Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-03-25

| 70 meet ON The h Monday IN November
will be disconrteous to them, and exclude
them from all parlI, patton IN It's proceed
ing.
For the reasons above sci forth, and Tor
others ably AMI clearly expressed IN the
report and resUu,i ms of Ihe Democratic
members of the Legislature of Mar, land,
which we heartily approve and adopt Tor
ourselves, and in accordance with Ken
tIcky AMI Michigan. We think the earliest
time at which The convent N should as
sembe, sh ,uld DO the 81 Of May, Is IA,
and we express our firm cinv cuon, that
pressing any earlier day than this, against
es labllshed plecedenls and ns'ge, and
contrary TO The declared wishes oil 20 large
portion, if moi IN jor.ty will or ate well
founded dislrtlst of the fairness of such
procec ling, and greatly enlanger the har-
mony and consequent succes s OF The party.
In speaking OF Inc organizaii IN OF the
convention we have already stated il "a
our opinion, tn It it sh Iul be of delegates
cleo e one 10 each congressional district,
AMI answering in number to the number
OF votes the State is entitled t vote fr
| President; and W. now add, tn It the vo
ting in the conv sntIon shUu i be per CT
phi; each de'egltc casing his vote Sc
perate AMI indepeni, nj. |; has in one
STATE been proposed 10 conform to
these prin,i pies so far as to elect Ivy dis
trict>; but 10 elect as many as five dele.
ties from each district. and that these un.
wiedy misses shall, alter assembling in
such numbers. however dNided in "p,nion,
give the whole Vote the State is entitled T.,
precisely as though they were un ,nimous
The first and most obvious objection is,
the unwle ,dlness OF such body. The
Congress Of the United Suites, the House
OF representatives, consisted for the last
ten years If "a? members, and was found
so unweIdly and inc lpahle of proper de.
liberation, that il WAS reduced 10 223 -
This scheme if acted on in every State,
would create convention or ll67 nam
hers, body utterly incapable Of consula.
ton or deliberations but it is manifest that
it cou d not he acted on generally. The
dis ant States, especially the southwest,
| UG uDlC w UuSOdubCl TIC CA"
ponse, and TO procure the attendance of
Il number of delegates corresponding 10
their votes, while The States near the place
oil meeting, could without Difficulty, senI
their whole quota and overwheIm them
with numbers. Indeed, if we depart from
the fair and equal rule adopted for repre-
sen!a,lon in Congress 3, we are at sea, with.
out chlrt or compass, AMI ea"h State may
determine for herself The nu nber Of dele.
.tes she viii send, with the conviction ,h,,
the more she sends, the gre ter will lie her
chance to control tie proceedings and uI.
'inao decision Of the cOnventon---indced
1t would practically become a question Of
mum oer>, which the near States might rnul.
ply at will, and Mary in Whose lin
It's 1t meets, might send her h,usands. and
hall the citizens of Baltimore be cons,itu.
ted delegates to the con, en,ion.
But the better t. illustrate the PROPOSE.
ton, let it be remembered, that when un.
der the constitution, III, States vote us
States for President, each States vote
counts on| one, and the vote of Rhode
Island is the same as that Of New York
This gives securi y 10 the small and
weak against the greater power Of the large
and strong States. Blu, this scheme yio-
Iaes this principle entirely, by allowing
the great States to cast Their votes not as
one vote, but for as many rs the State is
entitled u vote IN the electoral colleges,
and as though they were unanimous a..
though they may be neatly equally divi.
dcd--'hls, New York for instance, is en-
Titled to 36 Votes in the electoral college,
may cast the VIII Die for one man, although
II of the distri IS would prefer and vole
for another. Dangerous and destructive
Of The just weigh, and influence OF the
smlll States rs it is in this aspect. when
we remember how much the danger is in
creased if the large State, combine, We are
at loss how 10 give expression to the full
extent of alarm we feel Tor the future pros.
pet OF free government, it such princi
pie sAa be sanctioned.
The object of popul,r convention is
10 give The pc 'plc the opportunity TO ex.
press their wIShes--5ut ono instituted
ON these principles, would, from its lncep.
ton tons rOnSummltiOn, be one continued !
series OF management and machinery,
fro II the caucus t, nominat, The FIVE dele.
gales Tor eIch district TO The final caucus
which eniombs in its one vote the voices ,
OF IN j Irlty an minority in each Siate,- |
1t sub'ilt lies caucus for the pc % e, and c
m ikes OF them nothing more than instru- s
men's AMI vl,tilns. 1t is mockery to say n
that their wishes are consulted by taking $
from all who do not agree with the ma jori. q
" OF the State, not merely their right 10 {
vote as they think. but by an act Of double u
tyranny, casting their vote against their I
wishes. 10 vote by States IN the m inner
proposed, instead OF voting by district, is