Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-02-21

l aa.n. Hewsver eossnl the srsumsat WA thee.
| eestslaly 10 OF no weight now.
Lither Martin, in his Report to the NaTylaa
legislature. gives the following account Of it,
/ " Three different times did they attempt to proeut'
Fan alteration, aud as often failed majority fgm
"ly adhering TO the resolution as reported by th
l"Comml,tee; however, an alteration OF length
by dint Ct perseverance, obtained, even With" th
las, twelve days Of the conYenllOr COT IL ppe
"aIS,r len Philadelphia" AM as the system i
"now reported, the President having the po~e r .,
nominate 10 all Offices, It must De evident, tha
there is possible security for the integrity an,
Independence OF the Legislature, but that they
"are most unduy under the irhuence OF the Pee
/ silent, and exposed TO bribery and corruption"
u is not matter Of curious inquiry merely, bu
instructive, TO reeur TO the views of these great
| on this vital question.
The frs, debate occurred on the 22d June, MOI
quite month after MIR Randolph had submitted tn,
Vhsinis psn.
Mr. Gorhan,, who moved to strike out the res,ric.
ton, siate' IN general terms, that he considered Il
unnecessary. and injurious: And, admitting that
abuses had been dis played in Great Britain, argued
tsat no one could say how Tar they nigh, have
contributed to preserve the due influence OF the
Movement"
Mr. King thought the restriction was refining too
mnch, and would give q pre;ext to the Executiys
Tor bad appointments.
Mr. Wilson was against lettering elections and
dsecmssiug metit-it might, too, exclude the u
bleSi commanders in time Of war.
MIR Hamilton thought III, prospect Of Office a
necessary Indictment. ste thought the remsrk Of
MIR Gotham Just one" at was known that one OF
the ablesi politicians (Mr uume) had pronounced
oil that inhuenec on the side of the Crown, which
went undeT the name Of corruption an essential
past OF the weight which maintained the equilibrium
OF the Constitution"
Mr. Butler considered the restriction a necessary
preeauton az ainst intrigue, and cited the example
OF Great Britain.
Col. Mason "was for shutting the door, ut oil
events, acsIns; corruption; enlarged on the venal.
"iy and abuses in this particular 70 Great Britain
and regarded the disqualification US a corner
stone in the ,abric.'"
The subject was again taken up and clabora,ely
argued GA the lith OF August.
Mr. Pinkney took the lead in opposition 10 the
disqualification. He considered II degrading 10 the
members OF Congrcss-inconvcnient, because the
Senate might I've supposed 10 contain the fitest
men. tie hoped 10 see tha, body become a school
OF public Ministers, nursery OF statesmen. Ii
" was mpoltic, as that body would cess, to be
" magnet Tor the hrst talents and nht es.n
Col. Mason met tho argument in strain OF
biting irony and :oiiera,e! his arguments founded
on the probable corruption OF Congress by leaving
II open TO the patronage Of the prtsiden,.
MIR Mercer opposed the disqualification, because
IT deprived the Executive OF influence over the LIE.
gisluure.
Mr. Gerry said, "lf men will no, serve in the Le
" s!s'auTe without the prospect of office, our ,tua-
" are aciua,ct by such mercenary motives, we had
" better choose q single desrot az once. |, will
" be more easy to satisfy the rapacity Of one, than
" many-conhdence, he thought, was the road TO
" tyranny lie was not 50 iood Of foreign mis-
SONS as To wish TO establish nurseries for thcnn
Governeur Morris argued against the exclusion
Of the Army and Navy, and said they would ecu,
their way to power"
MIR Williamson was opposed to having a whole
Legislature at liberty TO out Offices for them.
= md liz. II.
MEASURE N his own State "whch could not be
traced TO oiice-hun;ins."
Ms Sherman "thoushi the Constitution should
lay rs lew temptations as possible IN the way of
those In power. Men OF abilities would increase
as the country grows more popslOus and as the
means OF education d,ff ised."
MIR Ellsworth "did no. think the mere postpone
menS OF the reward wonld DC a material d.sconr.
asement to merit. Ambitious minds will serve
" Two years in tho Legislature f,r the sake OF
qualifying themselves for other Office: merit will
- be most encnura e! Vherc most implrsiGiiy re
=" warted. iifcwards are 10 circuia only within the
Legislature, merit out of II vii. De discouraged"
Ma Mercer repeated his argument N favor OF
influence rs q substitute 60. Military Fore.
Such were the arguments pro and con On this
great question. An Impartili observer of the pre-
sent Gay. will have little difficulty IN deciding that
they preponderate against the decision then made
Fowe luiiy ATTRACTIVE as the "great magneln UNI
dOdb.e1y is, II does not draw all the talent and all
Tnc national Legs atIre has certainly been the
"nursery" OF many great Statesmen, and may just
" boast of many pure and disiniores;ei pauiots.
But # We will travel throughout the Safes aud
seek the AGO uaintance Of The educated classes the
merchants, the members OF the learned profess ons
and literary men, We shall rather incline TO the
op mon that the states have kept their ATTEST men
home; and should DC az no 10 10 select fiji per
% for Office. To say nothing of the State Lcsis
latures, liok ut the convent ons which have b. en-
h Ii IN almost every State in the Union, TO frame
revise the Site Constitutions. When have we
seen an ADLER body than assembled in our own
SAFE in 1927
Oar experience Of the "~o-kinssn Of tina, "inao-
"ence which went under the name of corruption"
is not Calculated TO make US IN love with il. Posi-
bly, IN an hereditary monarchy, with popular lie
gIsature II may be necessary that the crow sho,ld
be intrus:ed with an inn renee over the legislature
which may sometimes degenerate into corruplion.--
ihe natural JEALOUSY OF power and wealth. iche-
rent in the masses, necessarily produces in such a
government, court and country y rites. Unsup.
ported by powerful patronage, or dangerous ire.
rOgotIve. the monarch would Os often in mino.
riiy. The mos, ssluinry measures would be liz.
tie to he defeated by fac,ious opposition. In the
contests which such state OF things would generate
Whichever party prevailed, the government would
be destroyed. The triumph Of the legislature
would transform II into n democracy, out of which
might grow desro,sm! witness the long parlil.
mcnt and Oliver Cromwell. The tfiumph of The
monarch would, by shoIie; road, lead TO the same
result. Mr. Hume my therefore be right in con.
sderng this Influence, which went under the name
'ot corruption" as necessary 20 mintain the bl
lance between the monarchcal and democratic paris
OF The British Constitution. Ii So il is one Of the
great evils OF that form Of government. No such
ba ance wheel is necessary in ous system. Both
/ the President and Congress most commonly re-
/ present minority of the people, and our danger
arises from the infusion of TOO much strength by
the union Of such powerful elements.
| To Dreyeut the aDDlicntiOu NJ thia great notve
10 sinister ends, The framers OF our constitution d..
vided the government, into ,hree great departments
intended TO be check upon each o;hcr. To effect
/ this object, each must be Withdrawn from the con
troll or undue inf uencc Of tho othsrr, in the dis
charge Of its appropriate functions
This, 1t is believed, ex 1erience has demonstrate,
| the constitution has not Ell cieI. The purpose %
the proposed amendment IS to remedy the defect
and make The constitution whn, il is in theory.
TO BE- CONTINUED
TO TIE EDITORS.