Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1827-06-19
COMMUNICATED.
THE PRESIDENCY.
No Iii

No ILL.,
Prior to the election of Mr.. Adams, il was con.
fdently asserted by his friends that h. advocated
the propriey of so amending the constitution, az
10 place the election of President entirely in the
hands of the people, In the NJ Journal, Nh. Adams
10 supposed to have written under the editorial
head; and the doctrines of that print, about that
time, cannot have been so room forgotten In the
RESIDENTS reply TO the committee " no apprised
him OF his election, there Is an indication that
such was his opinion he said: 90 In this state OF
things could my refusal to accept the trust thus
delegated to me, give an immediate opportunity to
the People TO form and to express with nearer
sPproach 10 unsnlmity, the object of their prefer
eDce, should not hesitate to decline the accept
ance OF this eminent charge, and to submit the de-
clsion OF this nomentous question again TO their
determination. But the conslilu ion itself has not
so disposed oil the contingency, which would arise
10 the event OF my refusal" This declaration was
either sincere or not. Ii is so much the fashion
OF the day for asprans public favor, to deal
largely 10 disnteresed professions of devotion to
the people, and TO disguise their real sentiments
that many believed Mr.. Adams insincere in IT,
His dlsinteres,edness and respect for the will Of
the people, we're carried, in the opinion of many ,
to suspicious ertreme. But, of the adj
vocates Tor the election of President being entrus
ed to the Poop e, was SraIifed TO ;hs commit
tai OF himself on that point; and, from that mo-
ment, confidently anticipated the of his station
and Influence, in producing the change. The very
eloquent manner In which he spoke of our - dis
sentions" and differences OF opinion'' on this
momentous question: seemed to remove every
doubt on the subject. In these expectations
have been sadly disappointed.
1t would De waste OF time to dwell upon the
objections TO election OF Pre- ,dent by the House
OF Representatives.. Its corrupting tendency: the
injustice OF voting by states; and the long list of
political evils resulting from the continuance of the
Practice. have been fully discussed both in Con-
Sress and the public pTints. From the very ma
TUE OF things, IN eight years. or whenev err the
oihce is vacant, the election Will be thrown into
the House OF Representatives. The exten, OF our
country, the diversity oil views and interests among
the people, forbid the IDEA that the majority, in a
primary election, Will often tall on any candi-
date. To remove an obnoxious incumbent from
othce, 1t Will always be unsafe TO present more
than one opposing candidate. Hence, men will
be driven, as they are IN the pending election TO
support man OF whom they do not entirely ap
prove, but prefer TO the incumbent. Ii the oppo.
stIon did not concentrate In this way, the election
would go TO the House of RepT where
II 10 certain that the influence OF Office and the pat
Tonage OF the government, now so overwhelming
would decide the elecIion. The eagerness OF men
for office In this country, is as great as in any
other And 1t would be anomalous, if those who
incline TO weld their power in such manner AZ
best to promote their own interest and that OF their
friends. This is human nature; and il NAV be
looked Tor on both sides Of the Atlantic no matter
under what form of government. In arbitrary
governments, OF even In those tina; have the forms
OF freedom but are In the hands OF an aristocracy
the thing Is inevitable, and neither be avoided
nor remedied But IN this country, il becomes us
10 watch our agents, 10 scan their conduct and
mn and f,.s hat l,a Il,
the public TO individual interest. When we find
that they do so, our duty TO ourselves and TO pos-
ierity requires that we should speak In voice OF
indignant Teproof The just chssisemeni OF de
linquent public servant is like the punishment in
Hicted by the law upon conviction OF crime. The
violation OF the rights of society is avenged, and
abe example deteTs Others from committing the
same offence The certainty of punishment, is as
operative In one case az In the other But the
number of crimes is greatly increased by the hope
of escape through arthce and quibbies. Here, too,
the parallel is striking.
II we test MIR. Adains's conduct and motives
we shall mud he POSSESSED but tew claims 10 our
confidence when he was elected; and fewer now
than then.
His opposition to MIR. Jefferson, and even ridi
cule Of hun IN doggre rhyme, cannot be denied. He
toeh belonged 10 the party 10 power, and was la~
bouring to sustain them. When the wild admins
uation OF his father was put down and the truman
OF repuclIcanlSm was complete, and promised TO be
oil long duration, he sbsndone ed his former political
friends, and ranged himself under the banner OF his
recent opponents The suddenness OF this IolitI
cal conversion was equalled only by the eagerness
he displayed In proving the sincerity of his new
ialth' AS Senator, he denied himself the benefit
OF deliberalion." That the President recon-
Inended measure, was enough o induce him to
ADOPT 1t. Thus aVowing doctrine that DERIVES
tbe Senate OF all control over the will OF the
president. by the way, il would not be unchsri-
table TO believe, that Mr.. Adams wishes, at this
ume' 70 see tbat doctrine practised upon IN the Se-
nate u 1t were, the majority OF that body would
Oe no longer denounced as I" iactious'' and I'M
pnncipled," but be held up as the mos, disnifed,
distinguished and enlightened in the world
All the circumstances connected with Mr. Ad-
amss conversion TO repubcanism, are not fully
known' II Is probable, however, that the igno.
rance OF The public as TO that matter will soon be
enlightened by Developments that may be- read
WIN Indignation by some and with great interest
by all. We have already had some - givings OUT
on this point, calculated to raise our curiosIy If
II shall appear that Mr.. Adams, in his first inter.
view with MIR. Jefferson, disclosed to him an ex-
tsnsive plot among he leading and most dis,n
guished iedsrslists Of New England, and panicu
J " "issssehuselts, 10 seceds from the Union,
sne place New England under The protection Of the
Mother Country, that they nigh, enjoy the bsns
MS Of lucrative Commerce during he contin,,.
Ance oil the restrictive system, either thsn adopted
or about TO be adopted: And If it shall also ap
pear that negotiations were actually on footo ef-
Iec9 thlI-~and that one Of the intended stipuations
was to be, that the New England States thould be
al liberty, at the end of tho difficulties between this
country and England, to re-enter the Union, il
they thought pfoper--it will place Mr.. Adams be-
fore his country in new and embarrassing point
OF view. Nothing less than ell the details Of so
reasonable plot, with ibe names Of the eonspifa-