The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1826-04-06

'' :" N''Hl rs members OF the cOeuera-
cy, whenever The election Of Present de-
'oiyes upon the llonSo or Rcprcseatives:
ana any amendment of the coniiution
"hlch takes away this contingenpower,
or renders the exerc'se of il less fSquent,
aneets the rights of those States wich are
oenehtted by the exercise Of il. hen the
question recurs; was the election Ipre lia-
ole 10 come TO the House, preyiou to the
amendment OF lSOi, than it now i! If il |
was, then the alteration or amndment
was one detrimental 10 the intere,s of the
small States. But this is not all.that a =
mendment took from the small Setes an
lniiuence in the primary election, which |
they might have exercised, aud who they |
cannot now exercise. Prior to that a,end- |
ment, the State of Rhode Island, b. hcr |
vote alone in the primary election, mrht
have elected the President, or might hye |
determined which Of the two candidaes
voted for, for the Presidency and Vie. |
Presidency, should be the President: all |
IN the election of 1900, ifthc eight votes {
South Carolina had been given to the ied
eral candidates, Adams and pmcknevl
and 1t was supposed they would havo
BEEN Rhode Island would have elected
The President, inasmuch as mr.. Adams re,
ceved one more of the electoral votes oil
that State than Gen. Pinckney. Consol
nant with my own views of the Importance
OF this feature in the constitution to the
small States, and in making the amend
ment IN ,sOl, they were deprived of one,
''ali,ot their relative force and political
importance, the committee will indulge
me while ! read one or two extracts from
The speech of the late Governor Griswold.
OF connecticut, on the amendment oflS0i:
"ihe constitution of the ". States is n
compact formed by the several States. 10
and for the general good. IL is we'll
known to have been produced by spirit of
compromise among the several States, that
nuch difficulty arose in its formation. and
pcrhaps III no one article of the constitu
uoA. could have arisen greater icalousies
between the larger and smaller States
than that pointing out the mode of cleo.
ting the Chief Magistrate The larper
States as IS natural to suppose, would |
contend Tor an election according 10 the |
number or inhabitants in each State. AZ
they thereby would secure more votes
the smaller States, on the principle that il
was confederation Of States, would con
tend FOR an equal vote !; that is, 10 vote bv
States, and not by potvSlanon or pu,aB,,e,.-,. a,,,.,.
1'r settle ihn diiiash. % ,----n..t article
was agreed to, and thereby both of the
above principles, as contcndcd for by the
larger and smaller States, adopted to
certa.n extent the mode beng n mixture
OF both principles. First, it permits the G.
lection oi President tc by numbers, that
Is, giving each State votes in proportion
to It's population; whereby the larger
States, considered in their corporate capa-
city as States, have the advantage of the
States, in their corporate capacity
as States. But, in case Of failure Of
choice IN the first mode then The second Of
choosing by States is tO be pursued, where
by the smaller States have an equal cote
with the larger States.
"ln no other place than on this floor, are
the smaller States on an equal footing with
the larger States. in the choice ofthe Pres
ident Of the L. States.
at follows then fc0urse, that the great
or the chance of bringing the States to
vote on this floor, the more advantageous it |
is tn the smaller states: as here, the smaller |
states are as powerful as the larger states:
by the constitution, az IT now stands, there |
are two chances for a choice of President |
on this floor; lst, when there are more per-
sons than one, who have constitutional |
majority Of votes, aud are equal in number; |
I'd, when there is no person who has a con-
StItutlonal majority. Only one ofthe above |
cases can happen at time; but there is nj
ways chance for one of the two to happen. |
But, by the proposed amendment the first |
before mentioned chance can never happen !
1t is wholly taken away, and only one pos |
slble chance Of voting OH this floor by states |
left. For when your ballots designate |
who is voted for as President, il never can
happen that more persons than one can |
have constitutional majority of votes.
One chance then, Of voting on this floor |
by states, being taken away by the pro-
posed amendment, it follows irrcsistlblv, |
that the smaller states will be injured. and /
the larger states benefited. ask, then.
sir, if gentlemen representing the larger |
states, can be sincere when they declare |
that they mean not TO infringe upon the |
rights Of the smaller states os secured by |
this article oftlse constitution, and still give |
their vote for the present resolution? The !
one in my opinion will contradict the other.
"The present mode for bringing for
ward candidates for the office Of President |
and Vsce-President Is the least liable 10
call forth art, Intrigue, and corruption; the
uncertainty Of the event, and the difficulty |
ofmaking arrangements, are strong checks
to the artful and designing. But the mo
ment the mode pointed out BY this resolu-
ton is adopted, the door for intrigue and
corruption is open; the candidates and their |
friends can calculate with certainty, and /
apply the means direct; the power OF party,
influence of Office, art. cunning, intrigue J