Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1843-05-31

rYrnent, and Tor many years aIlcf%afus, tne
District system Of choosing Electors generally
presailed. and that /, was changed TO the gen.
eral ticket, and voluntarily Though convic.
tion, TINT the latter was night and The icrner
wrong. bu. reluctantly. and under a geueral
conviction. that the change was for the " 1y,c:
Il was CAUSED in great measure by conipui.
sIon. through iho almost necessary operation
o. party Conflicts The system oHce cn,nlDea-
ced by any one party in 4 State. ia o.der TO
secure victory by concentrating its united
strength. almost necessarily coDpriled the OPP
pnsilc sidc IN order 10 avoid dc leaf, 10 initiate
the bad example. t,Tce started. the sauie
cause, by It's action, and reaction, led to the
almost universal adoption. II was q weapon
forged for PaTy warfare exclusively, and fit
only for the purpose for which il was intended.
But to Introduce weapon so Intended, iIio I
Convention Of members of The same party, as.
sembled not in hostility. but for The peaceab!c
and friendly purpose Of producing and pre-.
serving harmony, union and concert, would
be clearly. no; Only no, authorized by the ex.
ample the general ticket, bu, without jus,f.
cation or excuse.
Another view remains, deserving the most
serious consideration; going TO show. that the
introduction Of the general ticket, so far from
aifording reason or precedent in favor Of the
plan proposed by the Richmond Convention,
furnishes strong grounds against il. The very
fact HAT IL has been adopted in cIioosing cleo
tors. and thGi il has increased the relative
weight OF tire larger States and more popnlous
PORTIONS of the Union. in the Electoral Col
lege and The election Of President. instead of o
reason why their weight shonlj be increased
IN the General Convention aud the nomination
OF the candidate IS one OF tile stio ongcs, against
il. II TiobvinTsiy nlrhcs il mere i.n3ortn, 10
;..r oilers tina; what has beer los in the cleo
ton shall nUt be lost in the nomination also. IL
it be lost there TOO, aH will be hopelessiy lost.
To understand the fi:ll force Of tIie remark. il
must be rccolec,ed, that The nomination s ne
cessary to make the vote Of the Electoral Col
lcgc certain One indeed Of the leading and
nvowed objects is TO avoid division. in order 10
prs1ent G:e eier.ion from going INTO &e House
where the vote is by States. aud where the
lnrgcst and the smallest. New York and Deta
ware, stand on The same level. The certiin
consequence the nomination is 10 deprive the
smaller States of the chance of this contingent
advantage, given them by an express provis-
ion OF the Constitution. in order tp compensate
Tor the advantage which the larger Stales have
10 he Electoral College. Il forms one of Tie
compromises in adjusting the relative weigh,
of the States in the Executive Department and
no, IN unImportan: one. as !, came from, the
hand, of its ffamers, We wish TO be under.
stood. Neare not the advocates OF carrying
the election to the House. Weknow lha, there
are strong reasons against il. and we are sin-
cernly desirous Of avoiding it, il ii can be done
on fair and equal terms; but we are moi so
blind as not To see. that as things now stand, If
the smaller States and less populous sections.
should surrender this contingent advantage,
without securing in the nomination conpen.
saiion. which would preserve the relative
weigh, assigned them, by the Constitution,
they viii virtually surrender all control over
the Presidential election and the Executive
Department. The plan Of the Richmond
Convention docs no; secure il; on the contra
ry. il is apparent from whai'has already been
stated. that in going into Convention on that
plan. so far from securing compensation for
surrendsring their contingent advantage. the
smaller Stltrs would have even less weight in
the Convention. and nomination, Than in the
Electoral College and election. -
But the case is still stronger. Is weak Us
the mode Of voting and counting would make
in tho Convc niion, under the plan Of the Rich
moud Convention, they would be r!ade still
more so, under that portion. Of il. Shieh re-
comtnends four Delegates to be appointed fosI
each District. as we shall next proceed to
show. Its obvious effect will DO to give much
larger number Of Delegates to the central and
contiguous States, than TO the exterior and re-
mote for the plain reason, that they could
attend with far less relative Inconvenience, eI-
pense and time. TIE most remote Of their
Delegates could go and return home in n few
days. nj the expense OF a few dollars and with
bu, little eacrihce Of time and convenience, ow-
ing 3, tie nearness and grea, facilities which
rail roads and steamboats, afford Tor travelling
in tina, portion Of The Union. Such would not
be the case with the Delegates from the exterior
and more remote States. To Them the expense
time and sacrifice wouid in,erpose formidable
obstacles against attending. The result, would
he, that from the one there wonld be full ut
tendance, and from the other Z thin one. One
wouLl send host Of FIVE hundred or six bun
,lred Delegates, and tie other handful, proha-
bis Of scarcely an hundred. He has very i'm
perlec, knowledge OF our nature. who does no.
see in this great relative increase oilniluenrc
and weigh; To the States which should send Tue
most, aud diminution to those which should
send the handful The voice Of the many
would be almost sure TO drown that Of the few.
DIt lulS ICIuIlSc VI N'C
Convention Of the central and contiguous
States would be ia reality. bui relative in.
crease Of tile weight, Of the larger members OF
the Union as those having the greatest popu-
Ia,:on are in fact, Tor the most part, the cen
,ra aud contiguous States. while the less pop.
ulous generally, are the exterior and remote.
TIE two causes then. though apparently opcr-
a;ing among the diiieren: classes OF States
would. in fact. unite and combine IN increase
,hc relative influence Of the same States aud
portions Of the Union. and would by their joint
Operations give them an overwhelming weight
in the Convention, and through il. over the
nomination; The election aud Executive De-
parliueh,
We have now we trust conciasively shown.
that the plan Of the Richmond Convention, ~
! the mode &c votinyand counting !, ,recommenc'
instead Of confirming 10. departs wholly from
I the analogy of the Electoral College. and that
i, adopts principle unknown 10 the Consti-
lutiun, and which in its operation would de.
siroy the relative 'veigh, OF the States. as fixed
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