Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1829-01-01


advantages which may possibly lie derived from
the peculiar fitness OF enc man. than all 9TH
ers. TO perform the duties Of President, will be
purchased at too high price, il they shall be Oh
aud engendering political hatred Iverily believe
that the adoption Of this amendineDtwill be great
improvement in our social state.
The People oil England ielicitate themselves
that they have found in their hereditary Inonar-
chy. an eiicctual remedy for the corruption and
turmoil Of an elective monarchy. Sir, this amend
ment will go far to effect the Same object. The
election being made by the People, assembled in
small bodies. in two three thousand different
places, ard NE President eIStided from, being q
candidate, We shall he exempt from the cofrup-
ton and turmoil of an elective monarchy; while
We shall possess an efficient Government. and
preserve unimraircd the liberties OF the People.
On the sfc0Tii 0me,td0aeof.--fhis amendment,
will fake away power from this House, and con-
fer the power thus taken the People. The
reason for taking the power from the House, il,
that the will ofthc People Of of the States
has not been expressed; and probably the same
thing may again happen. 1t is proposed to
give this power TO the People, because they can
best express theft own will.
enter not into the discussion of the question,
whether, when an election of President devolvcs
Oh the House, a Representative may exercise his
own judgment, or is bound TO vote according TO
the opinion of the People Of his State. The usage
Is, that the Representatives decide freely. This
appears by an examination OF the vote when Mr..
Jefferson and MIR. Burr were before the House,
well as by the vote given the election of the
present President. But will say, that, whether
the election be according 90 the number Of mem
bers OF Congress FROM the several States, or each
State having one vote, the Constitution ought 10
provide that the vote shall be given according to
the opinion of the People.
In the election previous to the last, the will OF
the People OF some of the States was not express
eG. And il, by the operation Of the Constitution
as il stands at present, the People deprived OF
right which they ought 90 possess, il is of little
Importance 10 them whether their opinion is dis
regarded from conscientious motives, or not. The
will OF the People ought 10 pravaii. But il is GER
tain that, in four States, twcnty-seven Electors
voted for one of the candidates, and seven Eiec-
tors only voted against him, yet the vote of each
OF those four States, by their Representatives, was
some of those States, it would seem, was not ex-
pressed, however honestly and candidly the opin-
ion OF the Representatives Of the People may have
been expressed. The Constitution, therefore, is
defective, in not providing that the will Of the
People -n.li be Expressed.
The Electors were chosen to give the vote Of
the People. They had pledged themselves TO vote
according TO the opinion of the People. The mem
bers OF Congress were elected 10 perform the du-
ties of legislation. and had not been required to
pledge themselves how they would vote. II,
der such circumstances, the Representatives vote
according TO their own Judgment, the will OF the
People may not be expressed The Electors do
not choose the Presidents; they only pronounce the
votes OF the People. But when the Representatives
vote, their usage is to decide freely they actu
ally choose the President. In that event. the
President owes his election to the Representa-
tiyes who have chosen him; consequently he il
under obligations 10 them for they have created
him. But when the People elect the President,
he Is under no obligation TO individuals.
BY the Constitution, as it stands at present, at
the very moment when the election has so far adj
yanced that the choice is confined TO two or three
persons, the power of making the choice is with
drawn from the People and cont6ed 10 men elected
for the ordinary purposes OF legislation, who choose
according 10 their own preferences, aud DO not
consider themselves bound 80 vote is the People
have voted, or would vote. The Representatives
may be governed by private, selfish de,isns The
People Of the United States never can.
The Convention, who framed llie Constitution had
not confidence in the People. We have, because
we now know that they deserve it. The Convcn-
ton provided that the Electors should be appoint
ed a. the State Legislatures may direct; and that
they should not designate the individual to be
Presi dent.
(Here Mr.. Smyth, 10 support his assertion, read
f'om the Journal of the proceedings OF the Con-
venton as iolIows:j
Gully IT. IL was moved and sc conded 70 etrike
the words National Legislature out of The Sc
cond clause Of the 9th resolution reported fon the
Committee OF the Whole House, and to insert the
words citizens of tho United States which pass
cd IN the negative.
1t moved anl seconded to agree to the
following clause, namely: 'Iobe closen by the
National Legislature; which passed unanimously
in the affirmative
august "a. 1t was moved and seconded to
strike out the word Legislature and TO insert the
word People in the FIRST section, tenth article ,
which passed in the negative.
=" IL was moved and seconded 10 agree 70 the
following amendment TO the fret section Of the
tenth article: shall be chosen by Electors, 20 he
chosen by the People OF the several States which
passed III the negative"
IL may be objected that the proposed amend
nent doea not provide that the election in the first
instance, shall be made ~ the people without the
Intervention of Electors. IL is my own opinion
that the election ought TO be thus made but a
proposition TO that effect, would be proposition to
take & ON the State Legislatures power which
they now possess. A proposition that the Poop G
on the first trial, should vote directly for Presi
dent, would make it necessary to decide either
that the people Of each State should vote aitoge-
Their, or that they should vote by districts and the
adoption Of either mode by Congress would pro-
ducs an inSuperabie onieciiou the arnendm ent
the adoption OF which requires the concurrence Of
the Legislatures Of three fourtlIs Of the States
And ile proposition Of a compromise, whereby the
great States shall agree 20 be laid off into districts
by which their relative weight shall be DESTROYED
while the small States shall give up their equal
vote on the second trial, is one which foresce
will not be adopted
The State legislatures have authority 10 deter
mine how the Electors shall be appointed. They
may provide that the Electors shall be Amounted
by the people, who may demand of their respec
i've legislatures law authorizing, them 10 choose
Electors, either By general ticket or by districts
as they may prefer. The sole object of This A.
inendment is TO keep the election OF President OIL,
OF this House. The system for the first trial is
now complete; and lift is not Uniform that il al
trbutable 70 ite State Legislatures. Whether the
people shall vote directly for President, or by
| mo ina nj Zs.te il.