The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-11-07

VIII point out the mo,ies OF chooiiag electors in
Inc ieVerai fates, at the e!ccsion Of 1856.
~ Aaaiai5i,. c.n. T;ei-i Dela,o4ye
Csnatt'i-4: L;giHas4,e JI.giais a..
e. Laia1 do W Caycira d.
FRO: d. s. Cu,o!isa LeHR4sure.
Nt7o-2ors DO Ceo,g;, 81
NeTv- Te,5ty do. Kerfaesy
Pt1sG!var;a Ger. Tiekst T..rseg;e Les;s,tu,.
Nine fat-s then had ALREADY adopted The no.
hey or chooing their electors b. the Leein,,ura
or by a General Ticket. IN nine q ites, there
TORE, the whole constitutional number of cleo
tors was chuien by one party only. while ~
vote or the other party WIS compl-atlv extn-
Outlined. But rs this mode OF appointing cleo
tors was adopted by the csiil1ture of each
Rate, and as the Legislature is choCcn nv the
people, 1t would generally happen that ma.
Jority Of the legislators would have the I'm.
pontlcal views with the majority OF the peonle.
and that hence the va:e OF its eigtl ,ral coI4,e
would truly eYprefs the undivided Influence of
the predominant party. The whole influence
OF the itate would thus have been exerted in one
compact body. Hld Virginia therefore cant;
nued TO 1dhere TO the ,;Gricfi1r fverm, bsr i,
fiuence in the electoral REPRESENTATION migIt
nave heen rendered even more inconfiderabI,.
man that or much fnlller Fate, which had
adopted the plan of eleGting by the legiflatur..
or by general ticket. New-H impIhir.. for in.
tance, has electoral votes. Thef. would all
he given TO one fytem of administration he
! caufe they would be collected by A general tick
ct. Virginia has "a votes. 1.-THE fate then was
divided INTO "a diitriGts, and each eiifricf copld
eteci one entire aud executive cleaor, X might
nave happened that 10 of thefc diariGs would
nave preferred one fy..em of adminitration, and
that IA would have preferred another. n ire
electoral college, therefore, / O votes would have
been given for a PRECEDENT and Vice PRECEDENT.
VINO thought differently from minority of the
tate, Whit II only would have cIlianaied fror,
itS W,il. mus four votes only would have +v
pTeiied the influence ofthe majority of the tate,
or tic influences of the whole, Rare Will NJ
,iin'pimre would have really given & votes,
ana mus while the R4yoivte electoral influence
o, Nsw iSi0p'hre was little more than one
'h o thc influence of Virginia, its reLctiz,, in.
nus"ce might nave become one fourth greater.
1tence It IS plain that if the electoral votes of
the other Gates had been equaHp divided between
federal and republican candidate, and the
fag t 81 votes n WV I'm ,illre and virgi.
mia, the federal candidate would have obtained
one more vote than the republican, although
the fenic of the majority, had it been collected
by Tome uniform wayin each Rate, would have
been given i'll favour Of the contrary fyit-m.
BY combining therefore, thofe two different
modes Of election together; it is obvious that
thofe faieJ or thoft fagments of the union
would hive the greateit influence in the election
ofthe federal executive, which had adopted the
legislative general Ticket mode; and that
thofe would exerciie the leaf which had purf1
ed the difrang fyfem. 1t is plain therefore
that if Virginia had not adootcd Gmilar policy,
lhe would not only have loft much of her own
influence in the choice of the executive masif-
trates. but that The might ALTO haze put to hazard
the influence of the will of the majority.
Hence II hkewiie follows, that as fiIch 4 corr
bination or elective fyfems cannot poffih!y ex-
III without endangerirE the vote of the majority
of the people, fome aaii5rD, mode OF ele ttion
ought 1T once 10 be adopted throughout the DIFF
ferent Rates. without fome fyftem, which NAV
make the electoral fate Of taej fate compact &
undivided, or which ihal give the minority of
raeb Gate fome chance of exerting its relative
influence, there is always danger that the fe-
deral executive fall emlnate from the will of
the minority OF toe United States. Let us pro-
coed then 10 the examination of the different
pI7nS, which have been purified or proDofed for
the choice Of the electoral colleges: and on the
iuppoition that one of theft. is TO become the
az:ttoym method, let us enquire into the diee.
rent advantages and disadvantages inrtparably
conceded with each.
~ 1t becomes the duty Of the Editor TO oh
fcrye, that feYeral Of the preceding remarks have
been ALREADY expanded and iluftrated with great
p.ripicuity in two numbers under the Ggnature
of Franklin, which were publilhed in March
1900, and attributed to the pen of Mr.. C. day
of this city.
The MGmppi MeTenger (Natchez) of OF.