Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-01-29
AN AMENDED CONSTITUTION.
Or From e'' Gorsrnmea, for ~, .,inia.
IAdonteG liIh lnnunrv. Ign


If tho good people OF Virginia in Convention
assembled, AN the twcnty-un,h day of June. in
he year oil our lord orr thousand seven hmm.
lrco and seven'y-sS; Rnctirg and declarioy,
hat whereas. George tbs third, King of Great
i;ritian aud Ireland aud E,ector of Hanover. hr
t'rc that time entrusted with tho exercise OF the
..mglv e''ce IN the government al Virginia,
had endcavourcd IL rrcvert is same into 4
and iasuppurtlbic tyranny, by pnt.
ting his negative Oh laws the most wholesome
aud necessary for ,l,c public good by denying
his governors permission 10 puss laws o, hume
date and pressing Importance, unless suspended
in their operation .nr his assent and when SO
suspended ncgcc,ng In attend Ia them for ma
ny years; by refusing 10 pass certain other laws
un.cs; the persons In he benefited Ly them
would re.inyuish the questionable right Of repre-
senla!ion in the Legislature Thy dissolvinr lc-
glsative assemblies repeatedly and continually
for opposing with manly frmnoss his invasions
of the rights Of ilic people whom dissolved, by
refusing 10 call others for q long space of time
thereby leaving tltc political system without any
legislative hrao by cndeavurng Ia present the
population ot our country, and tor that purpose
obstruc.ing the laws for The naturalization OF
foreigners; by keeping among US, III tiuc of
peace, standing ARMIES and ships of war ;hr at:
.cciin., 10 render the military indepcndant of
and superior To tho civil power; by combining
with Others to subject 10 a foreign iuliSdic-
ton, giving his assent ~ their pretended acts
OF legislation, FOR Guurteriny large bodies vi.
armed troops among us, for cutting of our trade
with all paris OF tie world, for Imposing taxes
on us without our consent, deriving us of tho
benefits of the ,:ial by jury, for transporting us
beyond seas 20 10 tired for pretended offences
tor suspcnding our own Legislatures und dcclar.
ing themselves invested with power To leeislatc
Tor lis III all cascs;whatsoevcr by plunderng our
seas, ravaSin9 our coasts, burning ont towns,
and destroying the lives of our people by in
81 ms. ell
the alIurements Of forfeiture and .coniiscatiun !;
by prompting our negroes, To- rise in arms among
us, those very negroes, whom By an inhuulan
use of his negative Inc had refused us permission
to exclude by law by endcavoring 90 bring on us
the Inhabitants ofour frontiers the merciless in.
dian sava%cs whose known rule of warfare is
an und:siinyuiShed destruction of all ages sex
es and conditions ofeyistcnce by tran.poitin,
hither large nriny of foreign mercinaries t.
complete the work Of death. desOlation and w.
ranny, then already begun with circumstances
OF cruelty and ?criidy unworthy tho head of
civilized nation by answering our repeated Pc
ttions Tor redress with n repetition OF iniuries
and finally, by abandoning the helm Of govern.
mont, and declaring us out of his allegiance and
protection by Which several acts of msrc The
government oil this country, as before exercised
under the Crown of Great Britain was totally
dissolved did therefore, having naturely con-
siderod Tho premises, and viewing with great
once happy country would be reduced, unless
some regular adequate mode OF civil po!i.y
should be speedily adopted, IA i'm compliance
w'th the recommendation of the General Con-
gIcss, ordain and declare, z form OF government
al Eirgini1.
And whereas the Gnncral Assembly of yir
gina, By an act passed on the tenth day of Fe-
bruary, IN the gear o! our Lord ons thousand
eight hundred and twenty nine, entitled an act
ia A
ProVidc tor the election, by tho people, of Dele.
gates and Representatives., to meet ard Assem-
b!', ~ general Convention, at the Capito! in
the ciiy OF Richmond, on the il-st Monday Of
octohcr in The year last aforesaid, to consider.
discuss and propose, new Constitution OF si
tcrations and amendments Of the existing Con-.
stitutinn OF THIS Commonwealth, TO be submit.
ted to the people and 10 DO by them ratified or
rejected
We. therefore, tho Delegates and Representa-.
.Ives OF the good people Of Virginia, elected and
III convention assembled. III pursuance of the
said act Of Assembly, do submit and propose ia
the people the following amended Constitution
and From o: Government Of this Common
wealth, that Is TO say.
ARrICLEI.
The Declaration of Rights made or the 10Th
Juno, lII6, ty tho representatives of the good
people oil Virginia assembled in full and free
Convention, which pertained TO them and thcir
?osterIty, as the basis and foundation of Govern
ment requiring in tho opinion Of this Conycn-
li"ii no amendment, shuil be prefixed 10 this
Constitution, and have the same relation Thereto
rs IL had TO The former Constitution of this Com.
mOnwca!th.
ARTICLE IT,
The Legislative, Executive. mud Jud;ci,ry
departments, shall be separate and distinct so
that neither exercise the powers property belong
ing 10 either OF the others nor shall any rson
exercise The powers Of more than one of them
az Inc same tine, except that the Justices of the
county trurls shall be eligible TO either House
of Assembly.
ARTICLE
J. The LeGis,.Girc shall be formed ortwo die.
tinct branches, which together shall be a com
P!c.e Legislature, and shall be called the Com
ersi Assembly of Virginia.
= One of these shall be called the IIouse or
delegates, and shall consists of one hundred and
thirty-iour members 10 be chosen annually for
an" oy inc several countless, cities, towns and
oo'ougIs OF the commonwealth whereof lhir
ty-one delegates shall be chosen for and bv the
tWeh'y-si1 counties lying West Of Allie
ghany mountains, twenty-five for and hv ,Le
fourteen counties lying between tho AlIepha.
ny and Blue Ridge of mountains f,rtv.,wo
ior and by the twenty-nine counties Iyipp I.ast
ot inc Blue Ridge of mountains and above lido
wafer and thIrty-slx for and by the counties.
cities, towns and boroughs living upon tids
water that is to say. OF the twcnty!six conn.
ties lying West of tie Alloghanv, tho coun,;es
OF Harrison, Montgomery, Monongslia. Ohio
ana washington, shall each elect lwo Dele
gates and the counties of Brook Cabell. Grov.
son. Grccnbrer Giles, Kanawha, Lee, Lewis.
Logan, Mason, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocbahuntas.
f T,tIa w. Randolph. Russell, Scott, Tazewe,
Tyler, Wood and Wythe, shall each elect nns
Delegate. Ofthe fourteen counties In, J liz
tween the AI'sghany and Blue Ridge tie coun.
ties OF Frederick and Shenandoah, shall each
eject thieo Delegates the counties of Augusta
DoTkoIy, DGtetourt, Hampshire, Jefferson, Rock.
iIngham and Rockbridgc, shall each elect t,~o
D re- and the counties Of Alleubanv
a 6ath' Hardy Morgan and PendIeton, shall each
eieci one Delegate. OF tho twenty.nine com.
t!es lying East oftho Blue RIDGE, and sbov.,
u .I -waIeri tho county of Loudoun shall elect
tnree Delegates; tho counties of Albemsrle,
S 1euGlord, brunswick, buckingham. Campbell
1uiPeper, fauqnier franklin, Halifax. MecL'
II9,m1burg and Pittsylvsnia, shall each elect two
DcIegates and the counties Of Amelia. Am.
he1St '<harlottc, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fin.
frnCchlonI