Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-05-06

and dignity, $ deli-lous devotion to ind;
| viduais." What was The language of H.
constitution TO the people ia rcferenc. y
the election of the chief magistrate! Es;]
Their yourselves nor the electors of pre.I
dent shave any idols. You shall vote o,,
| two men. either OF whom shall be qualified
| for the presidency. Could any thing b.
! more truly republican, more hostile even
| 10 the elements Of ari=:ocracy But j, hssl
been said that TINS was leaving the resulr
! of ahe election To chance. Let it be :. !.
memissred that in the republics of Atben.
and Crete, and even in Rome, impos,so,I
magistrates were chosen by lot; and ,ba,
tie sage legislators Of Antiquity considered
that mode OF election as tie most demo.
cratic, and at the same time operating to
excludecorruption and Intrigue. Again We
are told hat it may be in the power Of FEW
individuals TO Illustrate the will Of the maio
rity. Impossible. 1.-THE majority be not DOS.
sessed OF two characters equal to. the du.
ties Of The presidency, it ought Instant,
70 dwihdie TO minority. Besides, if the
election OF president is always to be cons.1
dered mere party question, parties will
learn wisdom from the circumstance, of
the election of 1901, and two candidate,
will not again receive an equal number of
suffrages from any party. If tha, import.
ant election is to be Invested of all partv
considerations; # another Washington is
to unite all hearts, there can be no possible
danger of an equality of votes. 1t has al.
so been said cha, double ballot is favora.
bic to Intrigue, and it certainly appear, SO
to superficial observer; but is extremely
questionable whether the general uacer.
tainty of the result of the election does
not render intrigue less probable than
mode of election, which enables the as.
piring demagogue TO march directly to.
wards ne object of his ambition.
In forming the contribution. mmta e facriaees
of weight and power were made by the fma
ita,es, and none at all by the large ltatcs ,h,
important fact has never been attended to by the
people. By the original principles OF our COME.
ration, as we'll as by the uniform practice of all
fnlilar Affiliations, in sncieut and modern times.
the ff,all Estes were entitled &c equal political
rights, OF every pofibie deferiptiou, with III.
large ones, without reference to territory, wealth
or population. The double ballot for P,eGdeu:
f:emed an important, privilege TO the fmalI Rae:.
No poRihle combination OF large fstes could pre-.
preclade the imai ones from either eletfng Vic.
PrcGdent of their own, or deciding which Of tvs
candi atcs pFeIen,cd by the large itates foold b.
the PreGdent. This privilege IS now abantonet
II r. H.. & L
Pr-fiden, ard Vice PfeGdent, and exclude the
fmall Rates from any agency IN .he election.
The relative wsight OF the fmall 0ates is no. only
impaired as j. reirets the election by electors III
the 6.f inttahce, but is lscned, in fill more
| alarming degree, when the election comes into
| the Honfs OF Representatives. The contribution
| provided thai ii no e!-tt,on fneuld be made W
! electors, The Houte u Representatives fhouid,
| yo Ing BY eaf,s, ircm the fre highct on ii:
| la of candidates elect The, Prehdeat. II Is Ger.
tain tlist the narrower the range allowed to the
| fnaii Rates in The Selection OF tn: peGdns :r5u
| To. electoral canddatrs,,he fa,al er The dre!::
| OF their weisbt in tbs election they arc noS
| restricted n the three highest candidates. il is
{ caIcuable then with mathematical ccrtaiHty tb4,
/ tGey have mad: .hc en:rnous sacrifice OF Two
.itths Of their weight n.he election. This Gao.
nor be d,nicd. sweIl mighI il be asserted that
! two ana tso do NOT make four, Or that the sua
docs not hne at Doom day.
The alarming event which occurred at the
Gsss e!-c,ieu Of Mr, Je8-don, when in conH'
qaence of an eqoaI numb.ro Of votes between him
& Mr. Burr, & The pefsinacious adherence OF tbs
federal party in III. honsr Of representatives 70
the latter gcn,:smsn, ,he election was susrsa;ed
for fo,ns days. has been reprefented as impsrlcas'
IL Demanding The alteration of the constitution
! and unquesti>naby tcnded TO make that s'tei',
ton se,y popular. 1aat event hswevsr Us Gao
, of displaying tie weakness, rroyea the strenSO
Of the coalfiution.
The memosrs Of the house of Representatives
had then an awfal Responsibility ,saing up'S
them. the responsibility which would have u
fulr.d from leaving the uaisn without preside"
u b,fn M \,