Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-02-24

fb,yc left II 10 r0n, my ir'ehns ana sup
.a,,r,., through whose favorable estimates.
NV qualifications my name has been pre-.
lied 10, the people OF the United States
- he offceof Chicf Magistrate, to con.
p s"., the canvass on such principles aud in
ea ~ manner as you might think best. But
dining, did not waive my rgh. to
aI,.ymiuc on my individual responsibility,
~, course my duty might compel me 10
ar..e ultimately. nor have been an mat
Rive observer Of the canvass and the
.osrse ron have taken.
!, affords me pleasure to be enabled TO
-..a,hat, ma all leading questions growing
!, of the canvass. | heartily concurred
ia you m the grounds you took, and e.
~.eajlythose relating 10 the mode in which
Z. delegates TO the proposed Convention
- held in Baltimore should he appointed,
"a bow ty,ey sheuld vota.a You have, in 4
~ .c;ciop conc 'usive ely shown that they
'la.ld be appointed by districts and vote
-, capi,a. but your reasons, as conclusive
I. ,her arc, have proved i,I vain.. Already
Nv York aud some other States have ap.
.;,,.d delegates en- masse bv State Con
P.;or.. and one Statc evirginia) has re-
lived that the votes Of her delegates shall
H. settled BY the majority and be counted
- capita. Their course should nccessari-
irnvrrrule that which YOU have so ably 5
.apoortca. should you GO into Convention,
md would leave you no alternative but to
Weld yours and adopt theirs, however much
,oa may be opposed TO il on principle, or to o
.eet them on the most unequal terms, VIII:
Ar,ded against united and concentrated
forces.
Tlre que stion is then, what cour:e under
IA circumstances should be adopted ..
And that question you will be compelled
.peedlv to decide. The near approach Of
the time for meeting OF the proposed Con-
ycniion will not admit ei mnch longer delay.
Eat, as your course may depend in some de-
gree on that which have decided to take,
idecm il due 10 the relation subSsting be-
tween us to make mine known to YOU with
out further delay. then. after the most
careful. and deliberate survey of the ground
huye decided that cannot permit my nssae
70 qobciore the proposed Convention, cea-
slituted as ii must now be, consistently
with the principles which have ever guided
INV pubic Conduct. hy objections are in
,aocrab.c As it must I've constituted, it is
repusnan Ia all the principles Oh which,
IN INV opinion. sarh convention should
he formed. What those principles are |
sball now proceed briefly 10 state. | hold,
,hen. with gu, shat the Convention should
le 80 constituted as to utter fully and clear
ly the voice Of the People, and not that of
,olitical managers, or ofhcc-hoders end
.dficc seekers; and, for that purpose, hold
i, Indispensable that the delegates should
he appointed directly by the people, or, TO
use the language oil General Jackson, should
be fresh from the people" | also Ii Id
that the only possible mode TO effect this is
for the people to choose the delegates by
districts, and that they should vote per ca
pi,a Every other mode of appointing would
be controlled by political machinery, and
place the appointments in the hands of the
lew who work it. l object. then. to the
proposed COM eplicn. because it will not be
constituted in conformity with this funda-
mental article Of :he Republican creed
The delegates to it will be appomtcd from
some Of the States, net by the people in dis.
irlcls, bat, as has been stated, by State
Conventions masse, composed of deie.
Eaies appointed in all cases, as far as | am
Elcrned, by county or district conventions,
and in some cases, II not misiniormed, these
again composed If delegates appointed by
siIll smaller divisions. or a few interested
Individuals. Instead, til ca. OF being d rect.
" or fresh from the people, the delegates t.
the Baltimore Convention Will be the dele,
gates of delegates, and of coarse removed
IN all cases, at leas. three if not -four de-
grecs from the people At each successive
remove Lie voice of4lre people will become
less full ana distinct, until at last it viii
he SO faint asld imperfect as not to be audi.
bic. To drop metaphor, hold it impossi-
BILE TO form scheme more perfectly calcu-
lated to anuihilatc the control oil the peo-
pie over the Presidential election, and vest
it on those who make politics trade, and
who live, OF expect 20 ike, on the Govern
nent ~ts
In this conneSion, object no; less strong
ly 10 the mode in which Virginia has re-
seised her delegates shall vote. With aii
due respect. must say, l can imagine no.
thing more directly in conflict with the
principles Of our Federal system Of Govern
sncht, or, t., use broader expression, the
principles Oh which all confederate commu-
mites have ever been united. l hazard
s'oti,iNg in saying that there is not an IN
stance in our political history, from the
meeting OF the first Revolutionary Congress
10 the present day, of the delegates OF any
State voting by ma jority and counting per
capita nor DO I beF,eyc an instance Of the
kind can he found in the history Of any
eonfederatcd community. There is, indeed,
something inonstrous in the idea Of giving
the majority the right OF impressing the
votes OF the minority into its service, and
counting them as its own. The plain ruic,
that which has ever prevailed, and which
conforms tnt!,c dictates of common sense,
n,t!iat where Il State votes as State by
majority of its delegates, the votes count
one, be they few many. or the State large
OF SMALL On tho contrary, where the Votcs
ofall the delegates are counted, they vote
individually and Independently: each fer
4 IT..
cd that, whenever this latter mode of vot-
ing exists among confederate States, 1t IS
mall cases founded on compact. to which
The consent Of each State is required. In
the absence Of compact the insaria BILE mode
al voting IN such States is in all cases ny
the majority. t,e.r vote counting one. The
course which Virginia has resolved TO take
is IN violation of this plain and inndai1eh'
tai rule. aud destructive Of the iounuatioh
on which the whoc structure oi the State
rights doctrine is reared.
hold il, in the next place, to be an m
dispensable principle that the Convention
should he SO constituted as to give 10 cach
State, in the nomination OLA candidate, the
same relative weight which the constitution
secures 10 il in tho election OF The frcs,'
dent, making due allowance Tor ITS relative
party strength. BY the election mean
abe who!c-ihc eventual choice when IT
goes into the House Of Representatives, as
we'll as the primary vote in the electoral
college. The one is rs much part oil the
election as the ether, the tMo make the
whole. The adoption Of the one in the con-
cvn,on which framed the constitution de-
p,ndcd on the adoption Of the other. Net
Their could possibly be adopted alone. The
two we're the rcsult Of compromise betwcen
the larger. and smallc, States, after long
and doubtful struggle, which Threatened
sL> ~. r.r,;,.,s;ou ;fself Tho n h..