Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1843-03-18
REMARKS
OF
DR.. MOSS, OF CLAY,

Delivered in the House Of Representatives., Feb.
7. lS43. upon the bill proposing to elect Mem
bers to Congress by general ticket
DR.. MOSS said
Mr. Speaker, intending to participate in the
debate upon this bill. at some period Of its con.
tnuancc, the present presents as favorable an
opportunity as will probably be afforded me. ]
regard this as one Of the most important subj cts
upon which the House has been called 10 act at
this session Of the General Assembly. 1t is i'm.
portant, because we are about to determine by
our action in what manner the people Of Mis-.
souri, shall 10 future elect their Representatives
TO Congress, the highest legislative body known
in our system. The vote Of the two houses
upon the subject matter Of this bill. will deter
mine whether this state shall be divided into FIVE
separate congressional districts, each qualified
elector voting for but one candidate, or whether
the system OF electing by general ticket shall be
continued, the elector voting for the whole mum.
Der that the State is entitled 10 in the lower
branch OF Congress.
doubt the power OF the house 70 pass the
bill now under consideration. upon the ground
that it conflicts with the provisions OF late act
Of Congress, requiring the people OF all the
States to elect their members OF the House OF
act to which have just referred to be in strict
conformity with the constitution OF the United
States. Entertaining that opinion, it cannot he
expected that | will yield this bill my support;
on the contrary, feel bound to give it all that
opposition which my duties as a Representative
impose upon mo. Although the objection Just
suggested TO the bill is Of sufficient weight to in.
fuence my vote upon this occasion, there are
oh. -,
selves to my mind why this bill should not pass.
Although | will not affirm that the system of
electing by general ticket is unconstitutional,
yet it can, in my opinion, be demonstrated very
clearly that single districts were contemplated
and expected by the trainers Of the constitution,
when that instrument passed from their hands
for action before the conventions OF the people.
hold farther that the principle Of popular
representation and theory Of representative gov
eminent, as designed by the architects Of our
system, can only be carried out by electing
members TO Congress by single districts. 1t can
be made equally plain, that local and individual
interests cannot be properly represented in the
national legislature by any other than the district
plan.
1t is equally apparent and can be easily de.
monstrated, that merit seldom reaches the hall Of
the popular branch Of Congress in any other
way
Upon the subject of,my first proposition |
will admit that the question was no where dis
unctly made as between these antagonist systems.
either in the general convention that proposed,
nor in the conventions OF the people that adopted
the Federal Constitution; but enough has been
learned to convince the most increduious thai
The district system was in the thoughts and upon
the tongue Of every man who wrote or debated
upon the subject Of Representation during that
period 50 interesting in our history when tie con.
stituton Of the United States was pending before
the American people for their adoption or rejec
ton.
hold in my hands some authority in point
touching the views Of the trainers Of The cons,itu
lion upon this subject. The book from which
intend to quote is the Federalist. work write,
over fifty years ago, by three OF the mos, dstin
guished individuals that this country has Give,
birth to, and three Of the brightest lights AM
luminsres o. the eighteenth century. / sllud
10 James Madison, John Jay, and Aisxand,
$ Hamilton. The work has been Justly rsgards
] as a valuable commentary upon the constitution
IL is useful for its sound constitutional doctrin,