The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-07
PEOPLE SHOULD
PASS UPON IT.
Have Right to Accept or Reject
Constitution.
JUDGEWELLF FlNE.ADDRESS
Heard BY Representative Gathering at the
Academy Quadrenuial Sessions De-
cared to Be Step in the
Wrong Direction.

There was a good audience at the Acad-
envy OF Music last night to hear Judge
Beverly r. Well1orors masterful EXPOSE
preventative government.
Many ladies graced the boxes and lead
ing men occupied seats on the stage,
-inong Them bang Judge BClen, the poet
laureate of the Constitutional Convention.
President Gooae and Mr.. and Mrs. James
W. Gordon were interested occupants of
private box. A goodly number Of leg
islators were in the audience, and the fol-
lowing members of the convention:
Messrs. Gwyn, Mundy, Jones Of Pittsyl-
vania, Kendall, Willis; Miller AND Law
son.
The Rev. DR.. r. P. Kerr, of the First
Presbyterian Church, opened the meet
ing with prayer, and Hon. Henry a. At
kinson presided. In few remarks he in
trcduced Major Charles S. Stringtellow,.
who in turn most appropriately intro
duced Judge Wexford. Major Stringfel-
lows eloquent introduction was. received
with splendid applause, ana was itself
gem in conception and delivery.
A FINE ADDRESS.
Judge Wexford for over two hours
held tho rapt attention Of every one
present.
lie lIdCSu tllc 1lSlil Va HiiGi1SsA iicSA ~
from the days OF Edward the Confessor
on to Magma Charter; from James L.,
Charles II. to William and Mary. He
traced the evolution of civil liberty step
by step, and, coming to the colonial pc
riod of Virginia history, related the an
tecedents Of the celebrated Declaration
OF Rights of l7I6. He CLAIMED that the
Bill OF Rights there promulgated, was
not a. part of the Constitution but was
~ rI,0 rta of ,o,.i.
can liberty an irrevocable contract OF
commercial sovereignty with the indi-
vidual Sovereigns. a power of attorney
to Constitutions makers. Illustrating his
meaning. he declared that the Constitu-
tional Convention had as much right to
destroy all the titles to lands, which were
held by virtue Of grants from the State,
as it had to amend, alter or change,
single provision Of the Bill of Rights.
SESSIONS OF LEGISLATURE.
Building on this capstone Of legal con-
struction, Judge Wexford came to the
proposition to have quadrennial elections,
and said it was a subversion of the
rights of the people, calculated if not
designed, to inaugurate a legislative oil
garchy controlled by bosses and capital
lists. He related many instances of this
tendency OF the age. He declared that
it was either this or an adroit flank at
tack on the people who had won the re-
cent battle in the Str for clean poll
tics, and an insidious effort to overthrow
the victory won by Governor Montague
in having United States, Senators elected
by the people. .-s., ;.ta5 -i,5,ft, @ =
He asked what would the city of Rich.
mond think of a proposition to elect Its
Common Council for four years, and
was answered by a roar of applause.
Judge Wexford closed by saying If the
convention adopted this ordinance it
ought not to stop until they had over
thrown Washington from his horse on the
monument broken the statues Of Jeffcr-
son, Mason, Marshall Lee and Jackson
and trarpled them into dust And he
declared witt, emphasis if this was put
into the Bill Of Rights and the Consti-
tuition proclaimed without submitting it
to the people, they would before the ink
was dry, meet all over Virginia and have
another convention called to repeal it.
Judge Wexford was greeted with great
applause wien he concluded his very
able. valuable, historical and philosophi-
cal address.