Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-01-22

cdhuiuateS l0r the Presidency, each having
one vote. But, he said, let the idea be carried
further, and suppose the proposition to sue
ceed which had been heretofore made, I, elect
the President directly by popular suffrage
and say that One-fifth of the whole population
OF the United States were entitled to votes
there would then be two millions of voters
and two millions of persons might be voted
for. But, said MIR. ID. legislators ought not tu
calculate on possibilities, but on probabilities
Under the present system, states could GOA
Lessee, and individuals could intrigue but if the
election was referred to the people within,
their respective districts, intrigue aud calcnla-
tons would be set at defiance. 1t would
exist no longer. The votes of the people
would be divided between two or three lead
ing candidates. This idea he illustrated by
reference TO the election of Speaker in the
| other House, and in some of the State Legis-
latures, and to the election of Senators of the
United States, which had required many bal
lettings; whilst in elections of Governors of the
States, made by the whole people of the
states respectively, there had been scarcely
any scattering votes. All this proved, as Mr..
ID. argued, that multiplying the electors took
away the chance of intrigue and bargaining.
which occurred in bodies of more limited
number. All experience, he said, was on this
point against the theory of the gentleman
from Virginia. Mr.. ID. took another view of
the subject, founded on the supposilon that,
under the present system, three of the great
states should confer respecting Presidential
candidate, and that two should agree and the
third dissent-wOuld not the disseniicnt state
be likely to use her best exertions to throw
the election into the House of Representa-
tives "a contingency which Mr.. ID. should
dep'ore as earnestly as the gentleman from
virginia. Here was Case as likely to bring
Itle election into the House of Representa-
tivcs as auy which the gentleman had present
ted. In truth, the gentleman, instead OF shew-
ing that the proposed amendment would have
a tendency, in the slightest degree, 10 bring
the election of President into the House Of
Representatives, had given the Senate IA most
fi1Shtiul picture al the time when this election
once devoivcd Oh that House. ], said .Nr. d.
remember that too was a youn. man as
well rs the honorable gentleman from Virginia
but remember that the aspect of the time
was calamitous. The provision under which
the difficulty of that day had arisen, Nj. l..
said, had been considered the wisest part OF
the Constitution, the cOrrectnesss ofwhich was
never doubted until the country was brought
in danger by it. That provision, too, was
part of the compromise, of which the gentleman
had warned the House-and was intended To
give TO the small states large power. But
what, he asked, did the small states do i'm that
case ? Did the small states adhere to the
! rights they possessed, by having the election
of President thus frequently placed i'm their
power, Ivy being brought before the House of
Representatives If they had entertained
that sort of jealousy which he was now sorry
| to see on the part of some ofihe larger states,
they would have retained that power--thcy
would not have yieldrdit. Bat they did come
forward and voluntarily abandon il. The cx-
isting amendment of the Constitution WAS
adopted; and, Mr.. d. said he was happy that
it had been done. He only asked of the gem
tleman from Virginia, that little of that ge-
nerosity might be exercised now towards the
small states, which they had thus exercised
towards the larger ones. He allowed that
the small states might be more Interested in
the adoption OF the amendment than the lar
ger states but it was because the small states
are more interested in the preservation Of
the Union. Some ofthe large states, he said,
are empires within themselves, she state OF
New York for example, and the duration OF
the Union is OF less Importance to thrn,.-
The small states, on tile contrary, are deeply
interested in every amendment of the Con-
stItution, which goes 10 secure permanently To
our form of government. With respect 10
the proofOfevil, or mischief, under The present
system, although il may not have been actual
1 ly experienced, every one can foresee that it
may occur. The election of President, he
said, ought to be uniform and contemporaries
Gus. But, what was pow the fact ? There
was more uniformity in the choice Of town
officers &c. than in that of the President oi
the United Statcs---so various were the
modes Of election of electors in The several
states. He alluded TO abuses which had been
committed under the present system--bui
he said, these were stories which he had told
| before, and he would not now repeat them
| Twelve states had asked for this amendment
and three times had il passed this house by
the constitutional majority. All that was asked
by it, at last, was, TO submit the question to tn,
states, and let them decide on it. BY thi.
submission OF all such questions to the pcopl,
OF the United States, the Constitution of In,
United States was so guarded, that it wa:
scarcely possible any amendment would fine
its way through them unless il was decidcdly
a proper one. lie hoped that this amend
ment would be allowed to undergo that test
Mr.. LLOYD agreed perfectly in principle
with Mr.. DickersOn, that the election of EIec
tors and Representatives to Congress sboulC
be uniform and coDtcmpormeous among tn,
several states; and his only objection 10 thi
resolution was, that those important point
! were uot secured by it. The election Of =.
IectOrs was certainly not uniform, when
part were TO be elected by the People, and
part us the Legislatures should direct no
could such elections lie contcnporaneous
But, with view to niaI.e the election OF L
lectors entirely uniform, he moved to refc
, the resolution TO the Committee on the Judi
! ciary, with Instructions TO that effect. II
; should, he said, with reluctance vote agans
a proposition, the principle Of which lie ap
} proved but in its prcseIt shape he consIdere
} this amendment so Objectionable that
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