The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-01-12

the ,,sople OF Virginia have not delegated
to the Constitutional Convention the au-
thori:y to proclaim the new CONSTITUTIONS
and upon a fundamental principle OF rep.
resentativc government authority loI
delegated is thereby denied. Therefore
tie Constitutional Convention cannot pro
claim the new Constitution without AT
once breaking a sacred pledge maze ~,
good faith to the people Of Virginia anu
violating n fundamental principle OF iree
representative government
win The Constitutional Convention 90
this2 Can it afford to do this? suppose
tho Constitutional Convention III las! hdA
proclaimed the National Consututioti'
how many OF the States would nave SUD
1nitted to it2 Not one! And YET ti,at
convention had just as much aulhoiias
ana right to proclaim the Constieu !,
as the present one has. Our foretathe's
had just wadcd through four years OIL
bloody war IN order to wrest their II ee-
dom from the hands of British tyranny.
and were Jealous Of their liberty. 1hey
would have waGed through four years more
Of bloody war rather than thGs oaseiS
to yield up their rights TO american -
ranny, and we reverence them for II N.
thing that grieves and appalls me to-oas
beyond the power of expression Is % see
some of the sons of these STURDY, iloei
loving sires now become SO case anu * ~
bic that they, in convention 'asssii teu.
seem determined to perpetrate an aee
that their fathers would have scofleo "
impose upon others and would nave wy
rather than submit 10 themselves VIM
other sons of those. same worthy
seem so degenerate and oeao 10 ~ ts.
ings Of liberty as voluntarily an ~,
scarce a voice raised in pro'es.' "
nit to such an act or W tnis
Rut If is argued that the new Con-
stitution viii be far better than the pres
emf ono and certain people. WEI conp,ne
TO defeat II, il it is submitted TO the
vote ri the neopic. All this might, with
equal force. have been said IN the case
Of the National Constitution. IL was .ei-
tailiy better than the Articles OF Ioii.
federation. and there was certaihiE So
danger that it would be defeated Our
rev CONSTITUTION may be better than our
rrcsert one. believe, with all my heaft,
il viii be better, far better. But aii
that is aside. Better or worse, no eartiiiy
newer has any authority to impose IL
upon the people of Virginia 1ne"' al"
NOT the Constitutional ConvenuoH' arc
the proper judges as TO Whe'hei ~ -
better or worse than the present con.
stitution If a majority OF the peoPle VI
Virginia do not want the new Consult.
ton, then it is nothing but unwarrantso
and high handed tyranny to force IL upon
them If II should be forced upon then
by the proclamation Of the CoFsulutio'!<1
Convention, and the people OF Ni'SlIia,
or any part of them. should take tne 80
"a The Supreme Court either of Virginia
-. t,,a tinted states. it is my firm con-
xiction that it would be oeciaIed nun
ana ,oid anon the grounds above named:
That the convention is pledged 10 SUP
NIT II 10 the people. and. 2. That the
convention has not the authority 10 pFo-
claim ii, because no such authority mas
beeen delegated to 1t
7r a majority Of the people of Virginia
do want it. they will vote Tor II. II 'i!ss
dc nor want it, even though it is best Tor
t7,em. il must not be forced upon them
by a resort to the methods of tyrants.
The end does not justify the means. ~
is i3st as tyrannical in principle TO ioroe
n good as a bad thing upon an unWiiilils
neople. Do not proclaim it or any part
of If suffrage clause or what not, as ali
of IT, 1t is Just as bad to proclaim any
mart of it, suffrage clause or Wfiat not
as all OF it. Every argument against .i'e
proclamation of the whole Consu.ulio-i
lies with equal force against Iarociaiihlus
any part OF 1t.
Eut it is argued that we need and must
have a new Constitution III order TO rio
es+ methods now practiced to defeat the
negro vote Heaven deliver US from an
dishonest methods in politics ana every
thing else. But shall we resort To ols-
honest methods in order to deliver our
selves from dishonest methods ohaii
we break a sacred pledge, violate q 1uil-
damental principle of free government
and resort to the methods OF tyrants IN
order to have a new Constitution ana
rid ourselves of that pCgaboo IN Nlr-
ginia politics, the negro vote! no.
thousand times, no. The new Consutu-
ton foisted upon the people of Virginia
in This way will act as boomerang and
re turn with destructive violence upon our
own heads.
however great an Improvement the
Constitution itself may BE- over the pres
ent one. the manner Of its PRONUNCIATION
will cause ii to stand but the monument
to our perfidy and disgrace, and IN tho
end il will prove 10 he the death kltetl
Of our liberty. For let the nempers OF
the Constitutional Convention know as
sl,redIy that if You thus proclaim TINS
Constitution upon an unprotestinS PEG
ME. the day will come, and that shortly,
when other men will claim the right 10
force laws upon Your children against
their protest, and will cite this, your ex-
ample, in proof OF that right Ala ie1 Iae
people Of Virginia know assured!y that
ii they supinely submit to the prociama-
ton of this Constitution. the day Wall
speedily come when men will claim the
right to force laws upon you against
your strenuous protest. If these things
do not come upon us, then effects do not
follow causes, and there is no longer
any logic in events.
Men Of Virginia, the Goddess of LIB
erty is a Jealous, independent and high
spirited being. She will not long abide
in any land that does her despite. And
when she has once taken her leave Of q
land, she will not return again thither.
until that land has been baptized in
blood to expiate the sin that drove her
from its borders.
Would you have her dwell in old Vir-
GINA and her benedcent influences ever
abiding with YOU and over you? Then
you must pay her assiduous court. Tea,
lousy guard her purity and ever respect
her cherish her, honor. reverence and
worship her IN singleness Of heart. Nei.
Their you nor the members OF the Consti-
tutional Convention can afford to insult
nf 1,ep