American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-01-31
IN SENATE OF IHE UNITED STATES,
JANUARY 10, 1896.

REPORT OF Mr.. BENTON, from the Select Com
mittee, to which was referred the several resol,
nous proposing amendments to the Constitute
Of the United States
CONTINUED FROM ouR LAsrl
That there IS any reason to app eheud yio!ena
IN the popular election OF President canpo, he al
mi'ted The EXAMPLES quoted from fute,gn cnun
tries have no foundation In any thing analogous il
our own, and the idea itself is conifadiced by ~
history OF all elections among ourselves Ever,
foreign example which can be adduced combine
two great causes OF excitement, Ito say nothing o
minor ones,) The union of which is indspen ssbl,
for the production OF violence, and neither of whi
can exist in our Pr sdsnt election: the FIRST
dersced from PERSONAL intercourse betmepn tht
candidate and the rotprs !; and the SECOND, from
the AssEMBLAGE Of ALL the Uoters at one sinrtt
election G, oand, on the day of election. Examine
the instances so often referred to- the election of
Roman Consul, OF Polish KING, or even Of soy
ereign PontlH; each will be found to cosnbins
these two great causes of excitement, and no Others
can be adduced IN which The same principles Of az
tlon do not exist Compare one OF hese election,
that OF Roman Consul as the fare ST and mos,
opposite. with the plan Of election 70, the Amen
tan President, which the committee recommend
and observe how completely includes, and the
Other excludes the two great causes Of excitemen,
mentOntu, ana nunuFf q minor ones which in.
fame their operation. The candidate tai The r.,
man Cnnsulship was bound by custom, 10 tie
early ases Of the Republic and BY law in tht
latter 10 appear in perso and for the 0ifice
lace 70 face, with ell The voters Tfeats and en-.
terattments were not orly allowed, but expected
ana required. Besides standing, on public days
upon the highest places il the forum the mar
ket, he was hound at certain intervals, to circum
ambulate The city, in all tne forms Of regus
canvass The pomp and circumstance OF this dis
play were em,nently cali ulaej to act upon the
imaginatons and 10 inflame the passions of the
people. Every Circumstance, calculated TO PRO
dure effect wes carefully selected, 9nd skilfully
arranged, beforehand The day was chosen wi i
careful regard TO he state Of inc weather, aid the
convenience of the public On the marninp of thar
day an Immense ctowd assembled az The house OF
the candidate made him thi, sautaiions. and con
Quoted him TO the Capitol amids, the loudest accla.
nations. There the procession was formed and
the canvass regularly opened. The Candidate on
foot, arrayed in the Ioga Candida, commence
his decentralization OF The city, followed by bis
SectatoreS, Nomenclatores, INTERPRETERS Uirisorts
seqapstres, and all The crowd besides, which inter
est and curiosity could toleci the metropolis Of
the world. An open d. ess allowed him 10 dis play
the scars oil wounds which he hat receive d in bat
IT, the manners OF the age permitted him to re
count the exploits which himself and his ancestor
rad performed, and 10 point out the services Inch
they had rendered u the State. In this fol- m,
every street. and square, and suburb of the city,
was vsited every citizen was saluted by name, and
every one humbly solicited for nj, vote. n he Sec
tdforeS extended the length, and sw elled The ranks
OF the procession: the Nomenciatores whispered in
the candidates ear the name Of every citizen that
was met the Interpreters made bargains for votes J,
the HiclS0reS DISTRIBUTED the price and The Sc
questreS received the portions OF those whose
bllity shrunk from the public reception OF bfi7e
The candidate who 10 Ill this, was oite0 Sens or
OF princely fortune. pos essea OF Ill the family info
ence which herediiaty wealth coneIs but more ire
quenty victorious General, loaded with The spoil
oil pluodered provinces and conque ed Kingdoms
The voters to whom hit addressed himself, were
wafke young men, veteran soldiers. and the degs
oil an owe grown and corrupted city. Thus inha
med and prepared, the candidate and the voters met
again on the day oil election, in the place, of all
Others best calculated TO produce excitement, with
The means in their hands of shedding blood, and an
ample field for actions they met in the Campus
.iarfius, armed as IT for battle, separated into obi
Gus and rival divisions OF classes and centuries,
and free from all control from the civil magistrates
A single tent contained The candidates and the udg-
es. narrow bridge let in the voters, and vast field
held the assembled, armed, and agitated multitude
That violence and bloodshed should attend such
elections, was natural and inevitable. But what
points oil resemblance can be found between those
and ours! The candidate for the American Pre-.
sidency is destitute OF hereditary wealth, and ire
quently impoverished by previous service in the
public affairs he is unable ii he should be willing
to establish personal intercourse with the voters
by accommodating the territories of the Union
nothing but his reputation to rely upon; the
mode OF acting upon the public mind reversed by
the power oil the PRESS which gives 10 intellect hat
range over Nation. which, in the Roman Zines,
was confined to The city; the people 10 be acted
upon, body OF tranquil citizens and cultivaors
scattered over an immense surface, and voting IN
small bodies, in the absence of candidates, without
arms or odious dislinc,ons and at several thousand