Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-02-18


may admit be cited evidence OF the result OF eTe
rieee and therefore may enGghten dsoataoie questohs
According to my residing and have extended u
10 the thirty States composing this
ing California whose constitution have not read out
one single State declares perpetual negiblty IN inc
executive department and the constitutions OF the o.
States recognize the principle OF reegipi
ity That is to say nine OF them after an in'ei
f.ceaty to immediate re-egiblhty ten Oh wn.eil ' 90
perpetual and ten for limited number OF terms @
much then Tor the novelty which the gentleman ueP
catss. :, - % cor
rect what presume is a mistake on his Part, VIZ :.
.re him that did not say that the princlPe Vi -
eligibility was novelty ayowed myself distinctly ~
favor of the principle Of rseligbity for Limited how
And will the gentleman inform this commilsee Nv"
many States in this Union render this grea, ", min
eligible for life repeat that was agalus, .'" ,dh;
.in,e and NOT agains, the principle OF hmteu
rthat il was against that principle, and not asains
The principle Of limited re-eglhlity' 'n"' '''A
erty to make the objection ovn,.no,;on
| Ir NELSON After the gentleman eAPia, .uiu,l
believe that did perfectly understand , ha,s Ais.
the gentleman By little closer attention ~od nave us
covered that had already by anticipation answered
The inquiry propounded by him, thai Is 10 say now
manv of The States of this Union recognise perpetual
re eligibility for one proposes 10 eie. ~. .no
have Stated already that ten Of them DO recognise tnat
;;I p,, .;nce we are TO invoke the aid and the
influence of precedent and example, peg leave u pre-
sent to the gentleman, and all others III ,e sanle pre-
Lcament, the Judgment Of the most enlightened ana
experienced States In this Unlon ana since sell''e
men are found Of antiquity let me ask their attention 10
IL. old thirteen States and their judgment on TINS doc
,~;,e of reelpibili,y OF the constitutions OF those
). old thirteen States but Of them contains con-
stitutional Introduction against The reelection Oh the
Executive officer. There is perpetual neiigioiity IN
"a. of them the State of Delaware, but the other
;gelye allow Of re-eligbility under the following d
serses to wit four of them after an interval OF tme
New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, ana virginia
ma eight Of them Immediately upon the expiration Oh
the first term of Office of which SIR may be perpetual
10 wit New Hampshire, Massachusetts,, Rhode Island,
Connecticut New York, and Georgia. desire simply
10 pause for a moment and comment upon these lour
constitutions of tho original thirteen which allow OF re-
eligibility after an interval OF three anu noar Sears
One Of them is Now Jersey, where the executive IS re-
eligible after an interval Of three years. and the other
is MARYLAND where the same provision applies another
is South Carolina, where there IS an inegiDinty OF
four wears after service Of two years and the fourth
i, the Old Dominion whose example Ganno. nov nov "
invoked trust with very great effect came mere 70
reverse that example, and hope majority OF thiS
committee agree with me. Then in point OF truth ana
principle there but of these States @hch ought
10 have any influence this convention, ana ths IS
New jersey; and will give you my reason ior ths
Distinction The State of Maryland is not entitled TO
nuch consideration in this view because OF her very
peculiar provision the subject and the STATE OF
south Carolina is certainly not entitled TO any cohsio
Grafton in the adjustment OF this question: ior III 'al
act the people in that old State have very little share
in their government Even the electors of President
md Vice President chosen by the Legislature ana
,ot BY the people.
But there was another gentleman who favored us on
second occasion with an argument which desire to
consider II was on the second day that the gentleman
rom Coochland addressed this committee on the hrst
ay - have already stated he maintained that the re-
eligibility of the governor would result III great INJURY
nd oppression to the mnority-ot whom or what ne
r. npf hoa
IN. gentleman addressed the committee ne was vehe
nety DESTROYS of repudiatng the examples which were
lduced from the northern States, and also from the
c.tern States 1t appeared that these examples 10
favor of re-ebty had rather initiated against the
argument of the gentleman, and TO destroy as much as
D1sibs their influence he totally and utterly rejected
| am because he said, they were from the northern
nd western people who had very imperfect and I'M
proper ideas in regard to government and more espe
say regard to the organization OF the executive de-
psrtinent He supposed therefore he would ma some
relief by rejecting Them and resorng to the exam
PIES furnished By the slave States Now, according TO
ny Judgment he has either misunderstood tbs slave
States or have misinterpreted them. have exam,
ned the provisions furnished by the slave States ana
they present the following result: Excluding Virginia
whose example cannot certainly be invoked to sustain
any argument here. because a. have said, We have
come to Discard the example furnished by her. OF the
welve slave States take that to be the whole number
Though there may bs few slaves in other States
siyen Of them do allow Of re-ehgby in the exsc'tv"
department.
Mr.. LEAKE Will the gentleman allow me to cor
rect him. as he does not wish to mis- state my
nrgument think that, on both occasions or which
have addressed this House. expressed my design to
support the amendment offered by the gentleman from
Pittsyvana, modified by my friend from Appomst.
iox which is elect the governor for fou years and
then to be eligible aer interval of term of four
..rs referred to the example furnished by the
nu.hern States precisely in point in favor of that
y opposition.
Jr NELSON. | am not aware that misunderstood
the gentleman aud SO supposed when he arose To cor
rec. me- now understand the gentleman to say that
he rssorcd TO the example Of the southern States be-
.use they furnished arguments i'll favor OF hs position
and that position defined by him is reelgbty after
the lapse OF certain interval de is then opposed TO
the immediate election of the same executive Well
understood him before and with that understanding
now refer to the examples furnished by the southern
States refutation OF that argument Eleven Of the
slave States, exclusive Of Virginia, allow OF re-ehgl'
hlity and sr of these eleven allow Of immediate
epibity that is election imN sdatey aer the expira-
lion OF his first term Five Of them allow OF his reeec
ton after an nerapse Of one term Are not these ex
amplcs then against the gentleman:
Mr.. LEAkE stated that every one OF the slave,
holding States with the exception Of Georgia sanctioned
the principle of ncligbiity either after one or two
terms thu! is that they all sanctioned the principle that
the governor after serving certain length OF time, DO
one or more terms should then be out OF office and
be ineligible for length oil time Does tue gentleman
to say that the southern States donot sanction that
principle. all Of them with the exception of Georgia
Nv statement was that all Of them with this solitary
exception sanctioned the principle of asgibility in
way or the other shall not go into particulars but
suppose that am understand the gentleman
| troverting that statement.
! MIR. NELSON Certainly not. did contro, ert
it, and therefore did MOI see the proprets If the
! terruption. ,-.i..
l. Mr. LEAkE. Well, that was the statcmen, made,
aud i. was the only statement.
| Mr.. NELSON. When have finished my remarks
upon this portion of the subject, the gentleman will
understand that ddnot contrnvert that position.
|. Mr.. LEAKE That was the position assumed, and
if the gentleman any oher he is eopt.o
ycrting what have not said.
| Mr.. NELSON. That will do. understand it,
Mr.IEAKE. / want you TO understand it. !.
| Mr.. NELSON. I was retnarking that six OF these
States allow Immediate re-egibilty- Carolina,
Alabama Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Geor
yia In Georgia tie provision admits perpetual reeli
gbi,S Now. these States alloy Of four, six and eight
Years OF continuous service in the gubernatoral office
aud one OF them ofperpetua service with the consent al
way. Of the people The other southern States which
require an intermediate term to be occupied BY some
other incumbent before the executive is ree.gbe are
Maryland Sonth Carolina Louisiana, Kentucky, and