Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-10-06

Of members TO the Electoral College, which actually
to elect that ofcer In either casr the majority OF the
party mast control the mnofity-in either case, the
effort is to express the will OF the party major,ty--in
either case numerous States are TO act together-and
it would be absurd to give fragment OF the party a
distinct voice the nomination, and deny them that
share in the election of the candidate Indeed IT the
arguments in favor Of the District System amount to
any thing they are far more applicable to the Electoral
College than TO the nominating Conventions by just so
much as the election Of the officer IS more important
and conclusive than the nomination OF the candidate
The friends of the district system appear equally to
have forgotten the spirit Of the Constitution and our
poll zeal HISTORY upon this subject. The President is
not elected by the people, rs such In devislng the
mode Of choosing that great functonnry, the fathers
of the Republic kept distinctly in mind whit the pre-
sent friends OF the district system seem we'll nigh TO
have forgotten, that are conederacy OF ndepen-
den, Republics, and that the only bulwark and paa
dunn OF the citizens against the central tyranny and the
perpetual dangers of consolidation, is TO be found in
strict maintenance of the rights and powers of the
States Instead, therefore, OF permitting State lines TO
be broken down, Stale rights overthrown, and State
interests to be disregarded in the Presidential melee,
they took seduous care preserve those boundaries,
those rights and those interests While the Constltu
ton gave Congress the power OF controlling the re-
presentation in that body, II lett 10 the Legislatures
the absolute authority over the mode OF choosing the
members of the electoral college Ii gave each State
two electors without any reference to population and
it provided that whenever the election should devove
on the House of Representatives, should take place
absolutely by States 1t is perfectly apparent, there
FORE that the Constitution intended that the Pre-
sdent should be elected by the people as such There
is no doubt that such an election would immed-
atey and truly represent the entire people OF the
States, and in that sense, may be called more Demo
cratic but is equally true that it's effect would be, in
the most delicate and vital point OF our domestic poll
ties sacrifice the rights and powers of the States,
and that i, leads directly the consolidation which for
fifty years it has been The end and aim Of the Demo
cracy to avert.
Such is the spirit of the Constitution; our politi-
cal history leads Us to the conclusion In $780,
after The election Of Mr.. Adams BY the House Of Re-
prese natives an effort made and an amendment
introduced both branches Of Congress to apply the
district system throughout the U. States This effort
which pied the time and called forth the abest ia
lsns Of both Houses, for the greater part OF one
sion, failed and failed tor the very reasons 10 which
we have alluded; because the Democrats OF tina, day
were unwilling make any further sacrifice Of The
power OF the States to the authority OF the FEDERAL
Government, and thought that it was of more conse
quence that the voice of The States should be heard,
than that any accidental minority that they might con-
tain should express its opinion. "When the larger
States consent TO surrender their power, and suffer
themselves 10 be broken into fragments under the dis
trict system by which processes to melt
down into common the people oil the several
States, they have destroyed their strength, and will at
last their interest, swamped by the operation OF
this disrctng p..icy Every step which IS taken towards
this system approIinaes to consolidation which must
finally annIhlla,e their influence IN the Confederacy
Such was the language held by one of the abest nen
of this State in that discussion, and on the first OF
priI, 1896, the proposition defeated by vole OF
I0l 10 81. II failed equally in the Senate, and since
them has never been revived Subsequent events
tended 10 confirm the correctness oil this DECISION In
the election of ls2S when General Jaskson was first
placed in the Presidential Char, our own the greatest
State in the confederacy, by the practice OF the DIS
fui cnI ~
ing away her vote, and multiplying her influence SIX
teen electors voted for Mr. Adams, twenty for General
Jackson SO that n York had scarcely so much weight
in the decision of the question, as Rhode Island or
Delaware II in consequence OF thls That the act
Of 18th of April, 1899, passed, directing the cleo
ton be made by general ticket, and that act has,
through various fluctuations Of party remained ever
since, nnatered OH the statute book The nominating
Conventions have been repeatedly elected on the same
principles the District System has been abandoned, IN
almost all the States of the Union and now, for the
first time is discovered that all this desPoi'sm, op
preston and corruption, and the minority which cannot
reinsta,e this exploded practice, threatens immediate
secession.
In this temper party can be kept together Inc
elements of dlscord must he strong within US indeed,
If schism is 10 be tolerated upon such point as this -
Grant all that the friends of the District System urge
admit that in the abstract it is more thoroughly Demo
craic-admt that il is more important that any mnoii
ly however feeble shall be heard, than that Inc weient
this and vet is to be tolerated that question ike
this so frequently discussed decided by such large ma
iorlies and which the arguments on the onef soe
are al least so respectable that dogmatc and dictate
rial shall be assumed, and deliberate ehort mace
the majority into an aoohuoninent VI 's oe'
bera,e convection;
And then, too, are told that unless the Ds'f'ct
System is adopted this minority will, by It's secession
throw the election into the House OF Representatives.
This would be an extraordinary proceeding, indeed
L, ha cla he chlmpi0nShlp
for those who csnnot endure that any traction
of the family be left unheard-lor the trends OF Inc
District System in short to throw the election INTO he
House of Representatives, where the eiectoh taxes
place by Stales-where not only no minority out OF
doors can make itself heard, but no individual vote
within the Hall can be given-,his would be, indeed
a most suicidal kind of vengeance.
The friends of the District System can do better
things than this II they sufficiently unreasonable
and despotic-f they sufficiently den"unce the Con-
yenon beforehand the work OF aggression ana cor
rup,ion-if, in short, they do all IN their power to
thwart and nure, counteract and n defeat those
with whom they profess To have no other sunjecl OF
than the qualifications OF two persons, e''hef
Of whose claims they admit to be great they may no''
indeed carry the election the House OF Represen-
tatyss but they may, and that very possibly, ensure
the election of Mr.. Clay by the people
In the Eastern, Middle, and Western Democratic
States this movement offers no ground Tor apprehen
SION Mr. Calhoun with all his ability cannot there
States bound together as they are BY common can
ger, and ac,uated by common interest, controlling
all their movements, two tickets are 10 De 'u"' VI.
one bearing the name of Northern man, nominated
by convention stigma,ized BY his fellow e,!zen' az
oppressive and corrupt the other that OF oouhe'n
man appealing TO every local prejudice and sectional
passion consequences may be such as no Democfa,
would desire to contemplate. lie, these things De wen
weighed by those friends of the district sys'em' "ho
like ourselves, have no other object in view than me
welfare and repose of the country, after The PT'rac'ed
struggle which has lasted near hs'f gsneraton
and 10 whom like ourselves, the election of Mr.. Van
Buren, or Mr. Calhoun is personally not oil The conse-
quence of iar.hing rush light. We do not IN inc
least call in question their good faith and sincerity
but greatly doubt whether they sufficiently Keep IN
mind The Importance Of that discretion ana COCO ,eIn
per- without which good faith and sincerity avail but
little. 'Eio'
"Our army swore terribly in Flanders, says Uncle
Toby The Wings are about to make great ~
forts to usurp again the reins Of Government Our
friend Mr. VIM Smith, in his able speech at me
Mad son dinner, published in this days Enquirer,
shows how seldom this Federal dynasty were able