Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-18

ru,@e 40 simple plain, direct, and eXpressh1 n, do
ore OF ordinary intelligence can DC al IN s ou,bor
stand and nlly comprehend the iaea' ,,, any man
attended to convey II does seem to M '"' . ~ 49,
4 Who desires to understand it, need DC ~ ~ - =;
certain the precise meaning OF each 'L frd IN such
lit. 1t contains every thing thai ,s'"i ;,,o ,!,. c,,
| pancr in language so plain ana !,
Az old woman of ordinary intellect ca" ''I -,
a, nc ,ho nv,m,. and see whether tic rI!l u Ei's
s,;G re- n;n;nn advanced that II was intended 10
+ apply TO man in state OF nature y '''' 1'> -
tion say? - -, r..,...,; IA, So,
- ,,,c of gnia assembled IL lu ana
Co.. , oon,n,. which rights DO pertain 10 mem ana
their posterty, as the oas'' ~
erl.aent. .,,;on 60 :, rho h;Ii or
nus I :. a. the basis ami foundation oil gov
| $500 81" Can there. them be doubt as ip the con-
1910; of !, and is there any room for The c:}leci,oh
xb;,b has been urged mere liat lhiS "ch"' VI rs,
was meant to apply TO the rights OF MAJ! III ~ ~
nature and under no nv to ,he royrrnmc, which they
- -, ), farm at that time Hence II Is, that III
~ ra nm of rights il is claimed. that all power Is
ye,:ed in and consequently derived rom INC people
Well how do they seek to get rd oil Inc icrse o. ~
WHY nv telling YOU, rs did tlc gentleman IRON siis
n..o fNr SorTuALL) that With or construction, Tie
Constitution itself is not upon the platform OF me bili %
;b, and does not conform to ii: bat that with ms
construction il is upon it. and does conform 10 H. NOV"
will vol, tell me, how power is vested III aiH derive"
is not the people, II il is sort OF combination oil
neon,e aud something elsa sort of partnership he
tween men and money-wo,d not tins clause iitfc 50
declared: Did not George Mason know what he was
abou, Al that time, Had he not distinctly IN view the
very object afterwards attained in the formation OF gov
eminent and if he meant say desired to say, That
was for state Of things where people anu dollars
zero TO be combined, would he not nave sa So III 50
many words Then il 10 me, that there IS no
warrant Of authority a. all for the construction placed
upon it. BY gentlemen on the other SIDE
And how does this constitution, made IL 40 by INC
representatives of the good people Of Virginia IN con-
venun assembled accord with the principles set forth
in the bill Of rights: 1t was made Tor them, ana ny
their order, through their representatives B"t gentle
men tell us that the constitution Of lII6 Is 10 DC re-
ceived and taken as fair and jus, Interpretation OF The
nil of rights that the constitution furnishes me KEY 10
proper understanding Of the me tnlns which Inc an'ho
of that bill of rights intended 10 conveyo the people p
the world If this be so, will these gentlemen be KIM
enough to inform why when the constitution OF n
rira was changed in lS29. the bill OF rights was not
changed to suit it: Ii the constitution Of 1876 was
predcatcd the bill OF rights, ana formed IL exact
accordance with its principles, will ycntcmcn explain
TO me why il was, that when Inc constitution Of .293o
vas adopted the bill Of rights Vas no. changed 20 sat-
Il: How is it now Here arc III conyem:!c in the
year 1851 and even the conservatives II this Doy are
to be in favor of elcc:ng Judges. nagis
,ra:cS, sheriils and governor: " the people. through
all these constitutional changes, inc bill Of rights has
remained the same, and is reported 10 now well
adapted To the nsw order OF Things, which is ahou: 10
De introduced into Virginia. And Is to TIC rev con
.lu.on itself, about to be formed future
time, when another convention is called, somebody
nay rise and claim that it was predicatcd Upon the bill
OF rights and then somebody may answer lam, 50
we're the constitutions of lI1G and lS2l- 80 and Yet
each convention has made many mio.t a: am, radical
haugcs SO that scarce veslse of the constitution OF
I116 is visible. And why: Bccai.sc rs man gro.;s
1dcr he grows WISER aud as the world grows older
government becomes better understood There is rs
nuch improvement in the scierce OF government, Is III
my thing else. Every thing Is progressing about lis
now Look at the invention OF the magnetic lclcgrapA;
iook at the great improvements in mechanics ii ali
sorts; look at the great Improvements II al The seq
noes look at every thing around and about Il. and
on see that it is stamped with III" seal Q! progress
And vet it would seem, from what We !,a Cay irrt
iha, in this science OF government alone, there j,
every thing is standing sl !, i tr,lr
that man lives and lives on and never grows "s2r IN
lhc science of government: Do ;or believe i; does
any body believe it; Not one.
