Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-01-09

AMEN OMEN OF THE
S TAT f CONSTITUTION


and amendment OF our State Cons,stpton
ia the Gazette" Of last week. and hopa
they may have the effect Of awaking The
attention Of the People OF the County Il
the calm consideration of the subject. n
have observed the discussion Of Ills sub,
ject gong on for several weeks past in
several Of The political Journals .f The
State, but have not liked the tone and
temper # The articles which | have seen
-ond though, the most Of them calcul,.
ted 10 defeat the object which they pro.
fessed 10 have in view, and decidedly be.
Titled great question by mixing !, IN
with party politics, and selfish par,izan
views. Now Sir, feel anxious 10 see
our State Constitution altered and amend.
cd in several respects, and the only safe
and salutary reform which People ought
to seek, is reform which will reach all
and benefit all. By the above remark /
do not wish to be understood as saving
tina. any reform can be established or al.
tempted that will please every individual
10 the Commonwealth, but such reform
as will be approved by \ majority of the
'ohoie People, and not he ma jority of any
particular party or sect. The alteration
and amendment of our organic law is
question which ought to concern eyery
individual in the State. and therefore The
subject should be calmly, temporarily.
aud fairly discussed before the People, SO
that when the question of Convention or
no Convention is submitted to the voter
he may intelligen;ly understand what he
is about to do. The alteration or amend.
ment Of Constitution ought ut once 10
strike rejecting mind as momen,u
Gus question, and one TO be approached
cautiously and CONSIDERABLY. 1t is easy
10 pull down but hard to build up, and
therefore unless we know what we are
gong to do, it is far better for us $50
suffer the ills we have, than to ny TO those
we know not Of" Hence the necessity
OF keeping this subject, which is TO be act.
ed upon by all Of us, out Of the narrow,
selfish, and contracted sphere of party
politics, where the minds Of men cannot
act with safety, and where the public in.
teiligt nee IS never enlightened, but abu..
ed and obseured. If this course can be
pursued, we may reasonably calculate
upon such reform as is consistent with
Sound Republican principles, and under
which The People Of this Commonwealth
viii flourish and prosper more than they
ever have done since lis foundation.
believe the views which have expressed
above are the views OF the great majority
OF the lrenes OF reform, and that tina,
majority will take care that lmprudent
and rash friends of the cause Go not DIES.
Troy the good sought 10 be accomplished
You will recognise your correspondent
as an OLD and consistent advocate of
Unirersal Su6rage, though not very old
IN years. ihe true spirit of our Repub.
lican institutions is to recognise the PEG.
pie as the legitimate source OF all power.
This is u truth which but few if any viii
deny; md # IT be true, we say that they
should be invested with full and ample
authority OF expressing that power and
OF selecting their own agents 10 cary
out the expressions Of their will aud de-
terminatoas. We cannot Conceive how
1t has SO happened that the People Of VIZ.
glola, who boast SO much. Of their Repub.
ltcansm, have 50 long tolerated Prom r.
~ qualification as necessary to the right
OF suffrage. Whatever they may have
thought heretofore Of the necessity and
salu,ary effect OF such qualification, we
are satisfied now that they have seen the
error OF their views, and that no such al
tempt as was made IN the Convention OF
lSJQ n n lt NJ h., r.
opinion, will he made again. The present
Constitution was taken by the trends Of
unrestricted suffrage IN ls29 as choice
81 evils, but with determination then.
and at another and proper time. 10 uree
a further extension upon he attention Of
the People of the State. If there were
even two opinions about the fitness Of The
present Constitution for an enlightened
and Republican People, we think there
can be but one now, and tina. is that (as
lar at least as the right of suffrage is con.
cerned) il ought TO be abolished, since the
enactment of "Yankee Clock Suffrage"
under Tax Bill proposed by the Gener.
al Assembly. | am well persuaded loo,
that the People are heartily sick and tired
OF the system OF double voting, and while
The present law exists and authorises il,
1t will be praciiced, though condemned
by many who exercise it,-and they use
the privilege solely because others of Old.
poslle views and principles exercise it.
and they are right TO AVA. themselves of
the privilege, as It is by this means alone
las the law exists) that any thing like
balance and equality Of privilege can OK.
'st. But It is wrong, and we would ad.
vocate the call of Convention for this
purpose alone, if there are no other rea.
sons urging it, as we contend no man
ought 10 be privileged TO cast more than
one vote IN any one election, or Che voice
and will of any County or District stifed
and destroyed by residents of other Coun.
ties and Districts, who may have few
dollars worth of land out of The County
in which they reside. In settling the
right OF suffrage, no doubt there will DO
considerable contrarie,y of opinion as to
the proper basis and the details of The
provisions defining and settling the right.
The theory Of all Republican forms Of
Government, and especially of ours, is
that the virtue and intelligence Of the
People are the foundation stone Of the
whole fabric. nave no doubt OF the
correrfnaSo nj Tho ,hao.x, .rd ,harafora