Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1804-04-21
6 o N G RE S S
or THE
TX NJ TED s I'd Z E s.
OF HE
HOUSE OF REPREsE NATIVES.
THURSDAY, December 8.
Debate on the. A1dEND1lElVz' to the CON.
yrIIUTION
C1fr.. G. ~. Gamb5elps speech coat:uusa.

s
Ishould myself, Sir, Gas had the no.
nor of stating in this house on a former oc-
casion) prefer the two highest on the list
Of those voted FOR, &c. under certain mo-
diications ia case Of an equality Of votes,
to any other number, because 1t woald
con6ns the choice of President to such per-
sons as should appear 10 have the strongest
evidence Of possesslngthe confidence of the
people. But do not consider the dlHer-
ence between two and three persons; or
between three persons and three numbers,
or between three numbers and i've persons,
Of sufficient importance, to induce me not
to vote for either, in order to obtain the
principle object of this amendment, that OF
Designating the persons voted tor as Presl~
dent and Vice. President. will only claim
the further indulgence Of the house while [
make very few remarks on the provisions
In this resolution, by which the Vlce-Pre-
sislent is to act as President, in case the
House of Representatives shall not make a
choice of President. am free to declare
that would have been as well satisfied
with the resolution, had this provision not
been annexed to it. But Icannot consider
this as introducing dangerous principle,
or likely to produce anyreal Inconvenience.
II only provides who shall administer the
government in the event of the House of
Representatives falling to elect Presi-
dent; case that would otherwise be I'M
provided for; and indeed very remote
case; one that is possible, but can hardly
be considered probable: for the electors
must first fail to elect a President, by
which tie election is brought into this
house. The house must next fail to make
choice, before the 4th Of March nextfol-
lowing, ard a Vice President must also
have been elected before this provision can
operate, so as to vest the Vice President
with the reins OF government, which seems
to be the event so much dreaded, but one
which NAV not happen for ages. But it is
said that this provision will have tenden-
cy TO introduce a scene Of corruption into
this house, that the friends Of the Vice
President will endeavor to prevent the e.
lection of the President in order that the
Vice President may succeed to that Office;
that this will be effected by the promises of
lucrative Offices, of favors, &c. or in fact
by bare corruption. This is indeed sup
posing the members of this House will be-
come more degenerate than the mass of
mankind. should presume we might re-
ly on their continuing to possess as much
public virtue as is usual in public bodies,
and if this be admitted conceive there
can be no serious cause of apprehension
from this provision. But the arguments
advanced, if they prove any thing, would
prove too much; they would prove, with
almost equal force, that you must not pro-
vide for a successor to the President in the
cases of his death, resignation, or inabili-
ty, lest the person appointed to succeed
him should be induced to cause his assassi-
nation or use other corrupt means to pro-
duce his removal from Office, in order to
open the way for him to ascend the Presi-
dental chair. But this would certainly be
destroying the necessary and useful proyi-
sions OF government on a mere possibility,
and it IS trusted, groundless fears of their
being abused.
The gentleman last up (Mr. GoddardD
has asked il any inconvenience has been
experienced from the present provision in
the constitution for clecting President and
Vice President? To this enquiry | might
answer, thatif this part of the constitution
be evidently defective, and calculated to
produce inconvenience III practice, and
such as are Of a very serious nature to So
ciety, it would be extremely impolitic, to
wait until we had experienced all the evil
consequences that would arise from it be-
fore we attempted to make the necessary a.
----- ..l,a..lI |,