Jenks' Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1803-1805, 1804-09-24
roR The GdzETTE.


# the executive agana the wife ard polite act
Of our legiAsture, efablithing general choice
| Of electors throughou, the fate, can proceed
! from no other fotrce than periuaiion that the
donss of Their matter have rendered him 70 un-
90 uar with majority of our fellow citizens
that tterc is no proipec of his having any of
their votes at tic enfuing election. Having ieen
nothing but genera. defamation aga,nit this
ACT, unlnppor,ed by the leaf appearance of rea-
Ilonias, doubt whether the public attention
lneed be Occupied by sny attempt to vinaicate
liz.
1t lomctimes happens, however, thst an IN
'vcteratc perfcverenoe in clalnoar produces an IN
pre- zion it Being difficult to believe that 10 much
Icomp.ains a.oul c;;;t without any caulc, and
the c=ople no, generally kno wing that the actors
in The farce IN faa perceive none OF the evils
which they uidertak: to proclaim, but all en-
dsavourius TO emf .me the public mind for pur-
pof:s rfefulto the part. of which they sc t-.ta-
full and obetlient naves.
On this coai:dera,;on It may be well to devote
IA little time to this re~iled proceeding of our
llegiN iture, ia order that we may be prepared
TO reGt the attacks which will increa(e in fury
aganlt it until the day of election :
l need not cite the act tfe!f, i, has been
printed in every Newfpaper, and its provfons
are generally underitood. The oonteited prin-
|ciple is the establishment osa general choice Of
Jail the electors by all the people, intead Of con-
|fining the choice of the people to one eettof in
the dlisritt wherein they rcGde.
Until it G,all be proved by democratic ari,h-
nc,ic, that nineteen are LET'S than one, it will not
|5- in the power OF the ddaHetled TO convince tn
people that their privileges hare been iutrinsea
10y this n,cafurc; indeed 100 entirely are they
kdettitute Of grounds on which to lupport their
10 ppo(tior thar ,hey kasc not thought it con-
senicht to expofe therfelves IN argument
upon the iubj-6t They have thought it fulfil
/ cicpt to pnbiiih the jacobin bull OF dcnouncia-
tor, with as little pretence Of right to iuppo:t
!it, a; the pop: has to his claim of infallibiliy.
| One Of their dogn,as is that this is q ccn.ri
vance by the edrraliis, arftocra,s, and tories, TO
ceure al, undivided vote of this fate againit Mr..
lcferfon BE it 70, i maj ority of ;he citizens
! Of this Fate are avcrfc to the administration
Of .Jeferion, the vote Of the Fate ought to ex
preis tlat averiion. Look at the democratic
itatcs Of Virginia, aud Pennfylyania the for
mer coniidcrcd by democrats as the chofen feat
!. of FIRE dom, where the matter and fave exhibit
The fate Of manSind under the .crrific reign of
iacobin liberty and equality Here you find that
, q general ticket is not thought ari1ocratic they
have no fcderallts in their Legislature, and yer
thai le.iilature has taken care chat the people
| il,all not vote by ditrets-b ecaule the major
! it3 CT the people Of that fate, black and white
willing that Mr.. Jeaerion may be re-elected
j they will not permit the poihbihty 70 exit !;
that the people ofone fiction in their tate ihould
counterfeit the veics of that majority Penniyl-
vana too, th.. ely6nm Of democrats, where the
goddeis of liberty fits cnrhroucd, with law,
order and religion under her feet, nitcad of
having them the supporters of her throne, as fed
eral;its woula place them; in this reiort Of a
lien worthless, where there is but one itep from
the pillory to the pot Of honor, it was not
thou ht inconGitent with rhe true fpirit of demo.
cracy to eiiatliA, general ticket Other aates
of like political character have preferred the fame
courfe, and yet the meafure is denounced by
the half taught democrats of hlaEachuiests as
partaking of the features of arittocrscy, not re-
collecting that they are accuing their ardent
brethren in the fame breath with their polir-
ical enemies.
| Though NOT difpofcd to admire much of the
d, ines of the democratic itates above alluded
to it cannot bat be acknowledged that in the
meaurc under confederation, they have con-
fulted the true fpirit Of the contribution. On
this fubjcel there have been vafiops opinions,
bur that Of general choice has prevailed in
mott octhe hates. he words of the cuniiitu-
ton being that "cach Gsfe ihall appoint" it
would feeni clear that euch mode of election, as
would beit fecurc the voice of the fate, would
be moi ccnformable to the contribution, The
mode Of general ticket j, liable to no obiec-
tti,n on this ground the refut will give the clear
and unequivocal voice Of the fass, or the peo
p.. OF the Fate, convertible terms IN this part
Of the contribution whereas III the oifria
choice consended for by the oppoG,ion it may
happen and probably would happen that the ma
iority Of electors in fomc OF the itates would vote
for candidate, asainit whom decided major