Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-02-07

will cease and the seekers Of Executive favor
will become supreme. At that stage, an ac-
tive, trained and combined corps will he formed
| in the party, whose whole time and attention
willbe directed to politics. 1t will bs their sole
business. Into their hands the appointments
of delegates in all the stages will fall. and they
will take special care that none but themselves
OF their humble and obedient dependants shall
be appointed. The central and State Conven-
lions will be filled by the most experienced aud
cunning, and after nominating the President,
they will take good care to divide the patron-
age and offices, both Of the General and State
Governments, among themselves and their de-
pendents. But why say ciR lsit not already
the case? Have there not been many instances
Of Stale Conventions being filledby office hold
ers and Office seekers. who after making the
nomination, have divided the Offices IN the State
among themselves and their partisans, and JOIN
ed in recommending to tile candidate whom
they had just nomlrated.to appoint them 10 the
offices TO which they have been respectively
allotted. If such be the case in the infancy of
the system. it must end. if such conventions
should become the established usage, in the
President nominating his successor. When 1t
comes TO that il will not be long before the
sword will take place Of the Constitution.
Such a, my objections TO the mode in which
the proposed Convention is 10 be constituted,
and my reasons for entertaining them. They
are such, that cannot refuse to obey them
without renouncing the principles which have
often avowed in public and private, and which
have guided me through the whole course oil
my public life.
In coming 10 this conclusion, have not pas
f, sed over without careful examination, the rea-
sons assigned by its advocates for constituting
the Convention as they propose. They have
not diminished the force Of my objections. l
propose to notice the most prominent.
That which they have urged with the great
cstconfdence, is, that each State has a right 10
appoint Delegates as she pleases. meet it.,
by utterly denying that there is any such right.
That each Stale has right 10 act as 1t pleases,
| in whatever relntes to it exclusively, no one
| will deny; but it is perfect novel doctrine,
that any State has such light, when she comes
TO act in concert with others in reference to
what concerns the whole. In such cases it is
the plainest dictate of common sense, that what
ever affects the whole should be regulated by
the mutual consent Of all, and not by the dis.
cretion of each. That by the appointment OF
Delegates 10 the proposed Convention is u
csse of this description, trust have conclu-
3iyely shown. have, Ialso trust shown more,
that Inc supposed right is perfectly deceptive,
for while il claims for each State the right to
appoint Delegates as it pleases, it in reality
gives the larger States the right 10 dictate how
the others shall appoint. II. for example, the
Emplre State as il is called, adopts the mode
of appointing (as she has) which will concen,
tra,c her whole strength, what discretion would
she leave to Others if they 60 into Convention,
but to appoint as she has appointed' or 10 be
rnled by her. It is thon, neither more nor less
than a claim to dictate, under the garb OF
rigbt, and such IFS exercise has proved in the
present cnse. 1t has left no option, but TO con-
form to her course, or DC overruled, or refuse
10 20 into the Convention.
I regret this, because sincerely desire 10
prcserva the harmony Of the party. had strong
hone that the rally after the defeat in 1910 would
be exclusively on principles. This hope was
greatly strengthened by the truly republican
and noble stand, taken at the extra session and
the earlier portion Of the succeeding regular
session. During that period Of rigid adler.
euce to principle, perfect harmony pervaded
the ranks of the party beheld it with joy. j
believed the moment highly favorable for the
thorough reformation of the Government and
the restoration Of the Constitution. To the
Republican party, looked for the accomplish
mont of this great work; and | accordingly
feItthe deepest soIicitude. that the stand taken.
and The harmony which existed, should be pre-
served. In order thai it should, / made up my
| mind TO waive the objection, which have long
entertained to any intermediate body, unknown
| 10 the Constitution. between tho people and
| the election of the President, in the hope tnat
the proposed Convention would be so constltu-
ted that might consistently with my prncl-
Piles give il my support In this l have been
| disappointed, and being so, ain compelled to
decide as have done. The same motives which
impeIIod me to separate from the admInstra-
lion of Geu. jackson, in the plenitude Of lis
power, and to come 10 the rescue of Mr.. Van
| Buren's at its greatest depression, compels me
now to withhold my name from the proposed
| Convention.
Having now assigned my reasons for refusing
to permit my name to go before lhe BALTIMORE
Convention, it rests with you who have placed
il before The people and assented to abide by a
Convention fairly constituted to determine
what course you will pursue.
Be your decision what it may shall be con-
tent. But regard il us due TO the occasion. TO
YOU any myself, to declare that under no cir.
| Cutn6taHCcS "lldleVCI SoIi
didate, who is opposed TO free trade, and in fa-
vor Of the protective policy, or whose promi.
nent and influential friends and supporters are.
hold the policy to be another name for ssys.
tenn Of monopoly and plumber. and to be tho
roughly anti republican and federal in its char
acter. IIalso hold that SO long as the duties
are so laid as to he in fact bounties to one por.
ton of the community, while they operate as
oppressive taxes on the other, there can be 10
hope thatthe Government can be reformed, OF
,ha, its expenditures will be reduced to The pro-
per standard. :.
Were l, with The evidences before me, to
say otherwise of my course, it would be, prac-
tically, to declare that I regard the protective
policy to be an open question, so far as the
party is concerned; which would consider on
my part, virtual abandonment of the cause o.
Free Trade That can never be. have done
and suffered too much for it, when its friends
were few and feeble, to abandon 1t nowInow
when the auspices every where, on this and
| tho o,bor aide of the Atlantic proclaim the ap.