Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1856-04-22


tie Stat. AgrieIltsrai Society aad Il, proSaSi.
salss
Res-cners. in advance OF full experience and even
though thev profound statesmen have not siways
been able to oresee the operation sud results Of novel
features in forms of government Of radical changes
old constitutions OF government. Ta practical results
such changes In many have been entirely different
from opposed to the effects designed and conf
IDENTIFY expected by the trainers aud spprovers To such
want OF between Designed real CT
fects the constitution Of agricultural society not les
liable than that of a political government While fully
impressed with these truths and of the liability Of fsbe
dgments and erroneous conclusions of better thinkers
and than myself viii still presume state
some Of my views, and ask hearing of them from the
farmers OF vrgns in regard to the working Of portion
of the lately amended constitution OF the State Ayrcultu
raj Society.
The important change. and also entirely novel
feature Is the surrendcng by the individual members of
the society the exercise OF the legislative and the
ing and all other ordinary powers of the society to rep
rsentaive body. This is in tact, change OF the 60
vernment from bring administered pure democracy in
meeting assembled Tor attempted to be so assembled
aud To aci to representative democrscy-he repre-
sentstves being elected fairly possible and by uni
versal suffrage, aud according ratio Of
nearly uniform and equal possible and so regulated
to be easily adjusted to all future changes Of members
of the constituent body and OF all its parts This repre-
A
taking the rights OF the society and the powers Of
the individual members and comforting Doth the small
representative bodysnd thereby estabshn ing an oirar
chy in place of society of which the members had he
fore favored and exercised equal lights and powers II
this doctrine Is and sound then the government of
the United States that of Virginia of other soa
led free State of modern times and OF possible form
OF representative government, must be dig archca aad
in which the rights OF the constituent bodies are usurpe
by for the benefit OF the representatives And from
this proposition. true it will be necessary corolary
Al A will ma in
the decision of every legislative, executive and judicial
question: Is the only form OF government under which
free people retain their rights and powers members
OF the body polite Simply To- apply this doctrine to facts
il all that is require for its reuaon To argue against
it, soundness would be waste of words
The real question; the real object sought in this par
ticular Of the State Agriculture Society has no,
been properly fully stated IN the discussion IL has
been considered il thought Of many of those who
have most eendemned the new representative feature
the constitution. The subject has been treated a. if the
choice had been OF elections Of officers other decisions
aud enSctmens being made by the deliberate judgement
and fair aud full sctng OF the whole society assembled i
mass or the alternative course OF indicating the sense ard
wishes of the society through the judgement aud votes of
its representatives Nov, in fact aud been made
fully evident 10y experience in the last annual
meetings OF the society in that when opinions and
views much divided nearly balanced the sens.
and wishes o 80 large and un~eldy assembly as of
our mass meetings cannot be generally if rarely ob
tanned and exerted Ev there existed other caus
OF difficulty the great numbers of such meeting alone
would generally prevent its decisions being true aud Ger
tain indications of especial approval preference IL i
cItain that because of the of order in the discus
sons the difficulty if not nipossbiity Of coup
ting the ofneary balanced opposing parties and of
other difficulties well known to ALL the decisions of the
meeting in very may in accordance with
the wishes of majority Of the members pre-.
sent would have been IL the sense of th,.
body could have been deliberately sought and fully
and iAiilv tested by the vote. Aud this objection
apphes with special force the election of the officers
of the sOcrtv aud in that particular is also more ss
cepube Of proof assert and maintain the position that
tor the two lat annual meetings OF the society the r.
e cilOh> OF officers with perhaps, sngl eXcepon in
GLIDING 81 OF the Executive Committee, have not been
sure indications results of the opinions and wishes even
OF the members then present Aud such would continue.
To be the case so long the unWey au5
necessarily umnltuouS body continued the attenint I'm
make elections. The single excepted cise jus, TERED
TO- the election OF the Secretary of the Society in
November lS5. That election having excited much in
contested by the many 1rnd- Of the opposing clnddt
probably did elicit and exhibit in the result the wishes of
the majority of the meeting. Still this very contest by
the heat with which it carried through and the awful
ianGer which such contests threatened the wedong aud
even the existence OF the society served induce most
ii the members to be willing permit all the other cleo
tons then TO be made and all other questions not OF great
Importance IN results. pass by default OF opposnns
ether than, by opposition, produce other and danger
Gus discussions and differences Thus the only election
81 important vote by the society which has truly indica-
Ell the wishes OF majority served repress andi most
cases To prevent the future expression OF the like prefer
ence, whether as TO men measures
Al the last general meeting tOct Isss1 all IN, then
members of the Executive Committee and other ohc.r.
of the society reelected ia body and by single
motion and immediate thcreupon This was done
las manifest to all presently avoid the ne1ticaLe
difficulty and confusion aud perhaps consequences
which would have resulted from the attempt eject the
officers separately aud with the opposition in some cse
which might and would have been offered | presume
that advocate for elections in meetings W main
tain this reelection in the lump" was true indication
OF the opinions and preferences Of the meeting Taking
then a. granted, the truth Of the opposite position /
will dismiss IT, and back to the election of officers in
1854.
In these elections each nominee separately propos
ed and voted for. Thus least the form and outward
appearances Of free election preserved and so far
the preferences OF the meeting might have been thence
inferred But let Us examine little farther than the first
appearances
In this case, every former member of the Executiv.
Committee Doth excfeo and oters) reelected and
except IN the contested nomination above mention.
c with scarcely dissenting voice in either of these
elections Now, with all possible Difference to the merits
of the persons reelected, surely man will contend
that this uniimy OF vote in almost every these
reflections true, approximate indication of
preference. The Executive Committee, a BODY had
doubtless done we'll and deserved the APPRECIATION and
gratitude of the Society. Probably large propoon of
the members could not have been substituted by better
agents Bat that not only one, few, but that all of
sixteen individuals ormer officers and members of
the committee) could have been each aud every ON.
unanimously preferred TO all other members Of the whole
society, SIMPLY impossbility ~ truth preference
had but little influence these o-tenshe votes Of appo
val aud actual reelection Of the previous ncumbents-
In all such cases Of rird elections by large masses Of
voters, comforting offices positions merely honorary
men will be more governed by their feelings Of respect
kindness, courtesy, than by their strong oi.c
tons 20 incuubent- preferences for Others Who might
be substituted IL il very unusual in such cases that the
Of candidate will be brought forward In CD
position former incumbent aud without suc! oppo..
ton being proposed, aud zcaiOusly and udusouy urg
ed the reelection Of the former incumbent will b. almost
certain TO Occult and will most GENERALLY be maze unani.
mOu-y (Or without audible disscnt when OF persons
notoOu-y neglected. Incapable of duty and Of no va
ue Whatever IN their official character.
Besides ,he operation Of these kindly and amabc feel.
ings, which would induce nineteen in every twenty
TO avoid opposing his vote candidate whose election he
deemed nprope there other reasons to induce ma
Of the members Of the general meeting 1854 to sub
nit % any tolcrabe measures rather than by their oppo-
Ou thereto. TO excite contest and produce conflict
ing and nearly balanced Of the meeting In view Of
the confusion aud tumuuous procedure which accompa.
MED the only contested election, tor the sccret,rsp
the ouy siared oihce IL became apparent to all that in
that ball crowded with the meeting Ut $500 men,
where very many could not ud sens and still more could
not hear thing Of what uttered IN dubate was
impossible determine any nearly balanced or doubtful
nd Evsfy truo lriend nj