The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-02-10
THE TWO SUBJECTS OF DEBATE in
THE HOUSE.

THE HOUSE.
We understand that the Locofocos held eau
Gus the other evening, at which it was deter
mined that the debate upon the report of the
Committee on Elections, in regard to the right
of the persons elected as members by general
ticket to hold their seats in violation of the pro-
visions of the apportlonment law, shall cease on
Tuesday next AS they constitute two-thrds Of
the House, they can of course do whatever they
please, and may apply the gag whenever they
think proper to do SO. 1t strikes US, however, as
being little singular that they should pursue SO
different course on the two most important SUBJ
jects now before that body; that while they show
so much anxiety to preventith people from OBJ
tanning light upon the question which involves
their rightto be represented by Districts they are
quite willing the debate upon the rules should go
on week after week, almost month after month,
the House in the meantime being without per-
manent rules, and acting under those temporarily
adopted. bsrs gi. As
Why this extreme anxiety to smother discus
sion upon the first subject-one of very great
importance, and involving constitutional ques-
IiOIl, dllu pcTicCL WDUU9HSSS tOOCC SO muCD
time in debating the other! Is it because they
fear the course they are pursuing in setting at
naught the apportonment law of the last Con-
gress viii not bear the test of examination? Do
they fear the scrntinizing eye of the people Are
they alarmed lest their constituents and masters
should understand the subject too well IF not,
why are they SO DESTROYS to apply the gag, and
silence debate s
1T is amusing to see how principles change
with circumstances, and how different are the
phases of Democracy at different times and IN
der different circumstances. For Instance, the
system Of electing members of Congress by dis
tricts is now anti-democratic, and the most ultra
Democrats in the House are endeavoring to dis
tingush themselves by their opposition to this
system. Do they know what the Democratic
doctrine upon this subject was in 1926! Do
they know that the subject was then discussed
in Congress, and the opinion of the leading men
ofthe party at that time deliberately placed upon
record If not, we can enIighten them, and for
their especial edifcalion quote the following pas
sage from the report of committee of the Sen
ate, of which Mr.. Benton was chairman, Che be
ing the author of the report,) made at the lst
session Of the 10Th Congress (l626) In that
report he deliberately, and with peculiar force
and propriety, says:
q The objection, that the establishment Of
uniform mode Of election by districts will trench
upon the rights Of the States, cannot be admit
ted. Uniformity, as such, cannot be an evil
and if it was, the inhiction of it could not be
avoided by rejecting the committees plan Of
amendment For if uniformity by districts is
not established by the free consent of the States,
uniformity by general ticket or legislative ballot
must be imposed by necessity. For, when the
largeSiates consolidate their votes to overwhelm
the small ones those, in their turn must concen-
trate their own strength 10 resis, them. few
States may perseyere, for some Time, in what
they believe to be the fairest system but when
they see the unity Of action which others derive
from the general ticket and legislative modes Of
election, they will not, and, with due regard to
their own safety, they cannot resist the tempta-
ton of following the same plans. Hence, uni
adopted from choice; with this great difference,
that the first uniformity will deliver up the votes
of the State to the active managers in the Gen
eral Assemblies, while the latter would leave
them in the hands Of the real sovereign. the
qualified voters Of the whole State il can
hardly be said that the States would have a
choice, when the option would be between fall
ing into the general ticket system, and submit
ting 10 a material diminution of their relative