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

ton should be so constituted, J, as to- utter
fully and clearly the voice ofslhe people,
and not that Of political managers or
Office holders andl Office seekers; and ;lcr
that purpose, Ihold it indispensable, that
the Delegates should beappointed directly
by the people, or to use the language OF
Gen. ackson. should be fresh from tno
people," also hold, that the only posi-
ble mode 10 effect this, is for the people 10
choose the Delegates by Districts and 'hal !, al
they should vote per capita: Every o;neI
mode of appointing would be controlled
bv noli,icai machinery. and place the ap'
nointments in the hands Of The few, who
work il. sa
Iobiect, then, TO the proposed Conven'
tion. because ii will not be constituted III
conformity with this fundamental article
of,he Republican creed. The Delegates
to i, will be appointed from some OF the
States, not by the people in Districts. oal
as has been stated, by Safe Conventions
en- masse, composed of Delegates. a,p-
nointed in all cases, as ia, as | am IN
formed, by County or District Conven'
lions. and in some cases, if not msinlorm-
ed, these again composed OF Delegates
appointed by still smaller divisions or a
few interested individuals. Instead then
of being directly, orfresh from The people,
tina DELEGATES to the Baltimore Convention
will be the Delegates Of Delegates; and Of
course removed, in all cases, at least lhree'
if not four degrees from the people. Al
each successive remove, tho votes Oh 'ne
neople will become less full and dIst'nct,
mill. at last, i, will be so faint and I'M
nerlect, as not to be audible. To drop
metaphor, hold it impossible 10 form a
scheme more perfectly calculated 10 anni-
hilale the control Of the people over Inc
Presidential election, and vest it IN those'
who makes politics trade, aud who live
or expect to live on the Government.
In this connection, object not the less
strongly 70 the mode in which Virginia has
resolved the Delegates shall vote. With
alldue respect, must say, can imagine
nothing more directly in conflict with the
principles of our federal system of govern
meni, OTTO use broader expression, the
principles on which all confederated com
munities have been united. | hazard moth
ING in saving, t.a, there is not an instance
in our political history, from the meeting
of the first Revolutionary Congress to Inc
present day, fthe Delegates OF any State
voting BY majority aud counting per capita:
nor do believe an instance of the kind
can be found in the history of any confed
Grated community. There is indeed some.
thing monstrous in The idea of giving the
majority. the right of impressing the vote
ofthe minority into its service, and count
inc, them as its own. The plain lule-
that which has ever prevailed, and which
conforms 10 the dictates of common sense,
is. that where a Stale votes as Estate,
by majority of its Delegates, the votes
count one, oe they few or many, or The
Stale large or small. On the contrary,
where The votes Of all the Delegates are
counted, the vote individually and inde-
penden,ly, each for himself counting one.
And i, is 10 be noted, that wherever this
latter mode of voting exists among confed-
Grated States, it is in all cases founded on
compact, to which the consen, of each
Safe is required. In the absence of CON-
pact, the invariable mode of voting in
such States, is, in all cases, by tho ma
ioriiy, their vote counting one. The
course which Virginia has resolved to
,eke. is in violation of this plain and fun
dameutal rule, and If il should become a
settled practice, would be destructive of
the foundation on which the whole struc-
,urc Of Ihe State Right doctrine is reared.
Ihold, in the next place, 10 be an indis-
nensable principle, that the Convention
should be so constituted, as 10 give 10 each
State. in the nomination Of candidate,
the same relative weight, which the Con
s,ilution secure TO it in the election of the
President, making due allowance for its
relative parry strength. By the election,
I mean the whcle--ihe eventual choice
when it goes into the House of Represcn-
,a,iyes, as we'll as the primary vote in the
electoral college, The one is as much a
mart of The election as the other. The two
make The whole. The adoption Of the
one, in The Convention, which framed the
Constitution, depended on the adoption Of
The other. Neither could possibly be adopt
ed alone. The two were the result Of
compromise between the larger aud small,
Ter States, after a long and doubtful slrug-
gle, hich threatened The loss of the Con-
sii,ution itself. The object of giving
the eventual choice by the House. was to
coun,erpoise the prePonderance of the lar
ger in The electoral college. Without this.
the smaller would have voted against The
whole provision, and its rejection would
have been the consequence. Even as ii
stands, Delaware voted against it. In
confirmation Of what state, refer 10 Mr..
Madison's report on the proceedings oflhe
Convention.
Having stated what mean by the elec-
ton, it will require hut few words to ex-
plain my reasons for the principles have
laid down. They are are few and simple,
md rest on the ground, that The nomina.
ton is in reality the election, ifcoucurred
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