Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-04-09

any reason why il is unsafe to return the T.
lection Ia the electors. must therefore pre-
sumo, said Mr.. e. tina, none exists.
Let us, ibrn, said Mr.. B. throw off this
usIrprd authority, and return TO the people
she rights at which they have been wrongful
~ shnn. Frnn whence do the members %
G. ,n;:rrss derive the power ~ elect the Pre-
si,l, III the L nii"d States? | hazard nothing
Said VIZ. l. in saying that the puwer is not TO
H.. tuur;, tat the Constitution, and that il is,
CON "qrutiN, an rncroacnment upon the ST.
N.r"ignty Of The piUpc: the more alarming.
mas mach AS IL il exercised in the corrupt
atmosphere az Executive patronage and
inl rncr. Make me President aud | will
make ynu Minister, Secretary, ar, at all
events will provide ynu with good birth,
suited ,o Nour wants, II nut tn your capacity.
And Tins we shall barter away the rights and
rri,il-srs ofihe people AT the expense of the
best interests Of the country, and The charter
uf our ibrrics. The mischief is abundanty
manifest Let MS not then, turn deaf ear TO
the adnluni,ions of duty, and the voice of an
enlightened community, hat rather IL, us have
tie magnanimity To Ieturn-to leave the
things which belong tn the Constitution, even
though in dong So, we part with some ot our
influence. THE President and Congress were
Intended, by the wise trainers of ou Const-
fn'ion to act as checks, each upon the other
but, by the system at present practise d, they
lose the benefit Of this salulary pruvision.-
For, as has brrn ohserv ed by my honorable
a. League. the Congress hope ni,rdys made The
President md irW continue 10 do II Yes, sir,
the ,niee of that orthodox and experienced
statesman has said So and have no reason To
duuht the correctness ur his assertion.
Ii ought nUt Ia hc said, observed Mr.. b.
that we are incapable of acting on this i'm
porlant subject calmly and dispassionaiely.-
Our present session is comparatively unlimi;-
edit is, in truth the long session-uur table
IS not burd"nrd with Important business ; we
SIT but two or three hours in the day, and but
five days out of the week thi, objection cari-
not, therefore, b. Sustained. And as to the
Senate nf the United States, composed OF
gentlemen advanced in years, possessing a
characttr and justly, ton-fur their discretion
and Intelligence, being hurried away by pas
sion or excitement, cannot, said Mr.. b. he
SIEVE it fur moment. We are all convinced
that no alteration can he made IN time 10 ai-
feet the approaching Presidential rlcctinn.-
Hence, whatever excitement may he felt, il
will not b" Of pprniri"us character, lint will
rather tend Ia elicit the best and most eli,ri tual
remedy. II we suffer The present propitinus
moment To pass by, what may We expect
Why, SIR, that the nation will again fail into 4
state of apathy, and that nothing will he
dune until the people are again called on Ia
elect another Chief agisrrate, when we shall
have Ia drrrrcate the recurrence of all the
mischief at present complained If and which
threatens such alarming consequences to the
peace and security of society.
Mr.. HAYNE, nf Snuth Carolina, rose, in re-
ply ia VIZ. Dickrrsnn, and said, that he should
certainly have availrd himself of the presen;
occasion 10 reply 10 the additional argument
urged ON thr other side on the noiU forbidden
topic. hut the decision Of the President, ITO
which he was disposed To bnw with rover
encP,) would induce him TO coninr his remarks
strictly Ia the Constitutional question. On
that subject II was necessary he should say u
few words in reply to the honorable gentle
nan from New Jersey. That geni man had
treated The subject as If the question was,
whether The President should, Oh all occasions
hereafter, he elected by the House Of Repre-
senailyes. roiing Jy states, mr. by the Joint bal
lot of the Senate and House of Representa-
tia and he had endeavored tn she'v that
tn" latter was the preferable mode. II that
said Mr. Fl. BIZ admitted e. he the question, he
would have no hesitation in adlIering to The
cote by STATES because, the constitution hav-
ing made that provision in favor of the small
states, he could perceive no reason or proprie-
~ in calling on them To surrender the priv ilcge
merely for HE purpose of increasing the power
of the large states. Power was of more inn
portance To- the former than it could be TO the
ed il, he presuIHedi 1t ought not tn he surrender
ed except for the purpose Of obtaining some
essrniiai benefit either Ia themselves or 10 the
country nj large. But the gentleman informs
ia that the election of the President by the
.V:tOnaL Legislature cannot he objectionable
because the Journals of the convention prove
that TN" great men who framed the constitu-
ton did, az une stage of their deliberations,
actualiy agree 10 that mode of appointment,
though they afterwards changed their opin-
ion, and thus contrary to the usual aI-
thnrity ofprecedenis,) a final decision against
q measure is considered by the gentleman as
an argument in IFS favor. Ii is true, said Mr..
ii. that it WAS proposed in the convention 10
elect che President by the National LpgsIa-
ture, and this proposition was ~ first agreed
to but The evils of that system soon began
To be understood ; 1t lost friends almost daily
ADD after The mature drlihrration of several
months the plan was finally nbnndoned-o only
two states voting for it. A short time after
wards, the constitution, in lis present farm,
pro, iding for the election ola President by Eec-
tors, unanimously adopted. IF this plan
had been hastily adopted, and without com.
pairing 1t with Others, IT might be supposed
that il had not received the deliberate sanction
of the convention. But when it appears that.
during period ofsrvcral months, the wisrst
assembly that ever met in counsel were deli
berHtiag nn the question, whether an election
by the National Legislature or by Electors
was to he preferred when IL is found that Ill
their doubts were finally removed, and that
they brcamr thoroughly convinced there was
great danger 10 be- apprehendrd from permit
ting Congress 10 interfere in the choice Of the
President q Clr iinal adoption Of the Electoral
SySfem. under such circumstances, was a trium-