'i'a., .r.!n in con!.r.. ,,,r III this sui, icct
there no local interests n .rgDa IN slave property,
shea this bill Of rights adopted: WIS slave
i,ropcr.v here them Were not secic:a, aa! local IN
lercsts here them Have not these local AID sectional
interests existed from that day 10 this rad AZ. they
uo likely exist for some time 10 come from :-ri
onncaranccs: Then, if it was intended meet s",U
~ local interests such as is con.cadcd for il Ike ies
i've etion asked for to slave property. by
ination Of half taxes and half people would no III"
dill OF rights the constitution have expressed The
i.,t and so plainly, too, that could have been
II doubt: But as Ii IS, mere IS aotht 81 inc KIM
in it.
How are we to discharge the important duty which
yc have been sent hcce g ?or'-rn No &C - 1g'Ij
ID a republican government As rn@""..r.1 : 20
;ti:,itio. of the Uusd States !: requires OF cch and
.ll of the Stats C this Union that they shall haze
,en,lbicau form Of government 10" ;"i:i! g IN
luire, is that n republican form, II Sorerie where
e, mnortv holds ne power: Will any one say, tbs:
that is republican form OF government, where ma
orty is under the control and dominion Of minority
If the people of the State No. no man can honestly
saw SO No man will venture such az absprdy, here
elsewhere If is republican form Of government
Inc majority principle ought to DO, aud viii be recog-
ni7ea - il.
r,.-a IS another thing that must not overlook. /
l, y. ~ good opinion Of the orthodoxy Of eastern
democrats until came here but have come 10 the
conclusion now, that there is wide difference between
eastern and western democrats II could take ono OF
these eastern democrats 10 the west and could get him
10 advance such doctrines there, have heard adj
yanced here, he would be great curl y IN the
democratic line, that could make Independent for
tune by exhibiting him Laughter Here arc gen
tIcmen who tell that they pass for first rate demo
Gratis at home who rise up in this body and advocate
the odious and anti-repubcan doctrine, that wealth
must have legislative protect iisc! against the
trgressions of numbers or, in other words the MI
aority who possess the wealth. must have the po'Tero
control and curb the majority. Money must have con-
troll over men. Those who pay the larger amount Of
taxes must regulate and control their appropriations
should like to oe here during presidential con-
test and hear Of these gentlemen before the people
advising them to vote for man. because he one Of
minority who possessed the wealth of the State and
aYowing that to be- the democratic republican doc
,cine They would not dare to do this They go upon
The stump as do in country, and take Jefferson
correspondence and preach the democratic doctrine
from that fountain of authority But when they come
into convention the democratic majority is TO be thrown
away the majority to be discarded, and the mi
aorty are to rule the State! They will argue lin ordc:
20 secure the adoption of the mixed basis. TO give tic
! minority the power TO control the majority
i Their apporonment is all of piece with their doc
trnc. MlXcd-basis democrats have suppose, made
up their minds give up the State 10 The wings for
do you will, if you act fairly, justly, and honestly
the adoption of this mixed basis. send whs ma
ory to the legislature. You avoid it, uncs:
you gerrymander the State: and nothing but gerry
mander OF the most outrageous kind the
democrats the asceudancy which they have ad and now
have in the legislature of the State.
i come from district, where there is seven hundred
wing majority, and no objected 10 me in the can
). rass because was democrat. An immense nrubc
of wings voted for me, and amongst then
asked me for pledge in regard 10 The apporonmcn
OF the representation of the State BIT came here
trust to act honestly and fairly and. help me God
if democratic majority only be secured BY gerry
wandering the State and by pcrpetratns injustice upci