Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1829-11-16

num- winch can always BE- referred TO a. evdeac, OF
the manner IN Which his duties urc fulfilled JYb.f
aze the duties oil The Govcrnar9 Ills acrur,,ob;;,v
IL strict, though not severe US tha, of HE Conn.,
I'll. He is at liberty to follow or To r.i,se 70 ,;I,
the advice OF tho Council He acts on his own ros
possibility he IS not bound by the Council rLo
Journal shews the facts, and the Responsible VI
then is he screened from his own rcsponsibilt %,
Fhis Executive then, is wisely ordained |, is tic
wiscs effort OF the great genius of the writer Of onr
Constitution, IN making the whole Executive respo-
slbc TO their electors, us connected with RrDubr
can Legislature. He had been struck with lie 20
marks ofihc gentleman from Loudoun, Mr. Mercer
q had wonderedtha gentleman ofsuch intelI ,.nce
Should have fl!.en into such error rs il apcurni
to him TO be- lie had folt il to be his d:,y 70 do
away the rnputation no; only from sense o. jnstcc
10 the Counc, but 10 this, aud to all nations This
CounciI Tad been in operation 81 years. II there
pad becn any mi'rne, the gent, could poin, il
out. lie invited gentlemen To attend 10 tho
condition Of III, Eyrcu i've OILY at tic rresc.,
moment, but from tn; commencement o: It's orTan,a
ton and would thank them for any crtcisns on any
OF ITS proceedings and particularly those OF the urc
sent day. There was 10 merit in the adininst- t,ion
except merit Of principle, neri, of RESPONSIBILITY
II we have had an EIecutve in virginia, which has
conc on 50 smoothly so easily, so little known, aud
scarcely icl', for 81 years dischargine all us duties
why should II now be changed? II i; should p -,
done az! which Was cSpectt d, he would ask If tLo-c
was not some hnzaid, some buliuc.s in cl1n.iac !,
Tor something untitled, un,.nOwu: As To ,.,ri q,
power IL thc IHccnuve, Ear his expcricIre Ind
gore although IL had been of,cE accused Of nm in
ordinate love OF po,yof. lie there hud Us much Mower
rs lie wished 10 haze, org,t 20 ha,c, or rs any
clh'F human beng Should ever have. ENccl;ivc
patronage and roHcr, were the tue causes CT all
POI ''c1! Elisc!lets. Tho dcInoraii1.ug inG !cnce
W'i!~n "c have soon through VI the Who'll, Unite
states. 1Tis :nlHly from giving too much pairnna re
! to iAe Fclrra. l42"cuivr. But gentlemen had zone
hnhos aud made soma more genera! charcs urai,s,
tac Con>;i,nicn. The gentleman from Brook
air Doddrl,c,, "a whom nc always listened wi;h
pleasure had sid that tie Constitution was M :
/ I md al ,rs
hasi!y-udopcad under the e,igcncics o: tn. times
ana wns never considered Is permanent organic law
lie begged 20 Dc permitted TO repeat tie words OF
the gentleman t. taken down III tho nnyspauers 20,
Win vIcW o! throwing them bacl: upon Kim BIT
from his extreme reluctance miss:ali, the eyures
SONS OF any gentleman. Tie words are tie follow.
ing: The history uf tue Stale would show that The
pcsCnt Constitution alctcd in ncrjod % dn n
Scr and alarm; that il had been hastily enacted WIS
never considered cs an organic instrument tciber-
ute!y agreed upsn, with vc 10 IL being permanent,
but adopted under the c%igcuCies Of the tines II
~ as temporary cXpccient.' Suppose for n mo-
ment, the Constitution were q chance. nculrv-No
liod-scnd. II II were God send, il was the most
blessed God send with which ,.an was ever favored
30 happy have We been under II. we have lived so
UNANIMOUSLY, and CrloyeL ourselves So mach nt o
ease, Us almost 10 forget that there was any severn
Elsni Government may IL said To agpIcrch mr.
lection when man does not know that he IS royc.nSd m
all ou.d scnticmea discard then this Coast::.,
tINh, merely because they conceived !, Il be luck.
hit, and no; Z dictate OF wisdom because ,l,,v dem
Cd IL Il speca! i'or.osIon Of Providence rather m
inc production az Tie wlsdo. o: man. We .cuy.t
To cherish II and make the best possible use OF /; Tor
SUch Is the manner IN which Christian ri', 10 .r5,
every GoI-scnj. So directly Contrary VS. In, ar
gumnt OF the gentleman, 10 tie views he IN -
Cd as TO the manner IL which tie government, vas
i9Ihied' 10 Shew the msia!.c INTO which tie gen
tl"man from Brooke had fallen, with respect to the
constitution, he would read account ayen nv the
President OF the Conycntion-the celebrated III
mnhd REPRESENTATIVES EaIne IN itself. should civ,
q lA a. h.,
ton. He would not fatigue the Convention vii
much reading, but the mistake was so scrious. =,
called so loudly for correction, that lie must beg ia
attention TO single paragraph because ;joso MI
zen OPINIONS prevailed or this subject throurht the
who!e state The paragraph lie should read Is froI,
letter from tie late Mr.. jeff Tson 10 the late jude
" oodward giving an account Of The proceedings OF
the Convention. He would read but few scntcTcnt.
lie, Mr. Pcndleton,) informed me Mr. Ieffarso,,
afterwards, b. letter that lie received IL on the Ja
on which the Committee OF the Whole had rcpori II
10 the House, the plan they had agreed to; that that
lad been so long IN hand, G!spu;el inch by inch
and the subject ofsO much alteration and debate that
they we're worried with the contentious had proll-
ccd, and could not, from mere lassi.uLo have been
induced TO open tie instrument again: bnl tina, being
pleased with ne preamble TO mine, they adoptcd il I'm
Tic House, by say Of amendment 10 the r,port of
the Committee; and thus my preamble became tac,,
cd 20 The work Of George Mason"
Tic begged the g0ntlcmcn's best attention to Il his
torical account of the proceeding Of the Convent ,
aud they could nrI avoid seeing the direct contrast
between itEnd the account given by others.
SO lar as Ic was enabled 60 do, il would now bc lis
pleasing task to defend tho Constitution from other
imPgtat!ons lie regretted his inability to DO Justice
to the subject. In the first place The wisdom OF
our iorcIalhcrs fixed the basis Of The Constitution on
land--or earth-mothor earth. We are taught when
we pray, 70 say TO our Creator in thee we live and
move md have our being" lie would c%;cnd the
reflection so far as to shcw that the Instrument
III The hands of I'D was land cat,h-emrhat.caly
! ~, "i'tteF e9Th through which We 10 Give
ana move, and have our being" we look TO
1t Tor our existence and look to for our sub
slscEcc. u gives Us the coarsest food that ind
gcncc requires, aud supplies ~ with a., the highest
inGuflc5 winch refinement can desire. Il Yields our
ordinary covering, and affords all the ornaments
Which decorate the fair OF the land. From the low
est necessity to the highest luxury We arc indeb,e
Tor all to.our mother earth. Are there not then an
ahity aud an assncatI0n between our mother earth
end The beings who exist on ~ Would il not be
unreasonable, unphiiosoplic5l, TO establish govern.
mcnt for the inhabitants OF the lcud without rcicr-
encc 70 land itself lie thought 20 himself he lp;ght
be too much enchanted with the idea, but j, rad
grown gu; oftbc bcs, reflection he was a6lc TO give
to the subject. Ec., be- considered land as 100 im-