The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 183?-1840, 1839-09-06
ELECTInNEnRINn.

EAECIAONEER1NGO
It often happens that one citizen asks of
snother s'For whom are you going to votel''
And our ears are quite as often assailed by
some response to this effect: 81 am going to
vote for Mr.. such one-I pledged myself
some time ago to support him." To which
is not unfrequently added. 81 like such a
man very well, (alluding to some candidate
of more recent appearance) but am pledg-
ed to vote for another, who came out first. .
Now we feel it but the performance of du-
ty incident to our station in the community,
to object most strongly to the state of public
mind indicated by all this. We are thus led.
to presume that the candidates has, in plain
language, personally asked the voter for his
suffrage, instead Of leaving this tack to his
friends, as we should think the most obvious
sense of delicacy would dictate. We are
also led, from this, to suppose that the re-
quest has been granted, not as it should be,
from cautious and deliberate investigation
of the candidates merits, but rather from
some want Of independence at the instant,
or some undue and false sense of politeness,
or some momentary sympathy on the part of
the voter. The candidate would thus seem,
of course, rather to rely for success upon
some such motives, than upon the represen-
tations and exertions of his friends and his
own sense and worth. When we reflect on
the transient nature of such feelings, we are
not surprised to hear so often unsuccessful
candidates say, after the election is over: 81
have been deceived-I would have been
elected, if, as I expected, voters would do,
the men who pledged themselves to me, had
complied with their promises" The can
didate built his hopes on most shallow
disappointment. Nor is this all. By such
condescension the candidate, if he possesses
genuine and correct sensibility, must infict
upon his own mind singing sense of self
degradation, which, perhaps, can in no way
achieve for him any good. "The wound
may heal-but the scar will remain" The
finer feelings of most men will thus be rem
dered, by far too often, irremediately obtruse
anu CdLtOQOs no 4Ol VIC tObCAO SA4OAAA0OAFSSS
most men possessing ordinary intelligence
and correctness of moral sense, will, when
in conversing calmly and dispassionately,
such thing is presented to them, turn with
heartfelt aversion from the contemplation of
candidate in his own person asking them
for their votes. Yet instances occur every
day of such men being thus solicited by
electioneering candidates, and of their pledg-
ing themselves in the impulse of the mo-
ment. Such inconsistency seems almost in
capable. of being believed-nevertheles such
is the fact. The federation of such mode
of electioneering is injurious equally to vo-
ter and candidate. When the voter has
pledged himself, either pride of consistency
or fear of breaking his word, or some such
inexcusable and erroneous motive, will inn
pei him to comply with his promise, too Of
ten at the sacrifice of some subsequently
formed preference, based upon the investi-
CATION of real merit, and thus at a painful
sacrifice of correct sense of self interest
and patriotism. Should the voter act in ODE
dience to this change, or rather we should
say, this maturity of sentiment, he runs the
risk of mourning no small portion of enmity
and contempt on the part of the candidate
who has happened to receive the promise Of
his vote. The voters by this course OF
promptly and universally pledging them
selves, instead of frowning down dangerous
and mean demagogueism, tends to give it
direct and palpable encouragement, and
more extensive sway, and enable it to at
tempt with little or no hesitation, and fire.
quently to achieve, acts Of the highest and
most hurtful daring. Such is the Legitimate
general consequence of the simple act of a
voters pledging himself. But the former Of
these evils may no doubt be much obviated
by each voters rejecting, that his pledge
cannot possibly bind him beyond the char.
acter of circumstances existing at the mo-
ment it is given, or in reference to candi.
dates who may subsequently make their ap.
pearance. He cannot but admit, and he
should therefore treasure it up in the sane.
tuary of his heart, that, at the moment Of
placing his suffrage in the ballot box, patrio.
tism and the fundamental obligations of the
social compact impose on him the solemn du.
~ of obeying only his then existing HON.
EST CONVICTION. To enable him thus
to act without the possibility of giving of
fence to any, was deemed an advantage thai
! would result from the adoption of the bal.
loting system.
DIsGRACE AND HUMILIATION OF TIL
CHIEF MAGIsTRATE OF THE NATIoE.--Nc
! American President, before Martin Van BIZ
ren, was ever GpO,Oedly the president Of 1
party. In bis late electioneering tour through
New York &c, he has been careful to sig
nalize HIMSELF in all his public intercours,