Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-12-31

the spirit Of Democracy, III" spirit Of Republic, and
il was not to be dreaded. We must change, must
improve, must Ennvatr, and he was not bc fright
ened with this cry Of innovation. Time is chang
ing, men are chan ring, the world is changing, and
must change with the changes of the times, we
must advance with the changes of the age, or the
tide of public Improvement will leave US behind
high and dry, and instead of Innovut'ng to do ght,
we will be inn waiting to do wrong, by refusing
to keep up with these improvements. Then, whether
this an innovation not he was not to be alarmed
by IT. but he denied that ii much of an innova
ton gentlemen aPprchcndrd; for he cnnld show
gentlemen case after IN which Clerk had been
appointed BY resolution which the yeas and nays
might have been called There were Il mutt tudc of
where officers Of this House had been appointed
by resolution, and il would be competent, at any tune
To move resolution to appoint certain officer, if
there rnlc TO the contrary, and onefh of the
members might call the yeas and nays upon it, which
would make il much of public vote as By any
olhcrsmcans. But if this mode of voting rira
race innovation, he was prepared to Justify
that innovation. What is the objection to il: We
are told by gentlemen that the vote by ballot IS
ccssary to secure members aglns: external Influences
and from Executive influence. But it would SEEM
from the remarks of gentlemen that this external in
luence not merely Executive influence: for his col
league, and the gentleman from Tennessee had very
Justly told the House that Executive influence in
many excrtcd through party organz atOn, which
organization constituted of the greatest ivranncs
under which men in this country laborcd. But i'll
gard to all these objections, if 1t necessary that
should have a ballot in order that might give n
secret for officers of this House to free them from
Executive oppression, he put il to gentlemen 10 say If
the same argument would not be good exclude from
the Constitution the right cf having votes taken on all
measures by yeas and nays II it important that
we should have secret vote for Clerk or any other
officer TO protect men, it not ten times Impor
tant to protect them in regard to public measures lie
contendcd therefore that tho principle of Democracy
tbn mon of thp utIuno nj
States public voting-voting in the face of the
House, the face Of the world in the face o. our con-
sttuents who to Judge Of cur votes; and whe-
ther they are in conformity with the declarations
which we made at the polls All our votes here, not
only in regard to measures but in regard to men,
ought to be public and open, so that every man
might see and Judge of them. But it had been
said BY his colleague that this election of officers
was mere trivial matter t:at the people cared no
thing about the matter who the servants Of this
House were to be; and his colleague had said that
his constituents would never make any inqu rics
of him in regard TO this matter He agreed with
his colleague that his constituents might perhaps
never INQUIRE Of him whom he voted for officers OF
the House bn, with regard 10 this hr;ng TRIVIAL qucs
ton he would ask his colleague if there not hun
drrds and thousands of questions quite trivial, on
which onrfth of the members Of the House called for
the yeas ard nays and their names were recorded upon
those questions and pcrpctuatcd upon your journals
The gentleman from New York (hr. Hunl) says, that
therefore of little moment how they elected; but
Sir the Constitution associates these officers of the
House in terms of EXPRESSION which, perhaps, were not
present to the gentleman mind when hr spoke of thcE
The Constitution SAYS TIE House Of Representatives
shall choosc Speaker and othcr othrcrs Mr. T. asked
tic House, which had been struggling for three weeks
t. effect an urranization-hc asked The country, which
had been looking 10 with ANXIOUS eyes, II the choice
of Sneaker was nnt important question, Yet tn.
Speaker OF those ctL.r ah.e.s regard u tic
q ufI, ola tl.
Express provision He held that the election Of Clerk,
Srrgcan.a- Arms and other officers beng associated
in the cinue IN the Constitution with the Speaker
trivial question, but was question of the FIRST
mnen,ludc-onc Of the highest personal questions VIII ch
come before the House, except when the House was
exercising judicial power IN mpeachnents.
The gentleman from New York who hid introduced
H. question, had referred TO the practice IL other
tirns, and 10 the fact that the introduction the system
of voting BY ballet Great Britain had been hailed by
the friends of popular rights and the inference he pre-
sumed to be drawn from this was That that system had
been hailed By the friends Of popular rights in Eng
land, ii must have tendency 10 advance popular
rights in this country. In regard tn this, however he
would take with the gentleman. He denied tina!
the ballot in this country had atrRdency TO advance po
prar rights We apt IN this country to look TO
England for prcccdcns. We too prone to inquire
what the practice in the mother country, forgetting
that that country is monarchy, ind her Parliament
frequently overrulrd by arstOcracy When he went
to that country for precedcnts he must be Of the
ground which he stood in regard 10 those peccdens
lie would beg leave to call the attention of gentlemen
to the baln, system OF England, which had been hailed
by the friends of popular rights Tha. system was the
ballot system al the polls. No one proposed that the
members of the House Of Commons should vote Sc
crctly The members of that body vote publicly as
we do But the ballot system which has advanced
popular rights in England, is the ballot system at the
polls. The population of England IS made up, prnci-
pay of classes, namely, of trades people, and te
nanls, who reside the lands of the arisocracy, and
the system of ballet introduced to protect them to
protect tradesnan from losing the custom OF persons
whom he might offend in voting publicly and to pro-
trct the tenant from having written cectment
served on him the morning after election, if he voted
against the wishes of his aristncratic landlord.
But there is another country, the customs of which
show us that one mode Of voting may be most conc!u-
svc TO public liberty in a monarchy, while another
mode may BIZ most conducive to public Liberty in a
Republic or Democratic Government. That country
was France. In France, not only the votes at the
popular elections given by ballot but the votes in
the Chamber of Deputies are by ballot, and not re-
corded by yeas and nays they are in this
House Well, Sir, what is the of this differ
cnce in practice between this country and France
II must be familiar 10 every gentleman Whist by
the Constitution of the Tn ted States, all Executive
officers are excluded from this House, is known that
in the House of Commons in England, and the Cham
Der of Deputies in France, Executive officers adj
mitted and hold seats thrre-oicers Of the army, OF
the navy and ministers Of State, occupy seats there.
These men, therefore, who liable to he sgraccd,
and have their Offices taken from them by the mere
word of the king need the ballot system protection;
and in such n body thus organized the ballot may be
most conducive to popular liberty But did such state
OF things exist in this country: No member of this
House could be deprived of his commission, or of any
of his privileges, at the mere Will Of the Executive
He was not rcspons bic Ia the Executive, but to his
constituents This the difference between rcpub-
lie and monarchy
He would repeat that if this question mere
question of party expedency, he might desire to vote
with his political friends In fact, such were the in
uenccs of party that he might perhaps be induced to
90 for this motion restore the ballot system if ne could
make sure that any thing to be gained by it. and he
might afterwards INTO the House, and say that he
had voted against his convictions Of what he believed
to he the principles, but was induced to give then
up in the expectation of obtaining great public good
But he would now say that lie did not what good was
TO be accomplished BY it, Last year, when he sacri-