Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1862-02-28

believe, and many other members share in
that belief that you have just finished work
which you were not called upon 10 do. You
nave, uahiddhn ami without consultation with
tina people, made great and radical chan ges in
the. Constitution, and now you PURPOSE to
submit them to the people while one fourth Of
the State is overrun By tho enemy. Yes. sir.
there arc now 10000 persons in your State
who cannot he heard upon the question. You
propose, in other words, thst one fourth of this
whole Commonwealth are 10 be DISTINGUISHED
mot merely county, sir, bu: whole sec
ticn Of the traus -alleghany country, embracing
50 counties, with a taxable property exccetire
Sl00, COO, 600. desire to mention this inse.
much ss Some 20 not believe that beyond the
shaduw CT those !nou nthins these is 4 land
I'such az vas promised to the peopic OF God
il tbeis passage through the wilderness. In
this iair but much abused country. North
western Virginia, there reside peopie who, in
intelligence and industry, will com pare favura.
bly, with the. people Of nny other portion Of
thla Commonwealth. i! ;s f5r iher I
pieai here it is IN lneic hehs.,i TIA: dsfnard
this &C! of justice.
Bu, ynn sag ihe; sfs disi9ys;, ,,ni they
without consulting n, wiisnrs. 1s.n sor,y
to say that n minority Of them nave proved
themselves dia!oyal 10 the State But would
ask gentlemen here, how long did II tako .aeul
to make up their minds to take the position
which they now occupy believe, from what
| have seen, that, if the people Of this city had
been put to the same trial to which tha peo-
pie OF this section have been put, with two
powerful States OF either side OF them, that
they would DO found perhaps more ready to
yield :nsa we're ths pecpls q iEo North>
! west.
Let Ins corjure you, before ?9u act u5on
this question, Il tho name OF the iayal people
Of my see.ica .nd Of what believe to be the
best interests Of the State, to postpone tho
submission Of this cops!itE;ioh to tie people,
until 81: Of them can ne besvd
] liarG csc word Of r=afnrg 70 uy:eT tc those
smooth, oily !rian6s OF mre, tha. though they
! think they ere slrangliDg rOT the voice of tha
people, they wil! And SONG day tiiat the peo-
pie will Eisa up in their might end sen.; back
to tie SHADES Of private life, those who seek to
rule them with an iron hand. As uy frieod
from Rockingham {Mr. GsAY.) bas remarked,
dc not say that this Constitution is going 10
prove Objectionable to the people Of ny section;
but know that they shouli be heard With
References 10 it, and iacide :or themselves |
aas agaiE in The pans Of the logs! people If
our section, that you Sivh !hcin chs1c5 to bc
heard. Surely !ao Constitution under which
we now live, IS not 80 very od0us as Ics 10 be
tolerated fcra while longsT, il view Of tbs
necessity o: afordjng them &c have the Sense
OF tbs people fully tested upon these new re-
forms. The fact that this Constitution is very
objectionable 20 gentlemen tare acesnc1 inr-
nish suibrient Tezson !or Ic cop,se which,
apPTehera, gsntieme5 here aTe disposed 20
tske. II It did, they certainly would hare made
an effort long since to get rid Of sr incubus
so oriious ant oppressive as the present Goa
situation has suddenly proven to be.
l trust il will be tie pleasure Of tha Cog
Tsntion to adopt the amendment.
Mr.. DuLAEr.--If thought the amendment
OF tho gentleman would carry, would move
sn adjournment; out as am satisfied it will |
not, may be allowed to ss5' few words in
favor Of tho amendment which has been CT.
fered by tho gentleman from Moncngnlia, |
(Mr. HECK.
a ms}orIty ofthis Convention is composed Of
] g0flemsn who are so happily located, az never |
ITO hayaelt,the effects OF this ~nr which we I
have ip5ur vicinity, and which I vefy much |
l:apprekud many of them will feel before long. |
EThesegsElsnen seem 70 igaore the egistauce
of the lphple III these communities. MI |
friend fro Monongalia (Ar. HEcK) hss de-
piosed consequences thst would rssui!
from takiS the vote upon this question im-
mediately. SRei, 1r, what would be the si.u.
ston of tnCF strict Of country that I come
troms The'sople OF Fairfax md the people
of AlexandrinThose delegate ia ncw absent
performin !, hgduties which have been as
aj5ned him as, a officer in the army, will haA
no voice in sayii, whether this ConstitS
shuli be accopts6ltto them or not; and =
early dsy is tixedgir taking the CO. ~ :
people upon this Oonst tution, -
President, aud the peot
might have nc voics in t. :
plc OF Accolac and No - =
ccatd 'rct vote NOW upon y5 I|5
and say whether it would u - = l.5
them or ao:- Why. si:, at TIN s.
for members to tho Confederate e -
county that nollad 1909 votes WIN =
its full Yote. there wers on'y fifteen H923
between tho competing candidates.
stste Of affairs can Ii oe possible tb.t yotS
posa TO palm of this Constitution upon pei -
situated, as my people are, and "a the peg
of the North. wes. and Of tho iea5ocd sre H6s
uated without giving them al opportunity
say whether il 10 acceptable to them CT not
I ask this body, those especially who sre from
the interior end vho can sit in perfect security
uudsr their own vine and 6g tree, to pause and
deliberate well before they force this issue
upon us aGk them to give Us an opportu-
nifty to g7s uy people, vino are loyal and
who are nov ia the fct-such OF tnen, ,st !esst.
as ere abls to bear sru,s confronting tho foe
to give that people and the people CT AlsXan-
dria al opportunity to say whether that Con-
stitution is acceptable or not. 1t seOms to me
that everything that is reported by the COM
mittee is to. DO rushed through this body with
out an opportunity being afforded to these
who may be opposed to these measures, or, az
il scems now to the people, to express their
views upon them. While say this, do no!
mean to throw it out as an intimation that this
Consultation is more acceptable to me than the
old one; yet so help me God, if my people
arc not allowed en- opportunity to vote uPol
il shall raise my Voice sgsinst il wherever |
can be heard and would cali upon these
representatives, VI hose people are situated es
mine are. to do the same thing.
trust that the majority in this body will
give us an opportunity Of being hssrd, and a.
low the people 10 speak upon question SO
important to them as this is.
Mr.. FHuER-It go happens thai my con-
stitueDts are somewhat in tho preiicsnent OF
the constituents Of tho gentleman f.on! Monon-
gala, y(Mr. HEcE) 1t so happens, also, as
believe, that in casting the yotss which have
ccss upon the amendments tc the Cons.itu-
tior. represented their views and thar wish
es. But csn you tell me, Mr. President, how
it ia that the successor o. the vsry man (Wait.
man T. Wiley who last spring ciairuod that
it was the duty Q! this Convention to 30 into
the organic law and amend it, couea here with
not;a 1.-THE, as ! suppose, Of the confidence Of
the people Of that county which was, and
doubtless is, enjoyed by his predecessor, and
complains that this Convention had. without
authority and unbidden by the people, under.
taken to change the Constitution