Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-02-24
TCIREULAR.1
To the Democratic Republican citizens
Of Pennsylvania.


Tx Relation which subsisls between
he Constituent and The represen ta i've,
must always ne a sufficient apology tor
any communication up9n matters ot pub
nc inlercs which oI;her may deem pro-
per TO make % The othar, and II Is, al all
times, desirable, ~ he exercise OF tunc-
tons growing out % these relations, that
a tree interchange al OPINION, and full
opportunity oil examining the who lie
ground, should be had previously To a
decision upon al, question OF magnh"de
and dilli1 uhy, Influenced by hese con-
aldtraiions, We beg leave to invite your
attention to some impnranl ac's AM
circumstances, as vel as principles in
VOWED III the proposition TO nominate
candidate for the Pr, sldency Of The Unit
ted 5 ales, 10 succeed tn venerable pat
riot wso now fills tina, dis,ingulslitd sta
ton. You are, DO doubt, aware, thai,
from tAe Serlod OF the second election OF
M. JEFFERSON, down t. the first election
Of Mr.. IA Jnroe, in 1916, the non,nalon
OF the successful candidates for this high
atlice has been made by what Is called a
Congressional caucus, composed OF the
republican members of Congress, and
general consent Of thr republican harty
throughout the nation, but The events
whit D t,rk place In 1916, at the last
caucus no Mination, together with subae-
quenl dis, nssloDs, have excited strong
apprehension among the republican par
~ IN d malouy OF the states, thai The
voice OF the people may be mlsrepfe
sented IN such meeting.
We do not propose to inquire whether
that apprehension - So well founded "a,
men al This node OF nomination al he
present line. |, IS 5 tiicient for us to
Understand ina, The aoH Vt Me heohie is
the Mshe5t hotincal aathority, and that
his maxim ap )lIes IA Is foil force, a,
we'll to The organization OF parry assocJ-
ations nee essary To- the pubic, welfare,
ds 10 the establishment; oil genera pollu-
cal com pacts. Whatever mode Of no.
ninatlon, therefore, receives ihe genera
assent and approba' iOnof d party through
out the nation, although there may be
some obvious defect In lis forms, may
properly be regarded as the declaration
of the popular will OF that party, and en-
utled To be respected as such: but when
any mode of Nomination ceases nnt Only
10 meet the general Appropriation Of those
who OF r,sht may participate IN II, but
even becomes unacceptable TO a mQjori-
~ Of them, it would be contrary 10 every
principle OF republican policy to main
tain the prac ice i; ii would be nothing
les, than permitting minority to make
a nominal on winch was to bind ma jo-
rity VIII had no participation IN il. Such
proc edure is so far from being emitted
:" the appellation Of a republican mea-
sure, that il partakes of all the essentia !
charac eristics OF aristocracy.
Guided by these views, which we have
10 donbi are in perfect accordance with
your political principles, we have care
fully inquired into, and deliberately con-
sihered, as far as we are able, III the
al cunstances thai ought to govern our
conduct in relation to the nomination, at
tins time, of candidates for The Presden.
CIV AID Vice Presidency OF the Cnied
States, bv Congrcssi Caucus.
In the FIRST place, we have reason to
believe, that, owing TO The influence OF
public opinion in majority OF the stat es,
which give ma jority Of electoral votes,
the Representatives, ~ congress from hose
states consider themselves as forbidden
to take any part in the proceedings OF a
Congressional Caucus; and IN the Sc
Good place, that any nomination SO made
would be resisted by the republicans in
all the states which are opposed in prin-
ciple to the mode. From this 1t is evil
dent, first, that the representation in any
caucus which could now be convened,
would not only be more defective than
the representation OF the republican par
" in Congress, but must consist in q
small minority of that representation, in
complete as it IS; and secondly, that any
nomination made by minority oil the
republican representatives in Congress,
being essentially an aristocratic attempt
| OF lew to control the many, unsuppori-
ed by any usage or expression OF public
opinion to give it sanction, would have
no claim to confidence, form no rallying
point Of union, but inevitably tend to
produce iDcurable dissenti0ns in The re-
publican parry throughout the nation,
which might inluriously affect the per-
manen' Interests of our country.
10 addition to these considerations,
there is one more Immediately connect
ed with the interests OF Pennsylvania,