Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-08-19
THE T1NES, TEWMS.
Remarks on
THE NEW CONSTITUTION.

NE NEW SNLNC AOA''
Religious Freedom 8-c.-Our examination of
the amended Constitution has extended to the 10Th
section CART. IV) which secures to the citizen
the privilege of habeas corpus, prohibits the Lee
gisaure from passing bills of attainder er post tacto
laws or laws itnparng the obligation of contracts
or whereby private property may be taken for
public uses without compensation, or abridging
the freedom of speech, aud secures the great re-
publican right of religious freedom. The Ian
guage of the present Constitution is, in this sec
ton, with some verbal notifications, followed
The clause, relating to religious freedom, was
adopted, in the present Constitution, from Mr. JEFF
ferson's celebrated statute passed December 10th,
1855.
Frauds in Legis1ation.-The next section is
peculiar to the new Constitution, and is in these
words
l6. No law shall embrace more than one object,
which shall be expressed in its title nor shall any law
be revived or amended by reference TO its title but the
act revived or section amended shall be re-enacted and
published ct length.
The design of this provision is evidently to pre-
vent those legislative frauds, which, in some States,
have grown to great enormity. In Pennsylvania,
for example, the advocates of a railroad charter
have been known to get passed by slipping it into
an act relating to wholly different subject and with
title referring to that subject alone. 1t was
questioned by some, in the Convention, whether
some difficulty would not result from the broad
requirement that "no law shall embrace more
than one object :; it being hard to define very ri
gdIy what an "object" in legislation is. The tax
bill and general appropriation bill necessarily in
cude, in one sense, many objects; yet it was GER
tainly not intended to change their usual FORM
The prohibition will doubtless be construed rea-
sonably, and, we hope, will serve to check NAL
practices. The other provision, as to the manner
of revising or amending acts, is manifesty salu-
tary.
DueHine.-Section the 18th re-enacts, without
alteration, the present Constitutional provision on
the subject of duelling. Some opposition was
made to it in the Convention, and one member
put the strong view that murderer, a thief,
common liar, debauchee, or any scoundrel not
absolutely convicted of Peniteniary offence,
might take his seat in the Legislature, whilst the
anti-duelIing law prescribed men respected by the
whole community; but a very decided majority
were for adherng to the present disqualifying
provision.
Inpecchnaents--In the 18th section, declaring
who may be mpeachad, and by what process, the
only change consists in including the Lieutenant
Governor with the Govsrnor, Judges and others
subject to trial, and in allowing the Senate to sit
during the recess o. the Assembly for the trial OF
impeachments, which was probably another incl
dent to the plan of biennial sessions
next to the following important sections on the
delicate subject of slaves and free negroes;
49, Slaves hereafter emancpated shall forfeit their
freedom by remaining in the Commonwealth more than
twelve months after they become actually free and
shall be reduced 10 slavery under such regulations
be prescribed by law.
10. The General Assembly may impose slch restric-
lions and conditions as they shall deem proper the
power Oh slave owners TO emancipate their slaves; and
may pass laws for the relief Of the commonwealth from
the free negro population, by removal or otherwise.
81. The General Assembly shall not emancipate any
the descendant OF any slave either before or
atrer the birth OF any such Descendant.
Neither the first, nor the present, Constitution con
tans any recognition whatever of great domestic
institution oslayery in the allusion of the pream
BILE TO "our negroes" "those very negroes whom, by
an inhuman use of his negative, George the Third had
refused us permission to exclude by law, and in the
provision for the app ortionmen OF Congressional dis
trics, where the slaves embraced in the phrase all
other persons that is, other than "iree persons The
unequvocal directness with which the new onstitu
ton refers to saues is unworthy OF Northern atten
tion as indicative OF the Inference between modern
and ancient views of the subject in this State, differ
which is PROFESSIONALLY to be attributed in part to
the unhoy attempts OF Northern fanatics to interfere in
matter OF entirely Southern concern
The general scope OF the three sections we have
quoted is prohibit the passage OF any emancipation
law to discourage private emancipation, and to pro-
mote the ultimate removal ,of the free negroes from the
State or their reduction slavery Ii has been object
ed 10 the new constitution that while it fprbds the LIE.
gislaure to pass emancpaling act it does not pro-
hibt laws that may compel the STAKEHOLDER free his
slaves We consider ourselves strenuous sticker
for the nvioabty Of the tenure of slave property as
any can be, yet we cannot perceive the force O
this criticism. The only danger descry is thai
this constitution may be abrogated whenever MAORI
ty wish alter it, and its guarantees Of course cannot
survive it, Here Ito make more reference TO the
basis question: lay in opnion, the great necessity
for the Easts insisting upon the mixed basis But aer
surrendering the handle do not see how shareholders
could have obtained greater security IN the constitution
ITSELF than is given by the unqualified restriction against
emancipation present prospective, y act OF the Lee
gslaure, and The prov sons concerning the taxation oil
slaves, OF which shall speak in our next Remarks
IMMENSE IMMIGRATION From the records in the
Office of Commissioners OF Emigration, we find that
the arrivals Tor the first months OF 1850 and 1851
1850 1851
January ,l54 January .........14 zoo
February. 32O6 February. 8 III
March. 500 March, ........... l6 OBS
April. 4,62I April .27,779
May...........42846 May. .s3 1858