Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1858-12-17

| .wo wears. under the new Constitution. and
ewing it optional with the members elect or
| he Governor, to convene annual scssonS. The
Experiment. Of biennial sessions, s, far has
nanif.stly pro"cd worse thln future; and
ucl was slil t, he the opinio1 Of all intel i.
cent mcm5erS. Yet they haze not hll In,
erye 10 Use tn r constitution Il power TO ch ,nsc
:, (any more more than to raise their owl pay.
Il the inadcq1lry Of which they 81 comp!ain;)
nd the GaveraorS have rec ,gli>cd but one
.mcr.cnt OCCASION To jastiiy the Executive in
sing its power; and so the biennial system
about to become ESTABLISHED by IRE cdcnt.
The election Of the members fDr two years
nay be no disadvantage with annual sessions.
: it gives them one year to initiate npoitaa,
,uSiacsS and the vacation to reflect and inform
hcmSclycS un0n il.
The past five years have constituted the most
important crisis in the political economy Of
his Commonwealth The great pcrio lie Il
inancill rcvusinn occurrcl--.h: intern Il i'm.
,rovement policy Of the State WIS vital qnc>-
ion-;hc banking system was 4 deep and del.
ate prob'cm-thc militia defence oi the Sia;c
vaI in fitt diSintcgration-and the general
Incidents Of the transition from the Oil to the
iew and radical constitution threw the Govern.
ncnt necessarily into a crude AMI chrysaiiS
condition. Yet. during these years. What lc-
,iSlIlion, at all ad,qultc to the occasion. MARKS
,ur statute books? That we have vel sur
lived. i, in spite Of empirical legislation, an |
Inc alone tn the riy meiicotrir nature anl
,,od luck Of the stout old State.
The iirs, Leg Stature that ATTEMPTED the ab
;urlity of legslating f'r snch n State under
'hcSe circumstances. found the end of its go
lays" come while it WIS Sull straining OVER
he drglni.ion of the immense mass of hct, RI.
,cncons local and general blSncsS cranmcl
nto its throat. OF course it accnmpl she'd
nothing. With such experience before il. the
,ext Legislature dcvocl its cncr ,;c:. VIOLENTLY.
o local business. and left 4 brillilnt record Of
acts Incorporating hotels, schools mining
ompanics" &C.. &c. or public acts Of incon-
is.cnt character. al Little better than the afor
ion of its pred ,ccsSors. The Assembly Of
lsj7-'5s. in its "91 d,ys" hal passed only
nc.fonrth Of the business mtturcl bv its own
committees, Us worthy Of action; AMI the acts
,lsscd were of them insignificant locIl char
,ctcr, yet overriding all the important public
n1ttcrs. And but for the independence AMI pa
riotism Of the Governor that Lcgi.l lturc. with
III lis boastcd ability and mountain of labor.
you'd ONLY hive produced "ridicnlns mns."
It's acts Of public interest were enlcie durin.
he c lcd session. and half Of the whole mum.
,er Of acts passed in that time.
The history of legislation in the last five
ears will convince any philosophical observer
hat the biennial system in such State as
Virginia can but result in evil. and that con-
inuallv. Too much legislation may b. worse
han too little; and legislation tscI NAV b".
some sense, m evil. rs medicine To markin
nav be so. in the sumo sense: still it is o. ne
essarv evil "to assist nature and it i indS.
,cnsablc to take time and pains to administer
t, so as to secure the necessary good and avoid
injury from it,
The cllcnlar Of the three last sessions shows
hat never more than one half Of the business re.
ported bv the committees. was definitely acted
.,pon: and this unfinished business is arcumu
latins yearly, in progressive ratio 1t Thus he
comes obvious, at the beginning of each session.
hat all the business cannot he transacted III
ninety days. and straightwav scramble en-
,ucs for precedence and continues throughout
he session, and. finally. the Devil clirhcS
nc hindmost." 4 contest for the floor &C.
,'rrs. which is in itself degrading to tie dignity
# virgin,. and would som2:imcS evcu dis
:racc the Federal Congress.
In th' contest, aS small poliiic ms "chari-
Y" ncces slrily begins at home. each mr'i-
,cr concerns himself FIRST io proc forward hi.
,"rc,y locll Business. as he will be jid :cd at
,omc bv its success only. Hence = suits such
, vast diSproporf;on Of m"r,v local ats; an'! in
,,c end it would BE- better to abolish tie I.r-
isl,turc altogether and resolve all business 10
a,h c,rnty anil it; local mig stray: hence
N. it will result that merely local Business
vll occupy the entire time Of members from
'lc most important commercial, agricultural
financial, anil Othr~w;sc rrlct'c.Il communities
vhi'c questions aft T.c'ing those great Interests
= the general forms Of trade AMI iin1n"c. will
C bundled bv ambitious theorists from 'ocali
les having nm other bnSincSs before The horse
md no cyncricncc or direct intcrcs. in is treat
rcnt. Nor cn ANYTHING Ike - SYSTEM Of
Internal improvements" ever he adopted when
10 time is given for conference or ge>'icr Of
he various propositions, and each individual is
,nlv left to look out f,r his county's scheme
IN /. finally, carry it by the most abandoned
md reckless log rolling. We need but pursue
the subject into it's d,t.lils 10 become thorough
" convinced that the sooner "bcnnal sos
;o7s" are abandoned, forever, the better for
he Stltc
The present Legislature is said to he com'osed
+ unusually able and experienced members.
md by their association last wirSr. be amc as
body adus'el for brsincSS. Most OF the
ocal rubbish is dispose Of. and thcv u'1v now
lect rcp,rcl from previous consideration to
ct pro nptly and intli,crtly on subjects .!
tate Importance. Snili 'icnt work remains
lnactc upon in the valuable sue .cstio1S oi
nc Governors message who, nc N'a'c
mpcr-howcvcr. men may differ in opinion
n its recommends lations-nust ever rem1n
nonuucnt Of the genius and Industry of lis
ulthor. and bcc,mc stimulating exlmplc to
Il his Successors.
The .ovstcr fIrlum" 1'Icstion h,s attracted
;uch attention that it will have to be met soor,
I'D it had hcttcr be dc,ilfd me Ray or the other
" this legislature which commenced so calm
v to consider it, than to leave it to the h1stc
,nl excitement ola ninety DAYS session. The
subjects of State insurance. the removal OF free
negroes, and banking generally. which were
,lso considered last winter, NAV now he moro
deliberately discussed. The subject of cd1ca-
ion and administration Of the Lterarv fund.
which occupied two successive annual conven'
ions of learned divincs and professors, surely
deserves some notice from their representatives.
The rcpcal of the Il; ;Iry laws as question. the
.ripplcd condition OF the banks. the srstcma
izng of orr intern, II improvement policy. the
.mbarras-mcnts Of the present pcnitcntiary
;ystem. the condition of the State institute ,na
which now run two years without review by
he pcoplcs' representatives. the relief of the
,,semcnt officers and their election by the Lc'
.islIturc. instead of the existing anomaly o.
their '.holding over" by default t!l, the re ad
ustmcnt of the tax-laws (Which likewise
held over by default" from session beforelast,C
to remove the oppressive tax on some subjects
and interests and apply it to other,
which now 60 scot.free-thc imperfect col
lection Of the rcvenue-:t is s,id that over
200 judgments have been already obtain
ed against shcrffS, for special dclinquencics-,,
ract heretofore unparalleled in the State; and
vet the Legislature has entire control over th'