Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-11-19
The Electoral Question and the Nu-
nlcrical Wa aJority.

that it gave full utterance to their voice, and was
in all respects satisfactory plan that it was
strictly republican, inasmuch as it had cmanatcd
directly from the fathers of the Republic, had
obtained, in all of the Old Thirteen, aud had bccil
approvingIy acquic>ccd i'll by the people of the
State for nearly three quarters Of century.
Lastly we denied that the people at large had
evinccd any desire for change. We come now
to the discussion OF other points.
The good Of tie people is the suprcmela law"
low does The proposed change consist with this
'supremc law
MIR. CALHOUN i'll his unanSwerAbIe letter on
this question, las SO clearly demonstrated the
certain disastrous consequences resulting from the
change, that we can scarcely 10 more than rcSatc
his propositions. Ikcr@ are two ways by which
the change can be Effected. First, 10y the adop-
ton Of the general ticket system, and secondly
by the district system. Let us consider the for
mer 1t Is we'll Nnown that the present consti-
tuition of the Legislature is the result Of n wise
adjustment between the upper and lowercountry
made in 1908. 10y which the former has ma
iority in the House, and the latter in the Senate
In choosing Electors, therefore, the two sections
of the State concur in the choice system
productive Of the most healthtul and blessed re-
SUITS and which alone, cf all that have been
tried or proposed, ,uttcis the will Of the people
as an organic body-as a Stale.
1t renders impossible the absorption of power
bv either Of the sections distributes with an eUui-
table hand the honors and cmoIum,pts Of The
State. and above all, fosters shirt ,f harmony
and brothcrlv concession To i we owo tbct
uncyampled manmitv which IN Times nast has
m,do tLo S.oto nc an: man ,,,,or all thaso ;,ol
;ssuoS nf nol;., ord .ron1 rl;nL Ln,.o ,,,;.o.nJ
tbo oo,u,r,. Will a,L., cI.,". ias - .s,,,
anJ J'tnac.oJ ,,;,l ,,"anJ;-. .'.n..' .D,,.'
,la;r roI;,;,s, ,.,nma,;,a. ,,,i, ia'., '''
ca,,,l Con>I;,, 1'I,. ;, ~" ~ N' .''0"'
VII =, tI'a ,n,,,J -, ''c c 0a.I'rs
,a;... -. ' u ole'"'
.''.s " " s,.s" ,'o' wv u s"I ,' sou"'t,
s,C na NV. - g., ;,,',; ',',u "'0"u ~ ~ S
',nH t; ms. io' us.'ei l.e' ,o.e mas so''e o'.''
tIT'i. " .-'I u .''' '''' "'''
n.lIJ $780, S"a So's v. s't io".'' "i'i,, i,'',
e""oeu" '''''eo. v0"''.'t,u 'e''!oty anu sparse
icpu''.'oa ~ "'''' a." ,'''ue'ee ~ 'no ueS''''e'
oi 1I r,e na''on 'qu''l 10 the greatest
~ aaoP.'on o. Tie geeral Sese' SyS,el" ie,el'
.'ta '"'' 4" Viz N"''' we 'i"0'o 'o" MI VAL
AoUn sI,:
of .ol.;,,o. r. ~a.,' ~ H.. c,".. s'.
tLo r,are r,,nor;n,l ,,o;"s;,,. ~ ,';','. "' "n
;.s ,.naat a,,,n.i JJ .:I :''Ion. ~:
H. d.. "''u u.'e"' u''isU ""u
.'a. ls'.. s'o""s T"' VI 'iie'' :"
T. ~ Eenra W. ~ .t 'a I.'".a ,a
politcal CHANGES tLrnIml, wI;cL i has nassod
But of all the forms of power. the numerical ma
oritv is bv far the most absorbing in its cbarac-
ter and difficult to countcract. 1t is. indeed
tut the s'L~vlrto md er-roeic form, of Popular
Government, just as much so as the absolute and
despotic power of one man, or few, is OF the
Monarchica and Arisocr tcal. Now. all expe.
ricnce shows that there is constant and strong
tendency in all constitutional governments to
their absolute and d'~rotie torm, aud i'll none
more so than III popular constitutional govern
mctts Ike That OF this State, resting OH the rrn-
clple o! the concurrent majority, as all Such
governments must: Indeed, nothing short OF
high degreeof intelligence and constant vigilance,
can counteract this tendency as the history OF all
such governments prove. Our cwn, both Federal
and state, already give strong indications OF it;
SO much so, that 1t has become fixed opinion
III large portion oil the Cnlon, that the mere
numerical majority OF Tie whole l''S the absolute
and lndeieaslOic rlght to govern
Here then it commences by establishing Irin-
cIple destructive 10 rcpublcanism, TO freedom it.
self. The principle that the numerical majority
is the State, and ought to govern, is the very cs-
scnce of consolidation. 1t is the most subtle and