New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-01

,o,. National Conventions !:

Frun al
,...la o., avery purpose Of collecting ana GNU
,,.,-,,,,ioo- of giving elevation and direction
. ',,h,,c o,iniop-so- every purpose but that Oh
- -. ..,.4,.,of.. for the Presidency This
..., -, take care Of itself Ia the absence Of
.,ch Conventions. whose DEGREES are oeoo~---
O., J.,sb,y ,yrannical and barIhensome, % long
.. rbs two great parties shall substantially diVi'e
the Country each holding National Nominating
Convention every fourth year. the People VIII
be virtually comp PEELED % choose between tne TWO
candidates 50 presented or 70 throw away tnrT
votes. Ard. IS large majority OF the voters are
ve~y properly averse TO r.ag IN TIE air. me resa''
inevitably IS that the comparatively lev sna oy no
mean. disiateresied persons who choose and are
chosen Delegates 20 Baltimore or FNN'aeip"A
regularly make our Presidents BY naming Two
per.ons Of whom one cannot fail 70 be the next
Chief Magistrate Of TIE Uninn.
Tois a. lost besraoe when the two great parties
are 50 nearly equal IN Numerical strength that the
issue Of a Presidential struggle - generally i,t 70
be d ,ubtial, imposing on each Convention the nr-
res,ity Of nominating candidates who have al least
toe .snb.ance Of popularity 70 recommend them.
But let one party obtain decided ascendancy
aid then the innate v'ciousnets o. NatonsI O"h'
ventions will be uurnis,sksoiy manifested. Iney
" become mere Exchange. FOR the barter o. IN
ces, where sbarpers aud selfish Pc iticai managers
wall regularly cOngregste to apPorton tie puD'c
puoder--he a 30 can coot-Ol the Delegation ir'm
"a 'a-ge STATE securing to himself place I'D me
next Cabinet, while the iuglemsn Of sinsie
DELEGATION secures Foreisn Mission and me
master Of a single vote must be content win
Cglectosship or Post Otice. IN other words
the Government will be set up for sn'e, as that 4"
Imperial Rome once was by her Pfstonan Guards
and the most interruptions bidder VIII oltene"
carry of the prize.
We must reform this m season. or It Will deIy
reforming effort When the selfish interests ano
consequence Of the Convention-making cia''
shall have become more palpably involved ih the
present system, that class will have the influence
and the will 70 postpone indefinitely any organic
change. Now is the time for sction' when a!
passions are Gained, and when no interest Will De-
otherwise than remotely Infected. The end may
be reached BY a simple act OF the several State
Legislatures prescribing, /. That each voter for
Presidential Electors may place at the head OF his
ballot the names Of the persons he prefers ioT
PRESIDENT hitu VIC iifsAAthN AthfeNtl''f@ 49,"
2. That such endorsements or designations shall
be counted, returned, canyas.ed and declared the
same as the votes for Electors.
SO much being prescribed by law there would
be no farther necessity nor excuse Tor Nationa'
Nominating Conventions. The claims OF all per
sons deemed eligible to the Presidency aud Wee
Presidency might be canvassed with entire free
dom up 10 the day of election, and any Journal or
individual might avow and indicate preference
for any candidate without dersnging party ma
ohinery. Each party Ia each State would IN due
season nominate an Electoral Ticket, avowing
preference as to President il such preference
should seem all but unanimous, but leaving IN
Electors free If chosen, TO vote according TO such
indications OF popular sentiment as the Election
should furnish.
Now the voters. after having heard the merits,
not Of one only Of each party but Of all persons
suggested for the Presidency, discussed through
the canvass will, on coming TO the polls, say ~
1854 End there the Electoral ballots OF their re-
so,ctiye parties headed with the names OF the
various oand dates, thus For President, Henry
Clay; For Vice President. George Evans, Others,
For President, Mlllard Fillmore Vce-President
Willie p Msngum; others, For President,
Thomas Corwin; Vice-Presdent, Con. James
Wilson : others, For President, William II Sew
ard Vice.Presldent. Edw ard Bate and 80 on
The opposite party viii in hike manner have bal.
lots headed with the names OF Benton, Bochau
an. Woodbury., Calhoun, &C. Each voter viii
select ballot headed by the men Of bis choice
aud deposit II in the bslotbox. TIE Inspectors OF
II that hundred vote
were cast in their District Tor a certain list OF
Electors, Of which votes say two hundred were
beaded with tho names Of Clay and Evans, the
balsnce as the fact may be; while two hondre
and fifty votes were cast for the antagonist &c.
toral Ticket, one hundred OF them endorsed as i'
Benton, fifty for Buchanan, hity for Calhoun, &c
These results being duly certified aud returned l.
the State Cauvassers, they won declare the thir.
ty.sx persons having each larger numbered votes
than any Others were duly chosen E~ctors aud
that of the votes cast for Them 1t appeared that the
largest portion ls'stiug the numbers all aroaud
had been cast Cor Henry Clay or whoever else b.
mish, Be- iog President and 90 with regard q
NicePcesident
o, course, the Electors would be only morally
not iuhcxb,, bound by the indications Of plu'
rally OF their supporters They might Cad tbs
the candidate who stood second ia the favor OF tn,
WINS of their own State stood INST ia that Of
majority Of the Wings OF the whole Uaion, and
vote ia accordance with the National rather thar
the local Whig sentiment. in order 20 Keep Tx
election out Of the House. Toe general Purpos'
would still be attained. however. The Electors
no longer mere automatic or straw cAsies. We },
be necessarily chosen from our most capable au,
trusted citizens, each having character q SUITE
BY his deviation lrom a. straight path 81 intcsr.
~. II would be their daty 20 ascertain and ooe.
the indications Of pablc sentiment Afforded by tb'
peoples ballots 70 do other than thss would sub
ject them to lasting isnominy and bauishmeu
from pubic confidence. The result would be Al
election virtually by the People voting not as the.
must but they viii.
What valid objection can there be % this plan
What insuPeraee obstacles 70 It's adoption We
does not see that ITS advantages are obvious an,
manifold II it only relieve the President from
sense Of obligation to those who IN effect nomina
ted him, It would be worth trial