as to bring the members more directly under res
ponslblhty to their constituents, and should nresa-
that the number of members in the House of Dele
gates should De diminished and that of the Senate IN,
creased to about36 instead of q members as at pre-
sent.
With regard 10 the Judiciary, some psr,o,s no.
eve are in favour Of the Judges being elected BY the
people for short periods, and some 60 so far as 20
wish them removable, also al the will of the pcopc
bcicVe and hope that these opinions have but few
advocates, and believe there is no state in the Union
where the Judges elected by the people altho,ah
AZ every state but Virginia, the right of suffrage is ey
teAded think, to non-freeholders as well as Freehold
ders. The mode of appointing Judges is different
III different states In some i'll Virginia thew are
appointed by the Legislature-in others thew are an
pointed by The governor alone, and in others they are
appointed by the governor by and with the advice and
consent OF the Senate III the same manner as is pro-
vided 10y the constitution of tho II. States for the an
= ponlment of officers of the u. States This last
think IL the best mode of appointing udrcs and nor
haps. also, of militia officers above the Grade of cc
lionel from the Inconvenience which might attend the
appointment OF general officers in a different manner
l Bnt IN whatever mode the judges may be an
pointed, inc concurrlng opinion of almost every stnte
m the Union is IN favor OF their holding their OIL
, COS during good behaviour. ] think that those
VINO nave the power OF deciding upon the life, the
liberty and property Of their fellow citizens and the
power too OF deciding upon the consttutionality OF
the laws passed by the Legislature ourht to be an
pointed with great delibcraon and crctrspecton--.
but that when appointed they ought not to he reno
yablo except for misbclaviour in Office and should
deP!orc it rs calamity upon the state OF Vroina ~
sec different Tenure Of judicial Office established
Although should be unwilling that the Judges should
be removable from Office except for misbehaviour
should nevertheless be glad to a constitutional
1 provision adopted, which would guard against the
inconvenience arising from retaining superannuatod
, judges the bench.
There is another part Of the constitution conccrninr
| DpOnlp Of Al
great interest, and concerning winch confess have
fet more doabt and difficulty in my own mind tbnn I'M
OH any other subject. which will probably occupy The
attention of the convenOn-that is the county court
system. In theory the mode Of appointing COUNTY
court magistrates is highly Objectionable and anti-re
? publican. They were originally appointed by the
j, hings Representatives. and they have, since the
adoption OF the constitution continued to appoint the