Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-03-26
From he BIelEburg Gazette.
No lU

Fellow Citizens of Western Virginia: We arc now
to examine and point the operation and tendency
OF the Amended Constitution. Although, as has
been shown 1T not framed by the REPRESENTATIVES,
of the freehoders of the inha bitants of the Com
monwealth in full and free Convention assembled.
still, some may say Why reject it if il be good Con.
stituton. This IS a question which we have not TO
discuss, as the condition on which il ia proposod docs
not exist; for no party says it is good Constitution
Then 1t may be proposed is 1t better than the old
one, and if 30 why not ratlfy il? Some NAV think il
better others worse. For my part think it better
In respects, and worse in others; and tanY il all
in all, the better and the worse parts toretLer am
decidedly OF tho opinion it is much worse for us TO
sanction 1t than 10 continue under the Constitution of
!6.-But the reasons why think are drawn from
the instrument ITSELF and that my fellow citizens NAV
weigh them, proceed to offer them.
But first we shall attend TO the strong plea which
some OF the Eastern prints urge for its ratification
and what IS their strong plea. The Eastern prints
which once called for Convention which orco nIood
the of REFORM aud the necessity tho indisnon
sable necessity of better political Institutions have
generally betasen themselves to recommending tho
new Constitution, solely on the ground that il is
better than the old one. Now were il better no,,rb
better than the old absracty considered still
many good reasons might exist why it should not be
sanctioned by the people. 1t is not always q orood
reason Tor an action either in morals or economics 70
say that is better to do 1t than to do something
ese Tor often is better to do neither. ii is better
much better many occasions to be cheated than "a
60 TO law IL is better for man TO lose limb thnn
hs life IL Is better for man to be cxcd to nm in
hospitable shore than to be burned to death But Is
u not better to avoid the occasion of either? II s
much better for person not TO be cheated not to
have his leg amputated, not to be banishetl "Oftwo
evils choose the less is good rule but il is bei,er
to choose neither The argument then to ratify tho
amended constitution. drawn from their comparative
mcnts, IS very ambiguous one; aud think i'm this
case, taking all the circumstances into view, very
iaacous one. But the Eastern prints seem morn
inclined TO Halter the friends of reform by making it
appear 10 them that the new Constitution is much
better than the old one, than To hatter tho nnti
relormsts by making it appear how little different il
IS from the old one, how much better il il for tbarn
TO vote for 1t, as 1t takes nothing from them u, So
cures every thing TO them We shall examine how
much better II is for us than the old ono 10 ,bo
Eastern prints thought there WINS any dancer Of tb
anu rciornnsts voting On mnsse aganst the amended
Constitution, would they not turn their lnpIc and
rhetoric more To- soothc their minds than ours? No.
Phoy knew that it would be the desire Of orr opro
nenis TO put this Constitution upon us forever md
therefore their arguments studied nor srt in
order 10 obtain their support, but 10 secure ours
Tho "6eltsTHess" the superiority Of the now ns re-
sPects our wants and wishes, - their plea with us
NOW now much better for VI is the amended Consfi
tutiom We arc now faFly come 10 this onrsiion
IL IS given IN reply that the right of sufrare !, mr.
tented, much crtended How far?-i,Fo house keen
ors ana heads Of families who pny revenue tax -
Ihis is the principal cXicnslon-besdcs these il o
not reach perhaps to 5000 persons in the Common
wealth But part Of tho revenue Of tho Common
wealth must have actually been paid by such hon4.
Keepers, which revenue will require them 10 have
morse or negro Tho head Of family and house
keeper whose horse lives and IS not stolen or WHOSE
negro does not die nor away, such houso-kecp-
or has the liberty ofvotng and once onIy by Tho
new Consitutiou or rather by the Convention, as tbe
sequel will show wv
Let 1t DO remembered first Of all that his vote do
ponds upon at least contingencies First and os.
pecialy not upon his own breath, but npon Mo
breath OF his horse, OF his negro and upon their brea
thing under HE control For If the housekeeper's
horse should suddenly die with tho cbolic, and leave
no colt nor tho means Of propngating another. his