The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-05-26

From he .qlatam4 Tribune.
cor. BENToN,s OPINIONS.


the subseauenl yotin will be mere formal leglisha
lion of what will have already substantially oe."
done the subloined extracts II IN report naoe
The Senate Of the United States 10 1928, by Col pen
Ton are plainly TO the point now generally under u's
custom Their authority, which IS good Tor us shouu
he more cogent with our Van Buren, friends, and we
regret that before these last had iuily eommi'ieo
themselves, the opinions OF their CHAMPION "hicp
have but lately met eye had mol been more gene
ra!Iy known. The Appeal TO the Democraey" does
moi itself more fully state the case IN favor oil the M
tepepdent election aud action by districts, than does
Col Benton IN this report, wherein he CONSIDERS ue
various amendments proposed TO the CONSTITUTION %
the United States In reference to the uniformity OF
eIecti MS for Congress and President Nor need any
Democrats fear to be stigmatized as tactonisi',
who endeayor TO interpose petty scrapes 10 uwart
the party, hen they shelter opinions under he CLOAK
of so well tried partizan Our extracts, IL VIII oe
seen answer completely the objections urged TO the
district plan on the ground that II intereres with the
control that the States have in this matter, and tends
TO consolidation aud the " total erasure OF state
lines" They argue the question as IL deserves ana
shew that in all elections, the real difficulty has BEEN
not TO prevent collision between the National and
State authorities but to disengage the people, the
true soveregns Of both, from the thrall IN which
they were every where held when acting III large
masses by the " small and organized bodies, supply
ing the place of numbers by unity Of design aud
energy OF action" We wish that we had room Tor
other portions of the report, answering other ONCE
tons 10 the independent district system. but as II has
been mainly opposed the ground OF its Interior
with State rights, we shall at present limit our
quotations to the point.
"The plan OF uniformity, which has received The
appreciation of the committee, that Of the district
system II is believed TO be the plan which, IN addi-
ton to perfect uniformity, will give to every State,
and TO the several sections Of the State and as far as
possible to every individual citizen OF the whole
Union, their legitimate share and due weight in the
election of the chief officers OF their country
=, A., hs adn ia
confidently believed. No other plan could be pro-
posed but that of choosing electors by general ticket
legislative ballot; the first OF which enables the
majority to impress the minority into their service,
puts into the power Of few to govern the election,
and enables the lopulous States To consolidate their
vote aud overwhelm the small ones the second
takes the election almost entirely out of the hands OF
the people leaves it to a pre-existing body, elected
for different purpose and enables the dominant
party in the legislature to bestow the vote OF the
State according to their sense Of public duty or
private interest.
In the election by general ticket the candidates are
presented to the people in equal To the whole
number of votes which the State has right TO give.
The ticket bearing their names is composed by some
unseen and irresponsible power printed, and sent
| forth to the people to be voted for by many who
know them not, but who are required TO yield impli-
cit confidence, both in the ticket tse and the unseen
body which prepared it, Discipline and manage
ment most usually insure success TO this ticket and
thus string Of electors become possessed OF the
votes Of State, wi bout being suflic emily known TO
most Of the voters TO merit their confidence in the
smallest part cular; and often less known to them
than the Presidential candidates themselves. When
chosen by legislative ballot these ttular electors
still further removed from all knowledge and control
of the people, and act part still more subiued t.
| the purposes of party
! The objection, that the establishment of unifJr,n
mode Of election by districts will trench upon the
rights of the States, be admitted. Uniformity,
as SUCH cannot be evil and, If il was, the infc
ton of could not be avoided 10y rejecting the
mttee's plan Of amendment For, if uniformity by
districts is not established by the free consent of the
States uniformity by general ticket legislative bal
| lot, must be imposed by necessity. For, when the
! large States consolidated their votes to overwhelm
the small ones those in their turn, NUT concentrate
| their strength resist them few States may
persevere for some time IN what they believe to be
the faires system, but, hen they the unity OF
action which others derive from the general ticket
and legislative modes of election they will not, and,
with due regard 10 their own safety, they cannot re-
sis the temptation Of following the same plan.
Hence uniformity will be imposed by necessity, if
is adopted from choice, with this great difference,
that the frs, uniformity will deHyeE W e eneral As
stmblics, While the latter would leave them in the
hands of the real soyereigns the qualified voters of
the whole Staesn
"2d. The second point of the objection is the sup
posed dminuiion of the power OF the State in that
tendency 10 scatter the votes which the district ys-
TEN is admitted TO possess.
Admitting that unity of its votes may be de-
sirable TO state, that unity will be produced by the
district system, often the state desires IT, If
the maortes IN all the districts Of the same OPT
mon, they Will create the unity by giving the same
vote If they not, it is held to be violation Of
the rig IS Of so many districts would have voted
differently TO impress their into the service of
the dominant party IN the general assembly Of the
stale In the general ticket mode Of election, the
vote Of the state is directed by the majority OF the
state legislature; the itself tnnupnced nv
some leading members and the ticket thus arranged
is often made TO triumph the whole state by the
mere effect of discipline, and in open violation OF the
Will Of the actual soyeregns The fair minority of the
qualified voters 1t IS capable Of demonstration that
the general ticket election especially over large
surface, IS often no election at all BY the people
small and organized body supply the place Of num-
bers by unity Of design and energy Of action. Want
Of concert in the body Of the people, will render SUI
perior numbers of no avail Division will destroy
their strength, by scattering their votes and antci-
patton Of defeat will insure il, by preventing mum
bers from going 10 the polls"
FINALLY, there is point Of view from which TO
look at the several branches Of all these objections
which exhibit them in the light of anomalous IL not
very equyocal pretensous 10 the character Of state
rights IL Is this that they present. as contendng
parties not the federal government on one side and
the people Of a state The other but the legislature
Of state against the people Of the state; the
servants against the masters the leading men against
the mass the few complaining that they will lose the
privilege Of controlling aud directing the votes Of the
many !"
THE PRESIDENTS NrsrT TO Nrw YoRx.-His RE- |
cErTios-Ihe preparations for the event are alrea-
dy in some state of forwardness. We learn from |
the Aurora, that he Ten'h Ward has moved in the
business, aud will hold meeting on Monday even |
ing at Military Hall, corner Of Grand aud Ludlow /
streets. Several prominent military gentlemen say
that, 80 far as they have been able to ascertain the
sense Of the different corps there is determination
to make the occasion one Of unusual brilliancy
The general meeting Of the military commanders |