Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1836-05-17

President, throughoutthe country, that ar
/ election by the House would be carried by
intrigue, bribery and corruption; and that
the voice of thepeople will be unheeded in
the contest: The Government journal
printed in this city (the Globe) has of late
uniformly represented an election by the
House of Representatives as the greatesl
calamity, which could befall the country.
propose now to unyeil the course ofthe
party in power upon this subject, and to ex.
pose their artifices and insincerity.
RI is,yery well known to those who look
beyond the surfacc-who pay only due
regard to professions, and examine the real
motives Of human action as they are ex.
hibfcd in the course of the present self
styih republican party that they advocate
the lropriety and necessity Of adhering to
the practice of nominating a President and
Vice President by caucus or convention,
not for the purpose of preventing an elec-
ton BY the House of Representatives, but
upon the ground that as they allege, in no
other way can u party be kept together ;
or the power and patronage of tie govern.
neatbe secured to their own members or
followers. This is the true motive, and
this the true secret of the extraordinary
efforts and influences which have been made
and brought TO bear on the people of late,
in order to give popularity and permanence
to the practice of such nominations. 10
avoid the evils of an election by the House
is the professed object of the party. fhat
has:been the great political bugbcar which
has been held up and paraded through the
country, to frighten the people, into an ac-
quiescencc in the nomination ofsuch body
as the late Baltimore Convention. Tho
truth is. that without the benefit Of the ter
rors created by the frightful image of an
election Of the House, which has been so
constantly kept before the eyes. of the
people, the nomination of the Baltimore
Conyention would have found no countc-
nance. And this, sir, is the solution of the
mystery-here lies the secret Of the con-
tnued and marked neglect with (which the
repeated recommendations Of the President
in relation to such an amendment of the
Constitution Us would hereafter prevent an
election of President and Vice President by
the House and secure it to the people, has
been treated by the party. The history ol
this proposition is remarkable, and highly
instructive as well as curious.
Itcannot be forgotten, that from 1925
until the commencement of the present Ad-
ministration, this proposition wasa favoritc
policy Of the party which brought Gen.
jackson into power. The whole subject
was during 49, rcirod, ably and fully dis.
cussed both in Congress and in the public
Journals. When Gen. Jackson was elected
by the people, no one doubted but that one
of the first acts which would distinguish
the action Of Congress would be, to recon-.
mend such an amendment to the States for
their adoption. General Jackson in his
first Message, urged the subject upon the
attention Of Congress in the strongest and
most persuasive language. In his second
and in each succeeding annual Message, he
has done the same thing. Regarding the
discussion of the subject as having COM
menccd in 1925, it is now upwards Of ten
years since it has been before the country
in the most imposing form-in the annual
Messages of the President. The arguments
and language ofthc Message upon this sub.
iect are worthy of particular notice; and /
must ask leave to refer to them. Here Mr..
Bell read several passages from the Mes
sages of the President upon this subject,
all Of which went to shew how important
it was in the opinion of the President such
an amendment of the Constitution should
be made.] Well, sir, what has beer the
result-the effec, of these repeated and
urgent recommendations In the early
part of the administration, many earnest
and well meant efforts were made to gel
this House to take up, and act upon this
subject. Propositions in variety Of shapes
were presented; and it has been part Of
the regular forms Of the House, at the
beginning of every session, to appoint q
select committee upon this subject-but,
sir, the truth cannot be disguised or disputed
that those efforts were the efforts Of in.
dividuals only; that the regular annual ap.
pointment of special committees has been
but mere form; and at no time could the
party be rallied in favor of the proposition
There was always somewhere, and from
some motive, a power, and an influence
which thwarted the action of the House
upon this question.
Soon after the opening ofthc last session
of Congress, this subject began to. excite
increased interest, and certainly demanded
prompt attention from those who seriously
and honestly believed an election by the
House of Representatives ought to be
avoided. 1t was then, sir, that it became
manifest that the Jackson party would be
divided upon the subject of his successor