Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-06-05
From the Democratic Reuiew.
A Much.nceded Reform.

A Much-nceded Reform.
We wish to address a serious word to thoughtful
minds and patriotic hearts among all our political
parties ,-though, indeed, it is chiefly from those of
our own, the party of Democratic freedom, mo- ement
and oPenness to suggestions of reform, that we must
expect any favorable hearing for such suggestion as
we desire to make.
In the first place, all will agree with us in one
thlng-that our Presidential Elections have become
tremendous nuisances. That they seem TO be grow
ing worse and worse every time, is equally clear.
Only reflect upon the recollections of 1910 and 1914.
Is it not a monstrous evil that the whole country
should be agitated with such a desperate struggle of
parties, as that which, in both those years, has ragged
over the whole length and breadth Of the land, from
centre to EXTREMIST circumference Are not these
frequent shocks too violent, too cOnyulsing, too dislo-
eating! Is it a trining mischief, that our population.
divided into two almost equal numerical halves,
should be every four years thus precipitated against
each other, with all the luminosity, bitterness, revil-
ings, and r~esentments which now mingle all their
bad elements to swell that huge evil of Party Spirit,
which all deplore, yet all share, and all contribute to
stimulate I! That so much time should be wasted, so
much capital squandered, so much energy misapplied,
so much bad feeling mutually excited, so much de-
morallzation, public and private, engendered Sure
ly, on this point, at least, all our readers will heartily
agree. e..
But, how is the evil to be remedie ed lis the next
consideration; or, if not susceptible of remedy, at
least %mitigated !! Fewer elections longer tenure
of the Presidency-wil probably be the answer of
most to whom the question for the first time presents
itself. The suggestion once thrown out by General
Jackson, of six years and a single term, will doubt
less occur to almost every reader. Would that
change mend the matter! Far, indeed, from it and
General Jackson never made q greater mistake in his
life.
For what is It that has swelled our Presidential
elections into what we see them now! What is 1t
but the immense importance already attaching to
hem-the immense interests already involved in
them : If the Importance of the oficc, from its con-
trolling veto influence on legislation for four years, is
increased-if the interests involved in it, by convert
ing the general tenure of all the benefits of its pat
ronage from four years to six, are magnlfed in the
proportion of those fgures-what other effect would
be produced than to swell the very evil which is thus
sought to be remedied by a process akin, in wisdom,
to that OF extnguishing a fire by the addition OF
fuel !
But it may be said, we should at least have a long
period of intermission. Allow one or two. years for
the actual contest, there would be at least four or FIVE
of something like repose. This is a fallacy. Have
we any intermlssion-any repose-any thing better
than a slight, momentary lull, in the perpetually rag
ing storm And, surely, it would be proportionately
worse, If the fury of the storm were to be increased,
by the stimulation of the causes to which it is chiefly
TO be ascribed. 1t is not every four years that we
hold a Presidential election now. Tits every fear
in some States, every half year. Not only every
member of the federal legislature, but, as a general
@S 0 ~
tive and legislative-nay, every town clerk and eve
ry village constable-is elected on Presidential prin.
ciples, Presidential interests, Presidential tendencies.
Wing songs for l64S are already set to musical
ready sung by the registering patriotism of bar-room
politics. The echoes of the shouts which greeted
President Folks inaugural are yet in one ear, while
the other is already saluted with party clamors and
party discussions having reference to the formation of
issues and organizations for the election of his sue
cessor. Gentlemen may cry peace, peace, but there
is no peace !-rest, rest, but there is no rest And
all this,-or a large part of it-grows out of the vast
magnitude of the consequences of an election, on the
present tenure of. power by a victorious party. This
is the great motive-this the perpetual stimulus.
Hence the hope and the effort-hence the anger and
the observation-disclosures the strong excitement of
all the ambitions, interests, intrigues, and passions
which attend one of these great struggles of parties,
and which become Immediately transferred with
scarcely diminished violence, even though the, loud
ness of their expression may subside for a while-to
the next renewal of the same still beginning, never
ending contest.
The true remedy lies exactly In the opposite direc-
ton. Attack the effect in its causes. Do not dream
of reducing the former by magnifying the latter, but
In proportion as you reduce the latter the former VIII
subside, if we may never expect to see it wholly dis
appear. Make a Presidential Election less import
ant; make the splendor of the Presidential prize less
an object of temptation to deep intrigue and despe-
rate struggle on the part of great politicians make
its patronage less an object of minor ones who over
spread the country-~Th0 raise the claInOrs-OrBan-
ize and work the machineries-govern the local Polit-
zeal afairs-and direct, if they do not create, a large
part at least of the public opinion. Shorten the Pre-
SidentiaL tenure and reduce the E@ecutsUe patronage.
This is the only remedy, and matters have reached
such a pass that it must soon be applied, and all re-
| hecting men must soon admit into their minds the
truth of Its necessity.
For our own part, our preference is clear for an
: annual term, with unrestricted re-eligibility upon
which, custom would soon fix the law of one or two
reflections as the proper limit Of individual ambl-
ton.
What A Presidential Election every year An
earthquake annually A political revolution with
every revolution of the seasons!
Softly, softly, we reply-you forget that If we
should have four times as many Presidential Elec-
tions, they would be in more than equivalent proper
tion reduced in importance and excitement. A Presl-
Dental Election would then add little or nothing to
the excitement of an ordinary local election. These
latter we have every year, and must continue to have
Il Nay, no one of them would be attended with hall the
excitement that now pervades them all. AS before
remarked, every one Of them is already PRESIDENTIAL
Election-and an election having reference TO a four
years Presidential tenure, with all its passions, its
{ ambitions and its bitternesses. The Presidential
question would no longer be the Aaron's rod to swal-
low I'D all the rest. 1t would be, as it ought to be,
z subordinate to the State and Municipal questions up
on which the State and Municipal elections ought to
I turn. It would then add nothing sensibly 70 their ex-
r citement, while they would. be, relieved from the iac-
t %titious excitement which they now borrow from It
Of a verify, this appears so plain, that we are only
astonished that it IS not already a universal conylc-
} ton, already ripe for immediate translation into ac-
r ton as a practical constitutional reform. That it viii,
that il must, very soon be so, we cannot doubt.
Il R,t-fsb,u again exclaim the obfector1-shall we