Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-01-07

vent the consideration He asked IL there could have
been any necessity Tor the last Is years that the Legsa
ture .hosd ii, from the LIST Of December to the LIT Of
March! Tho the Legislature eiectoneeri rims
body and had the opportunity Of going HON, and sx1
planning TO their ontucns why they sst long, vet
he asked if those long Session. Of the Legislature had
not had full az much effect in producing the pre-
sent Convention az the odious Judiciary! who wer-
not an eleciioneeing body AMI could give expisna
| kept causes so long the docket The House threw
the responsibility the Senate, the Senate on the
| House. One said, the Sena.e IL away, we need
hurry ourselves; the Senate .aid the House will do
little nothing till February But the People, mean
Will. had foun out that there oppression; and
that he took TO be one Of tho principal reasons why
they were now met in Convention. Mr.. &. said ne
f,r stripping them OF this excuse-and should vote
for tho amendment Of the gentleman from Giles.
Me-. GILES said he felt much doubt AMI embarrass-
Iment this subject. lie observed in tho next
ton a provision which had bearing the pre-.
sent amendment: IL that section should be altered
he thought IL ought TO be, then the amrndm mt
| proposed might he advsntageous.-(He then read the
| 7th section follows:
VII. All Law. shall originate in the House OF Dele
gates TO be approved rejected by the Senate TO be
amended with the consent Of the House OF Delegates,
except money bills, which in no Instance shalt be al
tered by the Senate but wholly approved rejectsd
He thought serious evil resulted from the adjourn.
ment OF the Senatc and this to be attributed to
their not having the power 10 originate Blis-Though
greatly attached to the old Constitution. he thought
this feature ought to be amended Let the Senate
have power 10 originate all Bile but money Bills. The
power had been given TO the Senate OF the u S. and
with dvantage. II the Senate should he clothed with
this power, then II would become important that il
should not adj 'urn without the consent of tho other
| House.
TIL. argument from the power Of the Senate TO try
impeachnen,s was in favour Of the and not
against II. The III. OF Delegates be in being in
order to prosecute the impeachment before the other
| House In the trial Of Juige Chase this had never
been questioned, and the utmost expedition urg.
ed to bring that trial TO On Issue before the 1T OF
| March, on that very ground. II they took from the
of the u s. tho provision about irving i'm
N nm hRO Nm In hnrr
now proposed. MIR. G. said he should vote for the a.
IN -ndment.
| Mr.. RANDOLPH sail he should vot. aEains, the
amendment, aud that on principle which he had learn
ed before he came into public life; and by which he
had been governed during the whole of that life.
that it was always unwise-yes-highiy unwise to dis
turb thing that at rest. This great csrd-
nal principle that should govern all wise Statesmen
never without the strongest necessity TO disturb that
which was at rest. He should vote against the
amendment on another and an inferior consideration
Whatever opinion might have been EXPIRE s.ed az to
multitude of 'eors there hut among con
siderate men to a multiplicity Of laws. The oec
ton urged by the gentleman from Richmond, over thu
way. (Mr Nchoas) to tbs existing clause, was pre-
cisely of the strongest motives with him for off ring
the amendment l ara much opposed, said Mr.. r. cx.
cep' IN great eincrgency-and then tn" J. gi-lave
ma hine is always sure to work with sufficient randi.
Ity-the steam ia then up am much opposed to thi.
" spatch OF business" The principles Of free gov.
eminent in this country (and they fail-ifth.y should
he cas-. away-here-they are lost forever fear, to
the worio have more TO fear from Legislation than
fear from armies oil Legislators and armies of Judges
from any other from ali other causes. Beside. the
great IN anuactory at Washington, we have - iabora-
tories more at work. all making laws. In Virginia we
have now two in operation-one engaged in ordinary
legislation, and another hammerng at the fnndamen,a
law. Among all these lawyers Judge. and i-gisaors
there is great oppre sson the people, who nri
Their lawyers, judges, nor legislators, expec
| 10 he oppression barely more tol-rabl- than any
which is felt under the European Governments Sir.
never can forget, that in the great anil good hook
which look for all truth and all wisdom, the b ook of
Kings succeeds the book Of Judges.
! Mr.. MERCER, after a few word. that could moi b.
heard from the coniu ion in the House, believed 10
that experience, wast to be consulted ALL
to be consulted on both sides Of the question He l.e-
iievcd that the clause which it proposed to srkr
out had never been us"d power ofproroga fro
the foundation Of the Government. He would GO far
Their: on n'ertpg the clause, he believed such mo.
ton entered into the pion fra
mess Of the Constitution. The power 10 adjourn wa.
given in part Of the Constitution but this. Gave in
that clause where certain number declared 10 he
a-quorum TO adjourn and il never had been used for
the purpose OF prorogung the assembly, but only for the
convent Of one OF the branches OF that body Elk.
peri therefore, far the side of the
OF the amendment
| S ou,d tie House Of Delegates be reduced 10 the
number OF l27 greater dispatch OF business might be
hoped for. Al all events mere courtesy if nothing
else, required one House to notify the other OF its inen.
ton to 'journ, wh'n the aljournn-nt to be for
several weeks, and to enquire whether there any
pressure OF business which would renler such step
inconvenient That would be, in practice, ihs whole
result Of thu amendment The Senate would make this
enquiry, and the House of Dele unless there ~. re
strong to the contrary, would AWAY. give its
sent The question had been argued il the one ho.
dy would arbitrarily retain the other in session. when
there was good for ding But there were
surely grounds for such presumption. "a 10 the
ease of army of Judges being created by the lower
House, the Senae needed no prorogung power to
tbwart such plan il had only to reject IL by its vote
and then the could &, TO the people, and they
could let their pleasure be known to tn r delegates
the next session. Mr.. NJ concluded by insisting that
no evil had followed such measure was PROMO ,ed
by the amendment, though il hal been tried by all the
other States and by the General Govcrnme mt so that
| experience was for and not against il.
MIR. GEORGE in reply to Mr. johnson, referred to he
session Of lsI7IS. when the House of Delegates had
passed upwards Of 90 revised bills during the recrs. Of
the Scnae Of which that body it's return acted only
on 20: and the House hal IN consequence to take M
the other 10 and pas, them again the next ,es.on He
had been Tor nine sessions in hs Houe of Delegates,
and not had pared without very seriou. complaint
the subject IF the Scnsies ad,urnn-n t and in on
session The House had TO wait week for the Senate.
Mr.. LEIGH said, he well remembered the period TO
| which the gentleman auded-and the Senate isd no
those revised bills and il would have done vet wiser
thing IL it had retained them still longer In too ses.
sions the Legislature had revised lave which had be
the work Of forty sessions Of the same BODY.
The question wac now take the am ndmenf. and
decided in the affirmativc-Ayes So
So the House resolved that neither House .boud have
tho power Of aourning for than three days. ,hou,
the consent Of the other.
Mr.. SUMMERS moved the following amendment;
bat If vacancies shall occur by death or resign ion
during the Of the General Assembly such vtits
as may be prescribed by law"
Il The w ,t,in hv ~, r,ox.-