Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-02-07

I planted myself as plant myself nov. upoa the
broad foundation that all power einanstes RON 'c po
pie and that there ia prorrlcty III imposing 'os'
ton upon tina. power Shat cannot he sAo" - W i'e
sary do rot hold that i. devoyes upon lneini those
gentlemen concurring il opinion VIII me- TO snow the
absence of the necessity fo- 4. the power belongs BY
right the people maintain that you ust snow ,hs
any necessity exists before yen deprive 'neu OF ,ha
power and wi c t: go is failure to show H. cihc,
mon This or any other question tha may be presented
for tho consideration Of t6 lonvcna sha! be found
AMONG those whr will stand mp iear!css!y to resist IT,
Accordingly when the first report Prcs"tsi nom
ono q the standing committees ot t'ls lonveiit'' ,o7
.h cn;lra,op Of tho Cow ent.on. was tsicn Up Tor
,a,h,ro.nn felt nv duty ct Tho outset II call upon
,bo. Who ad proposed to restrict the power
nc tho ,a-,c 10 assign II '!e some sufhcie c'u>' VIZ
snnid H. ere ted 10 vote with them with ny r,':
80, - :onvic,icn but with the dt tsrmna,ien n. #
. men ~ r;v. m, satisfactory and sufficient reasons.
~: ,ronI5 Ia.st Well. asked fo- reasons, aud
oa,ls on mon this 1oc- have undera AIKEN TO assign
hr this power should be restricted 1t is my
hsnos;t;on and my determination to trcn; evcy
,sntlonen upr this floor and every argument that y
irnss- 20 tie Coav, n:ion BY any gentcran upon this
- v;:h the NEST profound respect Bu; propose ;e
=, amin, into the that have been asaaco seri-
atm and in ,lo order in which the weftp csort.d
Fire, came tie gent. e,nan from Pttsylvauia Mr.
IegpwAY lie nas Very brief and lacoic in tie REASONS
that he asf3ne--such n. they wero, however wilt nat
,rat With lDullereNcU az ul-rtspcCl. eHaI IGtlCc
them as 20 along The first declaration made b;
hat gentleman was tina, person elected by the pco
ole ought to be reelected. Indeed sir Indeed Is it
true that pcr-on elected BIZ the people ougL. to be
re elected How long since has tke gentleman made
that dscoverv Has he himself in the exercise Of his
prerogatve 5 citizen of the State Of Virginia of
hc United States never voted for the reelection Of any
who had been elected by the people: Does he
apply this general and sweeping uucation oi
The light tha people 10 sei.ct their representa-
:iyes members II Congress, 10 members OF the Ieg.
ature % auditors aud treasurcrs. if these elections
should be submitted - the pcor, and TO your judges
toof presume not and presume the declaration
was more broad AMI sweeping than the gentleman him
self desgnedit to be. Aad draw tbs. Inference an
remark which immediately followed IT, and tina; l. that
The power of tho President would IL rrosituca for hi
own reeecton and coniec;:iel that the sentlena;.
mind was running uo. Federal politics and upon the
State Constitution Now what have We TO ito with TIE
powers Of the Presidents We have not co,nc here t.
mike Constitution for the President Of the Unite !!
