Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-09-01

the choice of the President be State right, as
think have established, the General Ticket system
s to be defended upon much sounder principles, than
any mode Of District elections.
In ascertainng the will of majority OF any Stale
of the whole people, it must be done by general
rule throughout the State Union limo general rule
in the Union can be resorted to- the next
to the will OF majority will be to distribute the cleo.
tive right amongst the largest masses practicable mas
much all know that the the number of the mass
20 are multiplied the farther you remain from the fina
result 10 witt the will of ma iorily of the whole Union
Now, of all schemes, there not one SO liable to be
used to defeat the will of the people Of State,
maj orty of the Union, that of election by Dis
rlcts. IL carries within itself, the chnnces of that
suit multiplied in the proportion that you increase
the number of Districts in State, or their aggregate
in the Union. Under the General Ticket system, no
be elected unless he obtains majority of the
electoral votes in the gift Of the people acting the
basis Of the constitutional rights Of the States BY any
other, than The General Ticket mode, the minority Of
State might defeat the will of the majority. In many
of the States, one District alone might contain ma.
jority favorable to one individual greater than the ma.
orites of all the other districts OF the State whilst an
opponent might get all the remaining districts OF the
State. This was strongly illustrated in one OF the
Western Districts of Virginia | allude TO the She
nandoah and Rockingham District. There,a majority
of two three thousand in the last Presidential cleo
ton for Mr. Van Buren,, was more than equal to the
aggregate maores of some six eight other districts
in the State in which he lost msjores But It IS said,
that advantages are given to the large States by one
system, which the other does not give. Admit it,
aud is it not right and proper that It should be so,
upon the principles of compromise settled by the
Constitution Have not the smaller States their full
equality Are they not the favorlte children ct the
Constitution Their security is IN their perfect equa-
ty in the Senate Is it, them becoming spirit in the
small States, to insist any which shall hn re
the effect Of defeating the election of President in the
Primary Colleges, and sending it 10 the House of Re-
presenlaves Is it just, or fair to make that com
mon occurrence which evidently intended by the
trainers of the Constitution, contingent and un
avodable, and which may now justly be regarded as
the greatest evil of our whole system ? Are they viii
ling 10 make that which has been said to be the extreme
pard in fact the free institutions of the country and
endapger the purity Of the II. of Representatives? No
trust not. On grounds of expedlency, them the &c
naral Ticket system is tho which will best ascertain
and carry out the will of maory of each State, as
well as that of the Union.
In relation TO the taunts which have been thrown
out against Virginia, in consequence of her supposed
preference for Mr.. Van Buren,, have but q word in
reply. Let those who make them, pluck the beam from
their own eyes, before they seek TO expel the mote
which they seem have discovered in the vision OF
Virginia Virginia asks nothing for herself, which she
is not willing yield to her Sister States She is pre-
pared to sacrifice her preferences and go with her po
litical friends, for The sake Of and harmony Her
motto will continue 10 be, it has been "Eeery
thing for Principle, nothing for Men
asain-Bv being allowed for their Sc
decidedly increased beyond the ratio OF their
according her populations and Virginia Fifteen her Iea
tive influence would stand only ll5h But allowing to her
three seveniecntha is 37is-ony little than
l-Slh-b.ing nearly twice as great in proportion