American watchman and Delaware advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1822-1828, 1826-01-27

admits and which their safety demands is mds,e
sable that they should be brought, Dtaty Is rob
into the presence OF each other No int nenus bodle
should stand between them. The Iresid, Should h.
nothing but enaIaii, Of their will tits powers a
too great be independent of the PEOPLE, w,lolt Jnpe
TO their liberties. 0 them he should, therefore lux Ia
all his honors-he brilliant distinction OF first election
and the crowning reWafd of q second one
Holding it to be proposition demonstrated that in Iii,
confederation Of republics, the choice of tie chief mays
tra,es should be left to the whole body of the qualified 70
ters it is not to be disscmbed that several objections
and some OF them specious and even plausible have been
urged against it, That there should be objections t
plan OF election, founded in conviction and urged with Sin
certy could not be peced by The Committee 1be
very well know that there does exist always has existed
and forever will exist in every free government two yery
opposite classes Of politicians: dreadng that the pec
pie will the Government and the other dreanv
that the Government will seize upon the liberties of s
people the first class having tie fear Of anarchy he
second Of monarchy, constantly before their eyes T,
the appreheons Of each very sincerely felt Is read
admit,ed but on which side lies the ground for a7pehef
son be decided by argument, but by reerencem
the historical fact that of the hundred republics which
have fourished in the other hemisphere in the course
the last thirty centuries, not enc is now suryving All
have sided INTO the kingly SYSTEM while single kim
dom has taken and retained the republican form
| Convinced Of the impossbiity of removing apDreh.D
sions which have their foundation in nature it is vet d
to the cause OF popular rights and Of free governments
answer the objections which have been urged agains, III
election of our President and Vice President by direct
OF the people. Ana zng these several objections
for the purpose of exposing their futy they fond
resolve themselves into several distinct casses the first d
which springs from the supposed corruption Ignorance
and violence OF the American people. The committee
would remark that in period OF two thousand years. The
hiends of the hereditary principle have got further than
to way phrases upon these three ideas. The address
the Roman Senate to Ocavus, beseeching him 10 acce
the Imperial dignity and that of the French Conseryae
Senate to tic First Consul, begging OF him the favor
each composed Of nothing but Investigations Of these
three ideas, supported by nny Of examples drawn
from the conduct Of elective Governments. Neither these
ideas themselves, nor the examples which support Them
have any analogy applicability to the state Of the peo
pie the nature of the government, the condition Of the
country in which live. The charge Of ignorance can
have no foundation among people with whom the talent
Of reading and writing nearly unlversal whose in,e
gence kept up the progress of the age, by the multi
plea ion and diffusion Of newspapers; whose daily occura
tons, citizens is daily improvement of their mens
faculties; with whom the institution Of schools and colleges
Isl maxim OF primary policy, and the education Of Their
children considered as an endowment more precious than
the richest inheritance Upon such people the impui
ton of ignorance is unfounded asperson, and will lean
aspersion still more unfounded in It's application TO h
p0stey. But the impation is not only unfounded, but
is contradictory ii the mouths Of those who utel
for these admit that the people sufficiently intel
gent TO choose electors and that tesc electors are b0
to the people direct them. Here, then the heor
of the popular election is admitted and deny the p,s
cc while admitting the theory, to refuse To the neo
Pile in person, and to allow them in the person Uf an
elector, involves contradiction which defeats the obc
]on and exposes the eecoito the suspicion of being
ted for purpose which has not been discovered After
all admitting that the Of the people may be
well informed upon the qualifications Of Presidential
didstes, smaller and more select body might be- YET
this disadvantage than compensated by the CREATE
dsinteescdness of their condition. and their sincere
SIRE growing out Of their Obvious interest," get the best
man for President The mass of the people always 60 fN
their country; politicians, too ocn for themselves and
their pariy and it is believed that there is less danger
be apprrhended from the homes; mistakes of the people,
than from the criminal designs of ambitious politicians
But the objection goes 10 the root of all republican Gov.
emmens. For if the people incapable of eectirS
their own chief mgstratc--if they are too ignorant fac
tous and corrupt To make this choice for the mselvc il
results as an inevitable consequence that there ot
alternative but to take refuge under that Providence which
supposed by the friends Of the hereditary principle to
provide good Kings for bad people.
| 10 be concluded in our nert