Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-02-28

mine the extent of the right of suffrage in tro ,i;gr-
Gu. STATES This does depend upon local
10 appropriately question for the States
ooec'ue Tor theinsevs. But i'm relation to this
pater Inc fundamental law does not dcpend upon tla
m OF she 9tate legislatures. The persons qualified
'o'e ior he most numerous branch Of the State o.
g's'a'ure VIM vote for the electors of President. bu
those persons ascertaned and fixed in ali Tho
oy heir respective constitutions. Ii must he admitted
,hN' however gentlemen may differ in opinion as to
aoh'ch OF the different modes of yoljnr n nroc,r,l
mat some one of them is better than The rost 'This
oeng conceded, it follows, as an unavoidable ,or.o
quence that the system which best ought 10 be adon
leu 10 all the States. Assuming, then, that have
shown That, whatever mode we adopi il onrit IN bo
permanent and uniform, it only remains 70 ;nou;ra
which OF the modes that have prevailed m the different
states ought to be adopted Those are the legislative
mode The general ticket system, and the district sys
! tenn.
Proceeding to examine these several nlans in the mr.
DER IN which have stated them shall very briefly dis
pose OF The FIRST As to the power which the Iepisla
lures OF most of the States have assumed at ope ,in mr.
another, OF choosing the Presidential electors them
selves feel assured that shal have the concurrence
VI t''ee majority oil those who hear me, when pro-
nounce VI "surpation Yes, s' the very first acts of
te state legislatures, relation the election of the
PRESIDENT furnish the best refutation of the doctrine
held by some gentlemen, that the State Legislatures
ought 10 retain an agency and CONTROL the election of
that officer. We that these Legislatures can
usup power as well abuse it, To settle this ones
ton, as to the power of the State Legislatures few
remarks only VIII be necessary. The words of the
constitution are that leach State shall appointn the
eiIctors OF President Gin such as the Iegislo
ture thercofmay prescribe" The State makes the an
pointment, and the Legislature has only the now
or TO prescribe tue mode. That the word State
means The People OF the State is obvious, only
IRON Its ordinary grammatical import, standing con
ltradistingushed from the word, "Ierisature INT
also from the commentary containec III the Fede-
raiist which, considering the authority of that celo.
DRAFTED exposition, supersees the necessity of any
further argument on this point. In number written
by MI Hamilton, relative the appointment of the
resident we lind the following decisive words: sThev
nave not made the appointment of President TO depend
upon pre-existing bodies of men, who might be tan-
pered with beforehand, prostitute their votes bu,
they have referred it, in the first instance to the inne-
date act of the People Of America, 10 be exerted in
The choice of persons for the temporary and sole pur
pose OF making the appointment" Assuming then
that the power heretofore exercised by the State Leg
saluTes mas been without the warrant of the Constitu
tion shall proceed to compare the only two remaining
modes OF voting, that have prevailed In the different
States.
The first objection which shall urge against the
general ticket system, that it only DESTROYS the
vote OF the minority in the State but actually transfers
the votes which the minority give in favor of one
candidate, TO another We know that in almost every
State IN the Union, there generally exists division of
opinion amongst the People the subject of the Presi-
dental Election. Assuming that the People of New
York, for example, nineteen thousand for one candi-
date and seventeen for another what let ask the
effect OF the general ticket upon the that States
IL iotcbly gives the vote OF seventeen thousand CHI
zens to the candidate against whom they Actually vo
ted The very votes which the People intended 10 de
ea his election, re by the State ygrestet from tLrir
legitimate aim, and made subseIl lent 10 the advance
ment OF mar, who may perhaps be object of alb
horrencc To the very People who thus compelled
INTO his service 1t is thus, sir that under the ieln
ve and mistaken idea of preserving the rights of the
States we sacrifice the fundamental principles Of tic
Republican system. We literally immediate The People
by thousand and myriads the shrine of an IDEAL phan
on But we shall be told that it the duty of the mi
monty TO submit TO the will Of the majority This sir
< an ObyI lrutb ht,tI hoo
led by IT. 1t has no application to the question am
considering am not complaining that the minority
are compelled 10 submit, but that all the mnorcs in
the states GnniiiQied. in making I'D the pcneraI
aggregate OF the whole Union, If they were imma-
teria powers in political equation. And the reason
why DO complain OF this IS that it gives the minority
IN the UnTon chance for ascendency equal 10 that
enjoyed by the majority. To shev the reality of this
danger Twill call the attention of the committee tn
the difference between the actual popular vote of two
large States, and the estimated of the same States
under the general ticket system. will suppose that
New DIRK has one hundred thousand voters and Penn
sylvauia seycntylve thousand that sixty thousand of
the voters Of New York in favor of one candidate
and forty Thousand in favor Of another and that the
whole seventy five thousand voters in Pennsylvania
should give their votes TO the candidate who received
the New York minority. In this state of thprs what
is the voice of the People of those States and what
would be tho estimated vote, by the general ticket
system? The candidate who received one hundred and
fifteen thousand popular votes would actually receive
only twenty eight electoral votes while his opponent
with only sixty thousand popular votes, would receive
thirty six electoral voies We led into error on
this subject of mnorites. by not Distinguishing between
things that essentially different. Wherever the
action of State is final and conclusive upon subject
as IN the election of her Governor the minority
must of course submits but where the action of all
the States of the Union is directed 10
suit, the Election Of President, The respective State
mnorities should be brought into the calculation, that
may really ascertain who has the genuine majority
of the whole. Every friend Of the Union cannot but
perceive strong objection TO the general ticket sys-
TEN, in IFS tendency to form political parties upon the
basis Of geographical arrangement. BY bringing large
political masses into the Presidential contest; by array
ing State against State in the consolidated energy Of
their power feelings and passions unfrcndly to the bar
mony Of the Union, viii be unavodably generated. 1t
is fact know to all, thai in almost every portion of
the Union there is local feeling which is but too apt
into all political questions affecting tie general
interest of the Republic Into question is this feel
ing likely infuse itself than that Of tue election
Of the Chief Magistrate. From this influence it will
be generally found that the majority of the People, in
every State will give their support TO The candidate