Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-07-10

ait,ep, o Com0onwsAlth. IL " therefore, mere
momsnsoas snqairy. whether tha great dssigp .of
Providenee. with reference 70 cor beloved eeaa.
try. ef which We trace the Indications 10 Aa ~
cent discovery Of the Oontinsst the manner II lts
settlsmeus By The civilssd raoss Of the earth The
Ooloaial ssrseglss. the sstahlishnsnt of IR1span.
dshoe, the formation Vt CONSULTATION Of repsAll,
caa govsrnmsnt, and its adniaistraton IN peAee
and ~ar for seventy yssrs--l esy. II is ~ nesy
important seqsiry whether this great dsssea ut
sivs falalnsas. -marksd only by The AueluetIona,
svcr visibls in the march ef hsnsn a6hirs, and
authorising we'll grounded hsea Of IurthSs de-
selopmsnt. in harmony with thssa .anspisIons BE-
ginnings. .--es whshsr thsrs u reason % the oh.
hand n faar that aur shertlivsd prosperity 10
msnt absoad have aometimss whispersd) on he
wane. --that ws have reached, that Va have pass.
sd the meridian, n,--aad have now % look forward
tn an evening" VI dsscpsrAcy. aud the closing
IN of raylsss and hopslsss night Of political d.
cline. ~ t.s - -
You ars lastly shocked. fellow si,i,sns At the
bare statsaasn, of the il-omsnsd sltsrnssive and
YET the enquiry seems forced upop us, BY opfnions
,ha, have rssrntly been advanced IN high place.
ahr,ad. II debate Of the Heuse Of Lords on
the 10Th nj April qnestloA relative 10 the ex.
tension ol the sleetivs franchise In EnglAnd,--
the principle which certainly lice al the baala "
popular envssn naent,) the sxsapls Of The United
States. instead Of being held sp for imitation ia
this rsapso.. ~ has generally bssa the CASE, with
conference ~ poaplar rsforns. was refsrred 10 ~
showing not tho advantage bvt the svils d IN an
larGsi suasrage. Il was smphatically aseestsd OF
plainly intmatsd BY tho person who took ths lead
In the debate. IEarl Grsy.l whoss family trAdi-
sons might be expected to b. stronsly on The side
Of popaAr right, thai, a the United Statss, aimee
III. Rsvoiatio"ary rerisd. aaa By the undue q.
tension NJ the right VI suerAge. our elsctions have
become H.asookery. osr lsslalaturss vsnal, our
courts tain,ad with party spirit. our laws cohwsbe
which The rich and poor alike break through, and
the country. and tho govsvumant, in all lie bran.
chss. givenossr to corruption, violence. and gen
eral disrssard Of public ssorali,y. q. -.
II these opinians are well fasndsd. then esrlAia.
ly we labor under great deausion IN celebrating
the National Annivsrsary. Instead 81 Joyous
chimes and merry pealn, responding to tbe tsinn.
phant salvon whiuh ushersd 10 the lny, lhs 4th Of
July ought rather to be commsssoratsd By Tuner.
al balls, sad minute guns, aud dead msrchss and
We. instead Of assembling in this fsstal hall 20 coa
grato"ss each other on II. bsPpy return. should
have been bstter iaund in sacksleth aud ashes In
the house Of penitenoe and prayer. .f.s
! believe that shall not wander from the line
Vt remark appropriate to the occasion, II invite
you To join me in hasty Inquiry, whether those
charges and intimations nre wsll founded, wheth-
We have thus dcgenernted from the standard Of the
Revolutionary nge: whether thu salutary checks Of
rimcnt of elective self government has consequent.
ly become y failure; whether In word. ths great
design Of providence. IN the discovery settlement
political Independence. and national growth Of the
United States has been preu,ssurely arrested BY
our perversity; or whether, on the contrary, that
design s not-with those vicissitudes, and draw
backs, and human nfrmities of character, and
uncertainty of fortunc. which hcset alike the In.
lividual man and the sociciies Of men, in the old
worlil nnd hr new IN train of satisfactory,
hopeful, ,-nuy triumphant and glorious fulihl.
ment.
And in the frat place | will sny tlmt In my
judgment. great deliracy ought To I've observed
nnd much caution prnctised in these .dlsparaging
comn.entaries on the Constitution. lws and Cd.
intimidation Of friendly StH,cs. AMI especially on
the part of Britisl, and American statemen 10
their comments IN tn" systems oi their two coun-
tries, between whi b there In more intimate con.
nection Of national sympa,hy than between any
two other nations. | must say that rs n matter
Of taste and expe lency, thc-e specific srrxign.
men's Of foreign friendly country had better
be left IT, tho public press, Without wishing "
put any limit to free discussion or ID prescribe
any expression of the patriotic complaeency with
which tho citizens Of one country arc apt 10 assert
the superiority Of their own systsns over those Of
all others. IL appears 10 mo that puneent cvitcisms
on the constitutions and laws Of foreign states,
supported by direct personal allusions To those
called " administer them, arc nearly as much out
Of place on the part Of the Legislative ne " the OK.
eeutive branch Of q government. On the part of
the latter they would bu resented an insolsrabe
insult they cannot DO deemed less than Offensive
IN the part of the former. iln
II there were no ether olection to this practice
it would bo sufficient. that its direct tendency Is
to recriminatiOn; warfare of reciprocal dispn-
ragement on the part Of aeon. .picu"ns member Il
the legislatures Of friendly states. II 10 pian that
u parliamentary warfare of this kind must great.