Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-01-09

nave nuinUcrs OF men capable or 1liny tic
office. and it Is perhaps right that 10 one man
should fill that all controlling Office for so long
Il period as eight years Previous to giving the
election to the people in most of The States, Tile
general rule was to rc-elect the President, be-
cause of the overwhelming influence which his
office gave him over the State legislatures.
My second proposition in support of the bill
under consideration, is that the election OF
electors ought to be given to the people to
prevent the election of President from devol-
wing upon the Federal House of Representatives; {;
and maintain that the other States have given
the election to the people in part to prevent the
recurrence of such an appalling event. ms
Union consists of thirty-one States, as sovereign
communities, which are SO distant from each
other; their organizations so separate and dis
,inct: their centres Of action 40 remote tlleIr
interests so conflicting; their principles so anita
gons,ic, that there rarely could ever be, ut this
stage of The Republic, sufficient concert of coun-
sci and action among the legislatures TO rally
majority of the electoral college upon any one
man. The result therefore in most contests for
the Presidency would be. that the election could
only be decided by the Federal House OF Rep.
resentatves As long AZ Washington lived,
he headed party of his countrynen, to whom
his will was law, and hence there never was any
formidable opposition to him, or his successor,
whom he named. But at the very first election
after his death, what spectacle did the country
behold The election Of Presidential electors
was then in the hands of the legislatures, which
voted for President on different days in nearly
every State The ezaspiranls FOR Presidential
houors intrigued with the leading members OF
each Legislature who had previously been cleo
! ted, and the election was thrown into the House.
Several days were spent in frulIess ballots, ana
ut last two States, Delaware and South Carroll,
na, appalled, at tho approach of anarchy, voted
6nnk and Mr.. Jefferson WAS elected. lie I'M
media,ey bestowed high rewards upon those
who voted for him in the House, as well rs up
on those who had controlled the State legisla.
lures. But at the same time, he recommended
reform, and the constitution was amended, 4" to
the mode of elec,ing President, and for the last
time up to this hour.
Subsequent to 1901, two candidates for the
Presidency were generally put forward by Con,
gressional caucuses, SO as to cooperate and
unite public opinion upon one man by the party
in power, and upon another by the party in oP'
position This was done evidently to avert the
catastrophe of the election being again thrown
into the House. Under this system, the elec-
ton of President glided on smoothly, until the
age of peace, az IL was called, cam" on, when
four competitors for the Presidency were in the
feld-Mr. Adams, General Jackson, MIR. Clay
and Mr.. Crawford. In consequence of Con-
rressional caucuses having fallen into disuse
and the present national convention system be-
ING unknown, there WIS no general concert to
elect President. Wire-pullers were left full
scope to intrigue with the Legislatures in aucf
of tho States as had not yet given the election
of electors to the people, and by voting for to't'
candidates The election was again thrown into
the House, which became a second time nm as
sembly of electors, instead oflegislators. Wha
indescribable seenes were witnessed in the he
preventative hall, pending this election. Mem
bers who wero aspirants for office and whose
votes might have an important bearing upoT
their prospects for Executive appointments, ME
at the hour of midnight, log rolled, urged temp
ting bids for the votes of influential members
and in their bachanal orgies over the wine bottle
the successful and more corrupt party chante'
the sentiment, that "those who fell with tn
first Adams shall rise with the second.
Mr.. Adams therefore was accordingly electe'
, by corrupt coalition between himself and d.,
: Clay, either express or implied" and the vii
of the American people was thus defeated accor
ding to the highest contemporaneous aulnor!y
Such was the nude mockery Of the electlv
franchise exhibited to the public gaze that IN
President elect said in his message OF acccF
tango, that but for the absence OF constitutions