states, 10 enlarge To limit 10 restrict hls powers
and there lies the OF the difficulty with 81. the
gentlemen who have addressed the Convention ihi,
sub ect. They do not discriminate between the power of
the President and the Office of the Governor Of the Com
wealth of Virginia Who ever heard that there
dauger in Office when the Office stripped of power
is the accumulation Of power III the hands Of Ole man
that becomes dangerous when exercised for TOO og pc
Rod Of time vii! you establish tie piincina in vo"r
10 the public service ny tie popua: voice. The onen;
they have served their apprenticeship and are just tit
become lourneymcn-the moment they have acquir"
the qualifications that Necessary to eAnbc ticA -
discharge their due. the public :sty, dscrcejv,
uCiiciousv ane >ati>fartor;iT-shall bc turned Of
office to seef employment. No ycnteman IN
mis- Convention, take II upon myself IT, FAY, Is more o
posed 10 the accumulation of power III the hands oi
man, and no gentleman III this Convention is more oP
posed to the exercise of those accumulated oncrs III The
,f 70
be. And horn tha III the Of my public service,
hav" displayed that hostility and opposition IL the cS
.cisr al undue power Do yoa propose 10 cotho your
Governor with the power with which the fraacr' oi
the Constitution the republicans Of aac!oa: timc-,o
whom shall presently refer or 80 cre;ir of my worth
friend who sits before r:c lMr DAy.-conferred upon
him Do vec propose to confer The same powers Upon
tho Governor OF TIE Commonwealth Of Virginia, That
already conferred by the Constitution Of tho Federal
government upon the President It tue lr.icd Statc
IL YOU do then will don, t. sr extent prop
os,on that have srhmi:.cd and the grounds upon
which have sustarad il Nor would Their n.,,esc The
that is proposed either " the executive com
nitee b. tho gentlemen VIZ have supported ;a,
port in tho amerjna,t offered by tho gentleman from
Appomattox Mr. Bococa.( But | would adup, sn!c
imi ation-sad here beg leave To dra' distinction
between wholesome anJ urrcocssar: restrictions. -
much for tho argument VI the gentlemen from Tttsv
yana, (Ar 1nRpwAr.)
Next in order came the gentleman from Halifax (Mr.
EpMCSDs the chairman of tho commits" h submitted
this report. He spoke of III" RESTRICTION of age Well
now exactly r. epared say THAI for aur
10 age. inclined to think that nsi
under The ago prescribed by the Commute. i, likely ;obc
selected by the people unless he should be r"!naska
bly, distinguished gcntleman--oac who !las rendered
important services to his county IL int, given cv
dencc of qualifications ~, Il ~ found in any one VI
more experienced age. bu. tho gentleman says, thai
in favor OF the p ,hibtion Of lis Being elected
70 any other office during his term of -ervico beg
leave to say III connection with this remark that nv at
tenon had not been specially directed To tie report Of
the committee until at the very moment submitted that
proposition and then it induced hv th proposition
o: tho gentleman from Apponcito. M BocccK To in
pose still further restriction than that wch had been
imposed BY the report Of the committee itself The idea
embodied in my proposition very naturally ut su
geotcl taclf to my mindentertainng the views thri
do upon this principle that all power belongs 10 the pep
pie aud is safer to DC entrusted there than in the hands
ola few-bu lpy attention had been more particular
Is caedto the subject, am not bur %,.d l:ye
struck that provision Of the report Of the committee
do not know precisely what is meant lv the .errs
employed ~ the committee, that he shsii not be eligible
to my other office during his term OF service can
hardly suppose that It was coutemrlctad by the conf
mtee tSa ANY man who .-ss elected Governor of Eir.
slnlh would undcrake at the time TO fill the Office
OF Senetcf oil the United States meberof the Legs
ia.urc, or member Of Congress If they ie;n, simply
10 SAY thu. he shall not Till two Offices at the same time
vi any other office. then zee vrrv god reason, why il
should be adopted, rather reason win; should
not be adopted. But if hev meant to CAV that no man
shall DC eligible during the for which he has been
elected then am utterly opposed to it. Do you mean to
say by that report that il you have Governor OF the
Commonwealth Of Virginia. whose services the people
desire to transfer to the Presidency of the United
States-a superior in intellect-a man whose
integrity i. fully established as to have commanded
the confidence only of his State but OF the other
States III this Uponif his services shall be demand.
cd elsewhere than in the gubernatoal chair of Virginia
that they shall be restricted in their choice WIZ il
you mean that, ' our provision is nugatory You have
no power over he subject You cannot deny Ia lin the
right OF resignation AMI when he has resigned what pow
or have yen over his accean of any office in the Fed
eral governments You mag coutro him in respect to
the State government, but you Cannot control him as to
the Federal government. because the Federal Constu
ticn prescribes the qualifications of is officers
There was one part Of the discussion that must b
pardoned for expressing my deep and profound regret
at having heard. Ii rather the conversation that
passed between the gentleman from Halifax and nv
friend from Accomac in regard to the mode ofelcctio1
eering for this Office And my friend from acco,nac
seemed to think that eectoneering was vcry whole
some practice. He had doubt about it, know very
little about Il. laughter. lhavc been long time r.;
ind to learn but when have out about il a. have
done when requiredit endeayor TO play
m mart well rs 1(ut