Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-08-19
Constitutional Reform.

Constitutional Reform.
Two of the leading newspapers Of the State
the Lynch5rg Tirginian and Richmond Wh'g
are advocating the call of another Convention
n revise amend and reform the miserable abor'
ton of a Constitution constructed by the Conven-
t;on of 1851. If there were the most remote
probability that any set of men that could % e
Iected by the people of Virginia under the pres
ent Constitution would improve the condiuon
of things, there is no movement In when we
would more heartily join our cotemporaries.-
No argument is needed to prove the miserable
working of the system under which the govern
ment. in all its departments, has been growing
worse and worse for the last five or SIX years
Many conservative men permitted themselves 'c
be carried away by the specious cry OF ne
form" "Retorm," in 1850, and yielded their as
sent to many proposed changes which their bet
ter judgments regarded at the time as unwlse
unsafe and tending only to mischief. Experl
euce has satisfied them Of their mistake, anc
large numbers of those who united IN the move
nent would gladly return to the old order
things. They are heartily sick of popular cleo
tions every few months for Sheritfs, Clerks
Constables, Magistrates, &C., and have not fail
ed TO perceive that the best men are not always
selected for office by the people. They have
been forced to notice the alarming increase
crime throughout the State and the loose adj
ministration of justice. They cannot fail tt
have perceived that public servants depend
ent upon the people for their position and thel
bread, cannot in the nature of things perform
their duties as efficiently and firmly as the,
could and would do if they were not looking
forward to future elections. They know thai
offenders against the laws of the Common
wealth escape the punishment due to thei
crimes because weak, timid and incompetent
men are placed in ofice-men who are afraid t(
do their duty in the face of strong popular sen
timent. and that men of high position and con
sentative feelings have made the inetticienoy o
the laws an apology for resort to Lynch La"
and Vigilance Committees. These and counties
other evils are the fruits of changes in the or
ganic law, which the Reformers of 1850 pre-
dicted would regenerate Virginia and start hel
upon new career of progress and Improvement
These results have been broughtabout not by an.
disposition on the part of the people to place In
competent men in office; but the frequent re
currence of elections has become a nuisance
large numbers of the best and ostintelligentv o
tiers do not go to the polls, and the result is tina
men of first class qualifications are rarely electe'
to office.
Our deliberate opinion is that nine-tenths o
those who were loudest in their demands TO
q change in the old Constitution, and most rad
ical in their views, are at heart thoroughly dis
gusted with the present system, and would glad
" undo what they have done.
But the mischief has been accomplished ant
tbot without remedy. 1t is trite but true say
ing that revolutions never move backwards.
Another Convention would result in more mis-
chief. Any Convention that might be organic
ed under the present suffrage qualification Would
OF necessity be composed of Democrats, which
with very limited exception, is but another
name for Radicalism; and in q body composed
of such material, what, for instance, might thu
native born citizens of Virginia expect? 1t ha
been asserted recently in Democratic newspa
pers, that if any Determinations are made in thu
laws touching the elective franchise or any o
the privileges and immunities pertaining to citi
zeuship, they should be in favor ofthe foreigner
because he is citizen from choice and the ma
tive born American by necessity From mer
entertaining such sentiments, assembled for the
purpose of remodeling the laws, we who enter
tain slightly different opinion, need not hope
for much improvement on the present order Of
things On the contrary, we might confidently
anticipate total disfranchisement. Under the
stair moral character" qualification proposed by
the "Virgiuian," every American in the State
would be denied the privilege of a yoteif Demo
cratic Commissioners interpreted the law.
Our conclusion is that Reform is much more
needed now than ever before, but we should be
rather afraid to make the experiment.
Better to bear the ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not or
With any reasonable hope of change for the
better we should most cordially unite in the eff
fort to bring it about