New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-04
Election Of President by the People No
National Convention

National Convention
All full inside = queried looker-in at
the door of London omnibus. Cant
say for the rest" responded Charles Lamb
from one of the seats; but that last piece
'of oyster pie did the business for me-"
The last Wing National Convention at
Philadelphia was equally eficacious in our
case. We had attended all the previous
Wing National Conventions since 1882;
but from this we were, as John Van Buren,
aptly expressed it, like a cholera patient,
discharged cured We earnestly desire
that there shall never be another. We are
satisfied that such, no matter of which
party, tend to limit the freedom of thought,
to impede progress in the discovery and es-
adjustment of Political Truth-te enchain
men to organizations, to catch-words, to
dead formulas, when their minds should be
left open to the ready reception and assim-
ilation of moral truth. If there could be
some National process akin to the reading
of the Riot Act, whereby all subsisting
parties could be dispersed, and all party
names abolished every fourth year, the
Country and the cause of Human Progress
would be immensely gamers; but, in de-
fault of this, an utter disuse Of National
Conventions will be of vast benefit. And
this, we trust, may now be secured.
- What would you throw an election
of President evermore into the House Of
Representatives mo, Sir, nothing of the
sort, our idea is to keep it eyermOre out Of
that House, and have all future Presidents
nominated and chosen directly by the Peo-
pie. Our plan is briefly az follows;
Have no National Convention, and no ex-
elusive candidates for President and Vice
President on either side; but let the claims
and qualifications of all our eminent citizens
be freely discussed through the journals
and in popular assemblages with an eye to
their possible elevation to the Presidency.
Let this discussion begin as early as the
public interest in the subject shall suggest,
and be continued up to the day Of Election,
which is now, throughout the entire Union,
the Tuesday following the first Monday in
November Meantime let the State Con-
ventions of the two great parties land as
many more as shall see fit TOY assemble as
usual, and nominate Electoral Tickets to
be supported by all who shall prefer at the
approaching Election. Let these tickets be
printed with the names of the various cam
didates for President at the head-thus:
Over the Wing Electoral Ticket, For
President, Henry Clay; Vice President,
Washington Hunt; ; others For President,
Daniel Webster Vice President, John J.
Crittenden;' others, For President, Gen.
Winfield Scott; Vice-P President. Edward
Bates (of Missouri y and so on. Those of
the Opposition would in like manner bear
the names of Gen. Butler. Gen. Houston,
Gen. Cass, Col. Benton, Gov. Mcdowell
| Jefferson Davis, and so on. Then each
elector coming to the polls would vote the
Electoral Ticket of the party preferred by
him, his ballot at the same time expressing
his individual choice for President and
| Vice. President. The ballots thus voted to
be counted as voted-for instance: The
State Canvassers declare that the Vote Of
New York was cast as follows:
For the Wing Electoral Ticket. 100000
LocO-FOcO 100000
- Liberty -. 5000
And that the Wing Electors are chosen.
But they further report that the Wing Elec-
toral Ballots were headed as follows:
For PreSident-Henry Clay 10000;
Winfield Scott 10000; Daniel Webster
10000; Horace Mann 10000; and that
10000 were voted without any designation
Of Presidential candidate. They in like
manner state how the Loco Foco ballots
were headed, and 50 with regard to Vice
President. And so with other tickets that
might be voted.
Within ten days after Presidential
Election, it might, by means Of the Tee-
graph, be known throughout the Union
how the great bulk Of tkc vote Of either
party had been cast,--uot merely which
party had carried majority Of the Flee