Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-06-14
No. 11.-VOLUME xxx.


themselves duly represented. How is this to be DONE
1t the places made few and dstont-ore to seventy
or eighty thousand-so only to be captured by pro-
t iessionol pre-emInence mercantile wealth? The
bringing forward young men, who could not otherwise
Ind place, another advantage OF numerous repre-
Il senta,ion; and this public well private advan
tage 1t increases the quantity of business talent in the
House, and gives place TO the young whoutdispacng
5 The old
The advantages of a numerous House of Represent.
atlves vital. They go to the safety of liberty, the
purity o.! legislation, aud the preservation of the po-
pular branch of Government Compared to these,
s what the objections Tnfes, which should not
weigh feather in the scale is objected that nr-
House will be disordery and mpactcab!e that
It will wrange and do nothing and the example Of the
last ten or dozen years. quoted proof of the
sumption. Admitting there has been excitement
that House IN the last ten years when it contained 2i0
members, than in the previous ten years, when it
contained 22 admitting ,hs and what docs prove
Does it prove that the increased violence the eff
feet Of the increased numbers by no means Bnt
the contrary. For the yioences complained of take
place just often in empty House full one -
just as often bare quorum Of l20 full meet
ing of 240. This, every body knows; and it ex.
plodes the idea that the character of the House is
, question of numbers-a problem in arthmec-to be
settled by the solution Of mathematical proposition.
Give the gentlemen who % for small House their
beau ideal Of lis compositions maximum of 200 mem
beers: give them this, and will show them that all
they complain OF in legal House of $40 has taken
No, SIR no This is not question of Mathematics
but Of times and eengs-p1ciled times and animated
feelings-g out OF contests for party supremacy
which have ragged for the las. Ten dozen years In
the Tranquil days Of Mr. Mnnroe so much Wanted
the effect of a House of 30 there party ques
ton IL was, what was then called the era of good
feelings and under lis influence, party spirit, party
lines, party names, and party principles were all for
gotten The election Of President in the House of Re-
representatives. 1875, revived the principles, and with
Ihpp fha oupa nuIn nF naIp nd he
test then began and ragged on, increasing in violence,
till the election IN c40 when 1t attained its acme, ex-
ploded, and fell Party spirit is subs'dng. Every
one feels it, We feel It here We see it in the House.
We it all over the country. If Congress has been
excited the last ten dozen years, has been
the country and you had wei! make it argument
against increased population against increased
representation But the fact that increased numbers
have had nothing 10 do with this excitement in either
case. 1t grew OF the times-out Of the state OF
pares-out Of the contests for supremacy-and is now
subsiding.
The objection TO "a numerous House IS not only I'M
fortunate in lis substance, but in the very terms in
which it made. lthappens to be the same objection
and urged in the terms which the enemies OF po
puar government have always used. 1t is misfortune
that American Legislators, who really friends to po
puar government should fall into monarchcal objec
tions its vital feature. have already reminded you
that Bonapar,e able to seduce and TO obtain fatal
and reacherous DEGREES from the ority in the Coun
Gil of Ancients and that he could obtain no such ma
were too great for intrigue, seduction terror The
armed force obtained from the smaller branch had to be-
applied to the larger one. The conqneror remembered
| this when he was remodelling the government, and
would have no more bodies of 800 The
thores were constituted upon smaller scale; but they
were still too large They made speeches, delayed
measures and were unmnnsgeable. The FIRST Consul
determined to eliminate them and did So and here are
his reasons for it. quote from the History OF the Con-
sulae by Thbaudeau al nc pas neeessaire ar0ir
@ rG 1ay S4eass 1s o ssssu asnaS t
| Commencement ,narehe" ('Thc English OF that" ex-
claimed several members) The English of it is this
nccessaryto haec hundred men TO discuss fa'cs
Thcy bubble and do nothing The constitution must De So
orgdni.sd that the Government mdy march And the
Constitution was organized, and the Government
did march, The Senate, the legislative body, and tho
tribunate were eliminated They were reduced 10 small
bodies Babbling longer annoyed the tirst Consul
delays no longer Impeded his neutrality-suspicious.
| no longer checked his course-the grenadier charge
was no longer wanting to overurn refractory authors
ties DEGREES obtained from small and subserv'ent bo
dies changed The years Consul into Consul for life
the Consul for lie into Emperor Tor lise, with here
dtary succession. These small bodies became the 10
strume nts of subverng the public Liberties II was
their decrees and not the army, which did the ms
chief; and this every may see who Will read the
magnificent historical works now issuing from the
| French press
| Mr. b knew that these examples were considered
foreign and having application to ourselves; but
this was mistake. Human nature was tue same on
both sides OF the atlanuc; ana an
who should choose exert his patronage upon small
body of legislators might make fearful havoc OF their
independence. lie deprecated a small House OF he-
representatives., aud said it could not be reduced low
enough TO meet the ideas of gentlemen without ceas'ne
10 be representative body. Bring down 10 the point
of duie delberative council and il would cease to be
n POPULAR institution. The vitality well as the
numbers, would he gone. Besides, there was no point
Of numbers so small to exclude dsscnsion, and 81
lence the passions. lie remembered to have read OIL
/ CrhtIn m
and forty wears ngo when the numbers were less than
gentlemen take for their standard OF decorum-
Decorum good thing, but liberty was better
Decency OF language and manners was very Incoming,
but the purity OF legislation was lar more essen.al
Numbers are necessary liberty and to pnre legsa-
ton; and if violence or excitement attenu NUM-
bsrs what it but the incident to the prncpa "hat
is il but The natural effect Of free and popular govern
menE A regard to decorunl IS conmendabe, quit
mns not be made the absorbing and overriding consi-
deration Clean dressed little children, always without
speck their clothes, are very pretty TO look upon
hut the mother who will not let the children play IN the
yard or garden, for fear Of dtyng their clothes, acts
very unw,se part She the clothes and loses the
body of the child 1t keeps clean, but dies for want o.!
action So oflegsative bodies. Reduce them to the
decorum ofsmal bodies, and they die For all the Pur-
poses Of free rnment, they die
hold the present number Of the House TO be tho
mos, unsuitable that could be adopted IL too large
to governed by rules and too small to govern seii
BY it's own irregular power. The irregular power OF al
public bodies is their security against disorder ana "e
interruption of business. When member from per-
versi.v uasson egotism, resentment, any other
c,nse becomes nuisance to the House, and an oh.
TO the transaction Of business, the true remedy
il to assai him with noise than he assals the
House TINS is the remedy, and it is the parlia-
menary remedy, recognised in all books upon the sub
iect But it requires numbers to do this The body
must be large-say three four hundred-to furnish
the forty fifty operatives who thus to restrain an
obs,reperous and refractory speaker There is no dan
Ger Of the abuse Of this power Every memoer will be
heard AS long as he gives either information or plea
the House. The planert speaker will be heard
"a long he has any thing new or pertinent TO say
No such speaker ever stopped or ever will De; and
fn answer 10 the fear of abuse from the ire
gular exercise o! the power of the House.
Tho ninhis Of The British House Of Com