The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-12-04
WASHINGTON CITY.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER .. 1858.
THE ExEcuTIyE oFFIcE IN vRoINIA.

Virginia, assembled in convention at Petersburg.
The indications are that the convention is very
stormy one more stormy even, if possible, than
those of ls45 and 1851 We have explained the
causes which render these bodies in Virginia always
move or less bosterous, and we trust that in the
present case as in all past ones the convention will
act safey-vaye for letting off all excitement and
bad feeling from among the democracy, and that its
excited debates will be succeeded by good feeling
and concerted and combined effort on the part of
all concerned in behalf of the fortunate nominee.
After all, the Office Of Virginia governor, honora-
Bile as it may be in name. is very barren of
power or authority. Since the days of Lord Dun
more and the vigorous struggles which so
long carried on between that right royal gov
ernor and the Bnrgesses, Virginia has been af
Gicted with a chronic jealousy of the "one-man
power" The first constitution of the Common
wealth. framed in l776, made Of the executive office
nothing but sort Of head -clerkship Of public ac-
counts aud such the jealousy with which the
neers of the Old Dominion, then engaged in mortal
conflict with George III, regarded this substitute for
King, that they set not only Legislature him.
composed Of two houses the popular armed with
all powers legislative and executive, but they also
appointed some dozen or twenty conscrpt fathers Of
the State to watch him necessarily, and to stand
prepared at a moments warning to put their feet
upon the neck Of the counterfeit tyrant No act of
the governor legal or complete unless he had
taken the advice of this executive council, and the
family quarres which were thus engendcrod between
the members of the executive Of our Mother of
States and Statesmen were even more ferocous than
those which take place in party conventions
such as that now in session at Petersburg.
In 1880 this plural, ponderous, and most unharmo-
NOUS executive was continued in Virginia the gov
ernor being still allowed no discretionary powers,
which were all concentrated in the house of dele
gates and being still subjected to the oficious an2
vexatous surveillance Of an executive council com
posed this time Of three members. If account of
but dollar and quarter for shoes furnished the
negro servant attending i'll the Capitol were present
ed for his warrant the treasurer it could not be
paid unless the advice of those grave sentinels
perched upon the watch-towers of Virginia liberty,
the three counsellors, had been taken.
Unawares, however, in spite of the vigilance Of
the constitution trainers of $780, and by accidental
enactment of the house of delegates in an unthought
full moment the governor did acquire large patron
age and power for few years, in virtue of being
made er o6ico chief Of the States Board of Public
Works, a board which was charged with the con-
struction Of the extensive railroads and the great
canal upon which the Commonwealth embarked be-
tween the years 1885 aud 1850 The patronage of
this board was very considerable, reaching in the
aggregate for all the works. thirty millions Of
AT
into a considerable power in the State
But this hay day of very short duration. The
constitutional convention of 1885, with fell hand,
struck down at one blow the whole prurient fabric
of few years growth The constitution Of SO Gre
ated new board of public works, not elected, as
the preceding was, including the governor him
self, by the legislature, but elected by the people
and it confined the governor more to his old
routine duties touching the public accounts, the
militia the penitentiary and the pardoning prerog
alive BY this time, however, the ridiculous inu-
tlity of the executive council had become byword
of derision, and the governor was relieved of the
humiliating surveillance of this superfuous body.
Thus ever since the year 1776 the conventions and
legislatures of Virginia have been making unceasng
warfare upon King George and his despised viceroy
Lord Dunmore, in the person Of their unlucky gov
srnor and such is the traditional hatred which has
been unconsciously cherished in the popular bosom
of Virginia to this day, of the power, that
it is as much any mans popularity in the State is
worth to be for single term governor of Virginia
That Frustrated figure in the State coat of arms,
those biting words of sac @mper tyannis, always
more or less personied in the minds eye of the
people by their unlucky governor. He can do moth
ing that will please them. His every act is either
subject of their censure ridcule His office is a
mausoleum Of reputation and popularity
The angry occurrences at Petersburg are but an
other instance of the Nmuch ado about nothing. I"
There is no patronage belonging to the Office to ex-
cite the cupidiy Of the corrupt; there is power
in the Office to enlist the solicitude Of great party
There is nothing but the barren honor attaching to
the title of Governor which is at stake in the
yention. The excitement at Petersburg illustrates
however, the disnterested zeal in their politics
which characterizes the masses in Virginia. Their
enthusiasm in these matters is eminently Pla
tonic. They will struggle with infinitely more zeal
and desperation for Office of honor than for one of
emolument
POLITICAL ROMANCE AND FORTUNE TELLERs
The astrologers fortune tellers, seefs and proph
Al. IT, 4