Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1808-03-09

'ia,ion prevents thetians ny iiatr by
Which the intended yicc-ps sidcEt n;i!siH be.
elected president. No good reason cailstte ere
fore now be assigned, why an union o. the re- !.
publieans iii favor Of any particular person,
should be attempted By q measure IN Itself 20
exceptionable, as nomination by the sena-
tors and repres entatiyes in Congress- 3.
We do not say that consultation among
The members Of Congress, respecting the per-
sons to be recommended as. candidates Tor the
two highest Offices of the nation, may not IN
some extraordinary crisis, be proper. But
the prppriety must arise from absolute neces-
sity. Even then, we do.,bt whether it can be
completely justified. The people ought 70
exercise their right Of election without any
undue bias; and is it not the evident intention
Of such consultations to produce bias Be-
sides, in the event Of ti,src bsl.;s 10 election
by the electors, the choice of ting president
deyolyes on the house of representatives, and
that Of the vice-president on the senate -
Should the house of representatives not sue
coed in electing the president, the yice-presl'
dent will become the chief magistrate; hence
the improperly of nomination by the mem,
bers of Congress, is more glaring, as 1t may
become the political interest of the represen-
tatiyes to prevent an election by the electors,
and of the senators to Illustrate any choice by
either. Nor is this all danger Of more
than ordinary magnitude arises from the in
fluence which may be used by the president,
over meetings of any individuals at the seat of
the general government. The hope, or the
promise of office may be employed to induce
a nomination either of himself, or of favor
tie successor, and it requires but little saga
city to foresee the consequences Of such COR
rupiion.
So conscious were the members who at
tended the late meeting, of tie weight of OBJ
jections which might be urged against their
proceeding, that they have tn ought it proper
topublish an excuipatory resolution, proposed
by Mr.. Giles, of Virginia, and unanimously
adopted They have declared, that in {, ma
king their nominations, they have acteG only
in their individual characters as citizens; -
this is very true, because they could act in no
other, without breach OF their oaths, and a
direct violation of the letter of the constitu,i-
on. But was it not intended tina, those nomi-
nations should be enforced by the sanction Of
congressional names They proceed to az
sert that they have been induced to adopt
this measure from the necessity OF The case,
from oeep conviction Of TIE importance of
union to the republicans Throughout all parts
Of the United States in the present crisis OF
both cur external and internal affairs" We
trust We have shewn that no such necessity
exists, and that al union among the rcpubh-
cans, in favor of any individual, is not impor-
tant
We acknowledge tina, the aspect OF our TO-
reign affairs is unpromising. We are per-
haps on the eve Of war with one of the great
powers of Europe We are therefore strongly
impressed with the difficulties of our situati.
on In such crisis If unanimity in the choice
of president is necessary that choice should be
directed to man, eminenty calculated by his
tried energy and talents to conduct he nation
with hrmness and wisdom, through the peris
which surround it, to a man who had not IN
the hour OF terror and persecution, deserted
his post, ant sought in obscurity and retire
naent a shelter from the political tempest !; to
man not suspected of undue Partially or en-
nifty to either Of the present belligerent pow
ers; to a man who had not forfeited his claim
to public confidence, by recommending a
shameful bargain with the unprinc!pled spe-
culators Of the Yazoo companies, dishonoTa-
bic compact with fraud and corruption. Is
James Madison such man! We ask fer e.
nergy and We are TOLD. of lis moderation |;
we ask for talents, and the reply is his unas-
Stunning merit, VIC ask what were bis services
in the cause Of liberty, and we are Girectess
to the pages Of the Fcdcralist, written in coa-
Junction with Alexander Hamilton and John
Jay, in which the most extrayagant of their
doctrines are maintained and propagated.-
We ask for consistency as republican,
standing forth to stem the torrent of oppres-
sion, which once threatened to oyerwhelm
the liberties Of the Country we ask for that