Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-02-22
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Kentucky viii on examination ind the
amendment fny COLLEAGUE not inconsist-
ent With The spirit Of tie resolution. he.
object 81 that resolution IS that every cleo
tor shall give vote for President. Il the
Office Of Vice Prssiagnt shall be abolished,
every elector viii give enc vote, and that
vote, viii BE for president. It maybe said,
it is true, that the discriminating Prlncl-
pie will be done away; butt may be an
swered that it is no longer necessary. -
The enquiry is, therefore, fairly presented
Ito the committee, wnether we ought not
ITO abolish the Office Of Vice President, as
no longer necessary. an clearly OF oPl-
Mon il we adopt the discriminating prln-
ciple it Will be useless, worse than useless.
If that principle isadcpfed of what use can
the Vice President be- For what purpose
dove want him To receive 5000 doll
lars. "a year? This may be beneficial to him,
but it cannot be useful to his country.
The Office may confer honor. on him, but
the honor of an individual can be Of no
plblic utility. Will he beAwanted to pre-
side in the Senate that will not be heces-
sary, for the Senate sit half their time with
out the Vice President, and | have not
understood that the business Is not as well
done without as with him. For what pur-
pose then will YOU have this officer? As
heir apparent TO the CROWN Ifthis is your
object, select him from the best and great
est Of your citizens, and do not adopt the
principle that the electors shall vote forone
man as President, and for another as Vice
President.
What will be the effect of this. princi-
Die 5? The Office of Vice-President will be
carried TO market to purchase the votes of
particular states. A large state having nu-
merous electors, and claiming the right to
designate the President, but not having
votes enough itself for that purpose, will
carry the office of President to ano-
ther state, and will say, give US the Presi-
dent and we will give you the, Vice-Prssl-
dent fit be your desire TO consider the
ce-President as heir apparent to the Pres
sidency, elect him not IN this manner, for
he must be the child Of corruption With
these views | am justified in saying the
continuance ofthe Office will be worse than
useless, inasmnch as it will only tend to
introduce a system ofcorruption. It viii
also give a particular state great weight IN
the Senate By giving it three votes, and the
presidency over ttiat body. Why do this
Under the. old confederation they all were
equal. Why unnecessarily impair that
great principle Why give to the state
from which the 'Vice-President is selected,
this power, together with influence of ano-
Their kind. For these reasons / am Of o.
pinion that when gentlemen determine to
discriminate they ought to go the full
length of the principle. If they agree to
amend the resolution it may be 50 altered
as to make every part of the constitution
correspond. Gentlemen will observe that
am discussing their principle, and that
though think demonstration far better as
1t is, vet if the discriminating principle is
to prevail, think that the amendment pros
posed by my colleague, will render there
solution far less exceptionable.
The question was then taken on Mr..
Dana motion, which passed in the mega
tive-Ayes 81.
Mr.. Elllot's motion recurring,
Mr. Elliot said be could not suffer the
question to be taken without noticing one
argument urged BY. the gentleman from
ennsyEvania, who conveyed the idea that
as the resolution had passed the Senate,
we must either take It as It's, or lose It al
together. From what premises this con-
cIusion WAS drawn he was not able to dis
cover, as he had observed before, after Ia
boring for weeks on the resolution which
embraced the discriminating principle, and
We had agreed to IT.; the Senate have not
acted en- thar, but have sent Us another TO
which be was decidedly. opposed. He