Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-01-30


%: the world, for imposing taxes without ouI
consent Tor derrivins OF the benefits Of the trial by
Jury Tor transporting beyond to b. tried for
tended offences, for suspending Legislature
and declaring themselves Invested with power egis-
late Tor us i'm all cases whatsoever; by plnderng
seas, ravagng our coasts, burning towns and
troying the lives Of our people; by ncing nsurrec-
tons OF our fellow with the aursent Of
feiturc and conhscatioD; by prompting negroes TO
rise 10 arms among u.s. those very negroes, whom by
inhumsn use OF his negative he had refused permits
sion TO exclude by law; by epdeav bring on
the inhabitants oil our frontiers, the merciess indian
savages, whose known rule of warfare il an undstin
gn'bed destruction OF all and conditions OF
exisence by Transporting hher large army
mercenarss TO complete the work OF death, desoa,ion
and tyranny, then already begun with circumstances
OF cruelty and perhdy unworthy the head of civilized
nation; by answering repeated petitons redress
with repetition ofinjurie. and finally, by abandoning
the helm Of government aud US out of his al
egiance and projections. by which svera acts of mis-
rule the government OF this country before exercis
ed under the Crown OF Great Britain, totally dis
solved: did, therefore, having matureiy con.dered the
premises, and viewing with great concern the deplora-
bile condition. to which this happy country would
he reduced unless some regular adequate mode civil
roy should be speedily adopted, and in compliance
with the endaon OF the General Congress or.
dan AMI declare a form OF government OF Virginia:
And whereas the General Assembly Of Virginia, by
an act parsed the tenth day OF February in The wear
Of nine. cnti,e act to eight hundred and twenty
Off Lord one thousand organize Convention, did au.
horse and provide for the election by the people, of
D;!cgses and Representatives to and assemble, in
General Convention, at the Capitol in the City of Rich
mond, the first Monday Of O tober in the year last
aforesaid to consider discuss and propose, Gen.
stituton or alterations and amendments of the existing
Constitution OF this Comnonwe alth, to be submitted to
he people and to be by them ratified or rejected,
We, therefore, the Delegates aud Representatives OF
the good people Of Virginia, elected and in
assembled, in pursuance OF the said act OF Assembly
do submit AMI propose to the people, the following
am' nded Constitution and Form Of Government for this
Commonwealth, that is TO say:
ARTICLE L.
The Declaration OF Rights made on the 18th June,
i776 10y the Of the good people Of Vr-
GINA assembled in iuil and free Convention which
tanned 10 them and their posteri,y, the basis and
foundation OF Government; requiring in the opinion of
this Convention no amendment, shall be prtfixed 10
this Constitution, and have the same relation thereto
as had 10 the former Constitution Of this Common.
wealth ARTICLEII
The Legislative, Executive and Judiciary Depart
nts, shall be separate and distinct that neither
exercise the powers properly belonging either of the
ohrrs; shall any per.oi exercise the power. of
more than one OF them at the same time, except that
the Justices OF the County Courts shall be eligible to
eiher House OF Assembly.
ARTICLEIU
l. The Legislature shall be formed of two district
branches, which together shall be complete Legi.a-
ture, and shall be called the General Assembly of vr.
gina.
q One of these shall be called the House of Delegates
and shall consist of hundred and thirty me M
bers, TO be chosen annually, for and by the several
counties, cities, towns and boroughs of the Common
wealth; whereof thrty-one Delegates shall be chosen
for and by the twenysix counties lying West of the
Allegheny mountains twenty five Ter and by the four
teen counties lying between the Allegheny and Blue
Ridge of mountains; fortytwo for and by the twenty
nine counties lying East of the Blue Ridge of noun
tans and above dewater and hrtysix for and by the
Counties cities, towns anu boroughs lying upon tdewa
ter, that is say: OF the twenty-six counties lying
West OF the Allegheny, the counties of Harrison, Mont
gomery Monongala, Ohio and Washington, shall each
elect two Delegates; and the counties OF Brooke Cabe
Grayson Greenbrcr, Giles, Kanawha, Lee, Lewis, Lo-
gan, Mason, Monroe, Nicholas, Preston Ran
doph, Russell, Scott Tazewell, Tyler God and Wythe
hall each elect one Delegate. OF the fourteen coun-
a.. I....
counties of Frederick and Shenandoah shall each elect
three Delegates; the counties of Augusta, Berkeley
Boteourt, Hampshire, Jefferson, Rockingham and Rock
bridge, shall each elect two Delegates and the conn
ties Of Allegheny, Bath Hardy, Morgan and Pcndleton,
shall each elect one Delegate. OF the twenty nine
counties lying East of the Blue Ridge and above tide
water the county of Leudoun, shall elect three Dele
gates the counties of Abemarle, Bedford, Brunswick
Buckingham, Campbell, Culpeper, Fauquier, franklin
Halifax. Mscklenburg, & Piusyyana, shall each ee
tw Delegates; and the counties of Amelia Amherst
Charlotte, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna Gooch-
land Henry, Louisa Lunenburg, Madison, Nelson,
Nottoway, Orange, Patrick Powhatan and Prince Ed
ward shall each elect Delegate And of the
counties, cities, towns and boroughs lying on tide
water the counties of Accomack and Norfolk, shall each
elect two Delegates; the counties of Caroline, Chester
field Essex, Fairfax Greensville, Gloucester Hanover
Hcnrico, Isle of Wight, King Queen, King William
King George, Nansemoni, Northumberland, Northamp-
ton, Princess Anne, Prince George, Prince William,
Southampton, Spottsylvana Stafford Sussex Surry and
Westmoreland, and the city of Richmond the borough
OF Norfolk and the town of Petersburg shall each elect
one Delegate the counties of Lancaster and Rich
mond, shall together elect Delegates the counties
of Mathews and Middlesex, shall together elect one
Delegate; the counties Of Elizabeth City and Warwick
shall together elect Delegates; the counties OF
James City and York, and tho city of Williamsburg,
shall together elect one Delegate; and the counties OF
New Kent and Charles City, shall together elect one
Delegate.
B. The other House of the General Assembly shall
be called the Senate, and shall consist of thrty-two
members of whom thirteen shall be chosen for and by
the counties lying West Of the Blue Ridge of mountains
AMI nineteen for and by the countless cities towns and
boroughs lying East thereof and for the election OF
whom, the counties, citos towns and boroughs shall be
divided into thirty two districts, herein after provided
Each of the respective districts at the time of
the first election Of its Delegate or Delegates under this
Constitution shall vote for Senator; and the Sheris
other officers holding the election for each county,
city, town borough, within five days farthest after
the last county, city, town borough election in the
district, shall meet at convenient place, and from
the polls taken in Their respective countess cities
shall have the greatest number of votes in the whole
district TO keepup this Assembly by rotation ae dis
trics shall be equally divided into four classes and mum
bcred by lot At the end of year after the first ge-
neral elections the eight members elected by the first d.
vision shall be displaced and the vacancies thereby oc-
casioncd supplied from such class dvis on by ne W
election in the aforesaid This rotation shall bo
applied to each division according its number and
continued in due order annually And for the election
of Scna ors the counties Of Brooke Ohio and TYLER
shall form ono district; the counties of Monongalia
Preston and Randolph, shall form another district: the
counties OF Harrison, Lewis and Wood shall form an.
other district the counties Of Kanawha Mason, Cabell
Logan and Nicholas shall form another district: the
counties of Greonbrier, Monroe, Giles and Monoo
merry, shall form another district the counties Of Taze-
well, Wythe and Grayson shall form another district:
the counties of Washington Russell Scott and Lee, shall
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