Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-09-10

coming upon the stage Ii tried several times with
success and appreciation public sentiment having
been followed and not led, by the 1t at
tempted in 1924 and failed the friends of Mr. Crawford
only attendng-others not attending not from any
pugnance to the practice their previous conduct had
shown but because it known that Mr. Crawford had
the largest number Of friends in Congress, and would as
suredy receive the nomination All the rest, therefore
refused to go into it all joined in opposing the caucus
candidate" as Mr.. Crawford called; all united in
painting the intrigue and corruption Of these nom
nations, and the anomaly Of members of Congress joining
in them BY their joint efforts they succeeded, and just
y in the fact though not in the motive in rendering these
Congress nominations odous to the people, and
broke them down. They were dropped, and different
mode Of concentrating public opinion was adoptedthat
of party nominations by conventions of delegates from the
States This worked well at first, the will Of the people
being strictly obeyed by the delegates, and the majority
making the nomination. But it quickly degenerated,
and became obnoxious to all the objections to Congress
nominations, and many others besides Members
Of Congress still attended them either delegates or as
lobby managers Persons attended as delegates who
had constituency Delegates attended upon equivocal
appointments Double sets of delegates sometimes came
from the same State and either were admitted repused,
suited the views of the majority Proxies were invented
Many delegates attended with the sole view of establish
ing claim for office, and voted accordingly The two
thirds rule invented to enable the minority to
troll the majority; and the whole proceeding became
anomalous and Irresponsible and subversve of the will OF
the people, leaving them control the nomi-
nation than the subjects of kings have the birth Of
the child which is born to rule over thsr King caucus
is potent any other king in this respect for who
ever gets the nomination-no matter how efectedbe-
comes the candidate Of the party from the necessity of
union against the opposite party and from the ndispos
Of Stotao n into IF Rnnpa
sentatyes be balanced by the small This is the
mode ofmakng Presidents pracsed by both parties
1t is the virtual election and thus the election of the
President and Vice President of the United States has
passed-not only from the college of electors to which
the constitution conded it. and from the people to whom
the practice under the constitution gave it, and from the
House Of Representatives which the constitution provided
ultimate arbters but has gone to anomalous ire
sponsible body unknown to law constitution unknown
the early ages our Government and Of which large
proportion of the members composing it, and much
larger proportion onteropers attending it, have nd0her
view either in attending in promoting the nomination
of any particular than to get one elected who will
enable them to eat of the public cribs who will give them
key to the public crib The evil is destructive to the
rights and sovereignty of the people and to the purity
of elections The remedy is in the application of the
democratic principle the people to vote direct for Pres
dent and Vice President and second election to be held
Immediately between the two highest if has
jorty of the whole number the first trial But this
would require amendment of the constitution not to
be effected but by of twothirds of each
House of Congress and the sanction of threeourths Of
the Statesa contamination to which the strength Of the
people has not yet been equal but Of which there is
to despair. The great parliamentary reform in
Great Britain only carried after forty years of
tinued annual persevering exertion. Our constitutional
reform in this point Of the Presidential election may
require but few years in the meanwhile am for the
people to select well elect their candidates. and for
reference the House to choose out of three present
ed by the people, instead Of nomination of whom
it pleased The House Of Representatives is no longer
the small and dangerous electoral college that
Instead of thirteen States, have thirty in
stead Of Representatives have above two
hundred Responsibility in the House is well estab
lished and political ruin and personal humiliation at
tend the violation Of the viii Of the State No coul
be elected now or endeayor to be elected (aer the
perience Of 1900 and S25 who is not at the head Of thu
list and the choice Of a majority of the Union Thu
lesson of those times would deter imitation and til,
democratic principle would again crush all that were in
strumental in thwartng the public will There is nc
longer former danger from the House of Representa-
tves any thing in it to justify previous resort tC
be- The House is legal and responsible, which the
vention is not with better chance for integrity hay
ing been actually elected by the people, and restrain
ed by position, by public opinion, and clause in the
constitution from the acceptance Of Office from the man
they elect 1t is the constitutional umpire and until the
constitution is amended for acting upon IT as it is