Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-06-11
FOr Nlf TNYHIrrF.
ESSAYS on CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM.
THE CONSTITUTIONS III l73G AND l>.st.

Having lsbored show the necessity and Importance ri
Constitution, when has been asccTtancd Ia
r Objectionable tn the people ol State shall proceed
examine tbs general features OF the Constitutions nj l,16
and of 1880 which, in many respects, identical.
In ysw Of The things regarded ~ Indispensable I" good
Constitution. We do NJ" hesitate 10 pronounce hc nnstl
nn tl. Sta acdclcctivs and utterly unworthy o an in
,,l!ipenl vrtuous and Democratic people.
"he Constitution of 1886" said the eccentric John Ran
tnph who member Of the last Convention, icW not
asi fr enty years will bet it. goes forth
10 the people with its death warrant upon lis iaccwith the
Eces hyr0critica sardnnic gin ri death upon s ugly
connicnance" Twenty Years have just rolled hy, and We
have prophGsy fulfilled Ia the letter. The Constitution
ot $780, enough, is dead by the voice o The people,
nd hear great clocngs NIL the State al its demise
IN obituary notice would lie than such notices generally
do if il chat the fourth Thursday in
April 1850, the Constitution Of S29and l930 departed This lie
regretted by large and respectable circle al nronsol!c
friends" grasping, cruel, mis-ry uncle left
smaller circle Of Athlete, relatives ENJOY his riches and
dcplorc his departure
The recent triumphant manifestation of dislike indeed ah-
horrcncc of the Constitution Vi 1880 not Office
holders and cowardy sc-sylrd conscrvaliss pretend be
attributed III the cklcnsss ihe instability and ignorance of
the people. They werc" told, Satisfied with the
present Constitution twenty years agocy satisfied
with agothey raised no Objection To il five ycars
ago hut they have been by trading politicians. ave that's
the ternlcyced against il very recently All this is
simply false The people oi Virginia have been
tei with the present Constitution. large number The
members of The Convention of 1880 protested against
mere sham simulated amendment of the Constitution
o l1I6 without aboishng sns lis Objectionable
iacs. When il submitted lo the people ur their rai
support, Twenty-Five thousand votes for it, aad
abont sixteen thousand given against it, Although the
people of Virginia had been harrasscd and wcarc the
pronpcd u the Convention there sixteen thou
sand willing bear The additional expense another
Convention than submit Ia what they regarded
Constitution Objectionable than that Of l776 The
of the simply these The people twenty
ago desired the very reforms which they nre now ,Icnon
ing They elected men Ia the Convention however with
nu o!ninng from them sufficient pledges and without
binding them 10y express instructions They attracted
by the brilliant regulations and money o old Federal
men and lawyers who or forty years grown upon
the very abuses which the people desired removed
The cry up that old men he elected To be
der forty n Disqualification No payisn was the order
The day, and the people went ur great men, OF whom
they stood in such profound awe that they never
thought ol asking them about principles opinions II
strange that ncngeIarlan lawyers should honestly
and conscienliosy believe that the Constitution of no
was the very best thing that had framed by
body of since the cers Of the Magma Chnla. Why
the amcr. Of had drawn their common law and canslitu
ona pecedens from the very purest savans direct from
the deep wells Of Coke, Bacon and Eunonus. The sages
of l776 had a ''sa the feet of tianac The ghost al
old George Mason brandiscd their hCada from behind
his orliiicaton of folio and black letter prececns the
stained parchment containing the original daught ot his
constitution Welded 10 authorities, chained down by pre-
cecnts-n the eyes n the members of the Convention ol
1890 the words of Marshall and Madison 10 be
needed than the prayers and petitions of million OF people
The Constitution of l116 he made the bed OF Pro-
cses and whether The psnplc suffered all new con-
stitutiOns conrm either by cutting. thftn down
or stretching them The idea of "iuovaIlun WAS
sort of bugbea which haunted the venerable members o