Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1812-09-05

|, reelection 10 depend on special BODY Of p.
prcsentatiyes, depuled by the society fer ,bs
single purpose Of making the inportan,
choice"
Such, fellow citizens, were the wise precau-
tons of the founders Of our excellent const,n.
ton. How far We have departed from their
views, will be seen by an application Of Their
naxims, TO that act OF our Legislature, Of wIdch
We complain, and to that practice uuGvr il,
/ which we venture TO say, yet more rcplcAcn.
slbIe. To this test " e are willing 10 subnt
the plan which we have recommended to yonr
adoption, as the necessary remedy OF some of
the evils Of bad law. To charge the law
itself, must be the act of the Legislature VINO
made it To defeat some OF lis abuses is vet
within your power, Our part OF the 81 stem
which we have devised for that purpose, We
have already carried into effect, by e!ectlnr
/ two deputies, to meet six weeks before the f.
nal choice of electors, such other deputies as
you may appoint for the purpose OF agreeing
on hroher characters TO cohnfose cur electoral
I, coNege-'' men most capable OF analyzng the
qualities adapted to the statond President Of
the u. States and who will have power to
deliberate, and jadiciously combine all the
reasons and inducements that are proper
to govern their choice"
The convention will be chosen for the "spe.
cial purpose" Of forming and submitting 10
us an eIsctoral ticket. In electin9 the mem
bers who compose it, we have that exclusive
ly in view. 1t cannot be pretended that the
last general assembly was elected tor any such
purpose. The members who concuTed in
! forming an electoral ticket, confessed, by do
! ing il in caucus, that they did not act III their
| o6iciat character. In legislation, they by
dav This was the the oherafion of msht. la
| framing laws, they assemble as the rrfreaen-
! tatiyes Of the zuh0ie people, and are governed
| BY majority Of the whole assembly. In the
nomination Of electors, they convene as a tar
fy, and their decision is by a majority OF that
party.
Our deputies will be chosen only JryV
greeks or days before they are convened
their session will occupy less Than 7Deek, and
the ticket which they form, will be published
BIT single month before our final choice of
electors. The characters whom they recon-
! mend, as the safe depos tories OF our conf
| dence, will be publicly known but Short tlmo
before their election and as their choice oil a
president will speedily follow, the opportunity,
| nd the temptation to abuse their trust, viii
together expire, soon after they have arisen.
| On the other hand, the members Ct the
state legislature, are elected neatly eight
| months before their annual session commcn-
/! ces; the duration of which, always exceeds
two, while any nomination OF electors within
that period, will be found to prccede tier n
nal election by the people, aud be anniversary
| known at least nine months.
| We mean not to iDslnuate that the memoirs
| Of the last general assembly, or the Characters
| whose names are upon their electoral TICKET
! have been actuated by factious v'ews, or COR
| ,upted by the arts of foreign or domestic IN
| .rigue. That they either have been, or are
now, swayed by the Influence Of eXecuu'e Ia
| yor, or inspired by the hope or the ASSURANCE
| Of executive reward. 1t might as well be in-
| situated that the checks and balances OF our
| admirable constitution, are libel on the cha
racter OF the American people. We are not
relating history of tast, but guarding as our
fnrefatbers sought, against Jature corruption
by the same means too, which they employed
| by leading out Of temptation, those whom inc
constitution never intended to bring within
/, its seductive influence
| ITO be continued