Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1829-11-06
THE CONVENTION.
RtCuMOND Ger 2S

RICHMOND, Der. %.
The Convention met yesterday at IL
o'c!ock-and was opened with prayers by
the Rcvd. MIR. Parks of the Methodist
Church.
The standing rule for the House to re-
solve itself into Committee of the whole
being read Mr.. Scott Of Fauquier moved,
that it proceed to execute the order of
the day-whicIss was accordingly done
and the Rssident called Mr. p. p. Bar
bour to the Chair.
Mr.. Barbour read the proposition which
was before the Committee viz to amend
the Resolution from the Legislative Com
mittee, which declared that i'm appor-
tioning Representation, respect should he
had to the chite population srciusirciy,
" so as to strike out the word exclusive
Iy," and substitute and taxation com
bined"
Mr.. Green then rose to call upon gem
tlemen on the other side Of the question,
to assign reasons for the Resolution pre-
sented by the Legislative Committee.
MIR Leigh Joined in this Call-He too
hoped, that gentlemen who'd give the rea-
sons for this proposed change in our 60
vernment-a change, which designs to
transfer its power into entirely new hands,
~and so remarkably departs from the prac-
tice of our English ancestors and of our
own institutions. He called upon them
to give some plausible reasons for an inno-
walton which threatens so many evils and
infiicts such crying injustice-reasons
that were not metaphysical, aiithmetical
or mathematical, but founded on practical
principles.
Mr.. Cook replied to Mr.. Leigh He
said, he could not conceal his astonish-
ment at the remarks which had fallen
from the gentleman from Chesterfield. -
How could that gentleman aledge that
the principles on which the resolution was
founded, were new? They were truth,
which had been discovered by Hampden,
and Sydney, and MltoD.-They might
nave been suppressed in England but
they had taken refuge with our forelalhers
i'll America. Does that gentleman recol-
lect that onr institutions are founded on
the principles Of liberty, and of equality
Does he recollect the principles of cur
Declaration OF independence and the Bill
Of Rights! He treats them as new-fang-
led doctrines, as distractions Bet what
are those principles ?-That power is
founded on the sovereignty of the people :;
that the majority are of right entitled to
the administration of affairs And are
these distractions Ifby distractions is
meant rules which are visionary, chimeri-
cal, and impractioable, how came it to
be recognised by the Declarations of our
Bill Of Rights ? (:ie read the first arti-
Gle % t..c a:!l Of R;ghts.) WAT is the
assertion in this article ! That power te-
sides in the people. That they rightfll
ly can control the affairs of this Common
wealth, without King, or Priest, or No
bleman to pI event them. And is this an
abstraction Tie then read the 2nd ar
ticie. )-He argued that its intention was
to show, that when man came into the
world, he came with an equal right to
administer the government. And the Bird
of these articles, what is it? That the
majority of community nave right to
govern.--Is not this recognised by the
most enlightened authors! 1t is founded
on Dature-Day on necessity itself, which
prevails among the common affairs OF men.
But it is said, that the fathers Of the Con-
stitution themselves had been compelled
and had formed the present Constitution
on different foundation-that their ar
rangement of the State into Counties, &c.
had shown how much they coasidere
this Bill of Rights to consist OF abstrac-
tons. Mr.. c. asked, if this were true
lie contended that it was the critical Cir
curnstances, under which the Constitution
was farmed, that had produced such auo-
males that its fathers had no time to or
ganze it in the best manner that
when they we're acting amid the dangers
OF war, and with laundering common "a
round them, they could not take TO pieces
the old building and construct it on the
best principles. They had first TO meet
the foreign enemy ; and it did not become
them to have agitated our society by the
struggle Of iarrng political opinions
But even as early as 81 one of our great.
est men Mr.. Jefersonl had pointed out
the Inconsistencies Of this Constitution
with the principles on which it pretends
to be founded, He demonstrated this con-
uadlction-bctween principles and the
practice. And since that time, portion
ofthe wisest and best Of our citizens had
never ceased to expose its Irregularities,
and TO demonstrate the injustice which
had been done. Mr.. G.. then attempted
to show how far the resolution under ex-
animation was in exact accordance with
with the essential and declared principles
of our government.-The Bill of Rights
recognizes the right of the majority to
given. This resolution attempts 10 give
the majority that power.
Mr.. 6. proceeded to examine the prin-
ciple which was proposed to be inrodu-
ced, viz to apportion representation to
population and taxation combined lie
coDtended that il made property ard