Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1844-08-21

7 and lncontroveriible, gentlemen, are the
principles | have lald down, in their ap.
! plication 10 the South. that ! know they
7 must prevail, whateFer may be MY fate as
, one Of their asserters AID advocates. To
me, ii is unimportant what it may be, pro-
yided shall be able to succeed in making
J apparent TO my constituents those sunbeam
J written views of duty by which | have
been governed as Southern man and a
, Representative of Georgia. My obliga-
! tons to myself and to them, demand this
of me; and to this end. it is my present
intention to throw myself fully on the at
! ;ention of the people of the third Congress
sional district during The coming canvass.
You will at once perceive how incumbent
II is on me TO make this appeal TO the peo-
pie; for am arraigued. and censured
throughout the State by many whose OPT
MONS have the utmost weight and authori-
lty; and the decree of the nominating
Convention (of which you are members)
will, doubt not, be soon brought TO the
aid and support of those censures. But,
gentlemen, assure you shall enter upon
the discharge of the duty these circum-
stances impose, in the right spirit. Ques-
tions of SO grave and portentous charac-
ter, so fearlully freighted with the desti-
MES OF the South, as those which now
summon our attention, should, and will,
awe down the petty animosites of ordi-
nary contests, and call up in their stead,
the purest and most exalted impulses and
yearnings OF patriotism.
Gentlemen, | have detained you long
yet not longer than the number and mag.
nltude of the inquiries you PROFOUND TO
me made necessary. Two Of the topics
! have noticed, are not embraced by your
questions--lnternal improvements by the
General Government, and Texan annexa.
ton. But, as the support Of the one, and
opposition to the other, are among the
leading measures Of the wing party; and
as both are questions in which the people
of Georgia have a deep stake-I felt that
my answer TO you and exposition to them,
would be incomplete and unsatisfactory
if those questions were omitted from my
review.
| perceive, however, ON glancing over
what have written, that have failed as
yet TO say aught on the question of limit
ing the Presidential service to one term.
| am inclined favorably, gentlemen, to this
one.term principle. lis great advantage
would be the difficulty, under it, Of sus.
tanning and perpetuating party in power
by means OF Executive patronage and the
disbursements from the Treasury. Would
to God We could, at the same time, fall
upon some scheme Of thwarting the per-
petuation and domination in the country
of another sort of party still more PERM.
cious; party, mean, such as now exists,
and is making everywhere the most appal.
ling efforts 10 seat itself firmly in power; Il
a party based on the principle of using the
taxing power and all the moneyed engines
on which the Government can Law its
hands, by way of direct appeals to indivi- t
dual cupldity and sectional enrichment and {
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT,
But, although in favor of the one.term
principle, doubt whether the best way of
enforcing it would not be by the voluntary
action of public opinion- Just as the two ,
term principle became consecrated as a
sort Of Presidential common law for long
series of years, in consequence of the ex-
ample of Washington, and the usage and
sentiment to which it gave rise. The
sufliciency of the mere feeling and opin.
ion of the country to effect the object, is
demonstrated by the fact, that not only the
same, but much smaller concurrence OF
the public mind than would be necessary
to amend the Constitution, will always
ensure the retirement, either willingly or
unwillingly, of every President at the end
of his first term. Then, if any extraor.
binary crisis should occur-such as the
existence OF great war would be apt to
present-in which the salvation or honor
of the country would be exposed to in
creased peril by an imperative consti,u-
tional necessity of changing the Executive
head of the nation, amidst the clash Of
arms, and the suspended fate of Campaigns,
it would be within the competency Of the
people, in their wisdom and patriotism, to
make the neodfui exception for the partic.
ular conjuncture, Besides, before deter
mining to make the principle part of the
Constitution, it strikes me it would be well
10 have The benefit of Somewhat full ex-
perience Of the effect of doubling the ra.
pidity of the rotary motion, by which the
great lottery wheel of our system period.
cally gathers up, and throws out again, all
the seductive honors and emoluments,
great and small, of the Government, for
general scramble.
Gentlemen, with the greatest respect
and friendship, am, your fellow-citizent
and obedient servant,
ABSALOM II. CHAPEL.
To Gen. E.. ReaIl. Rowland Riuins