Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1856-02-20

thus carried into effect, is much greater than
it would he, if the change be made; for mow
the State votes with something like unanim-
ity of sentiment, at least by large majority
of her citizens; while under the plans pro.
posed there would exist two rival parties in
the State, pretty nearly balanced, as in most
Statesof the Union; and hence The State
would be forced to take her position in the
Presidential election by a bare majority Of
votes. The will Of large and respectable
minority would be wholly unherded. And
what is worse-the whole conduct Of these
parties would be regulated by the wre.work-
ings of factious cliques and Of designing
politicians, the people having only nominal
voice. in the election Of President, while. in
reality they would be forced, by the irresis-
tible impulses Of party spirit, to adopt the
candidate Of their particular party. Thus
while the people would seem to play as
chiefs in grand political drama, they would
in truth be performing only as third rate
actors in n miserable farce.
While to my mind no public good can re-
suit from this change many reasons suggest
themselves against it. In the first place, the
present plan has achieved all it's friends could
have desired. 1t has always represented the
true sentiments and interests Of the people.
10 abandoni it, therefore, would be the mere
wanton exercise Of dangerous spirit of in.
novation. 1t would be change merely for
the sake Of change.
More than this: it is the only plan that is
likely to work equally and fairly upon all
parts of the State. In South Carolina we
have peculiar state of things, which renders
our position different from that of most, or
nl of the other States. In one region the
slave population greatly exceeds the white !;
in another the white exceeds the slave. This
arises, in a great measure, from geographi.
cal causes, or rather from soil, climate and
production. In what are called the Parish
Districts, much Of the Territory is adapted
only to the culture Of rice and cotton, and
nninhabitable by the white race: hence the
white population must continue to be small !;
and in the middle Districts, including Barn
well, Edge6eld, Ahbeville, Newberry, &C., so
long as cotton shall continue to be our chief
staple, the slaves will outnumber the whites.
In the mountain Districts on the contrary,
every portion Of which is habitable by the
white race, being chiefly grain growing
region, the whites greatly exceed in number
the slaves. In the middle and low Districts,
therefore, wealth or taxable property is
large, and white population small: and in
the mountain Districts white population Is
numerous, and taxable property comparative:
ly small. Hence any two great political
parties that may be formed in tue State
would be almost wholly sectional, with pri.
vate antagonistic interests to foment and
hshtea party zeal. 1t is dreadful to con.
template the turmoil and strife, the tyranny
and prescription that must follow under such
Il state of things.
Now put in operation either Of the two
plans proposed for clecting Electors at the
general ballot-box. The first is that upon
the federal basis according to which, each
judicial District shall elect eight Electors,
whose names shall be transmitted to the
Governor Of the State, who shall ascertain
the federal vote of the respective Districts,
Thy counting the whites and three.ffths OF
the slavcs) and declare the eight candidates
in the State, having the largest federal vote,
to. be dulv elected Electors. Under this
: plan only very small portion ofthe people
Of the State may have voice in the cleo
ton of electors Let ME illustrate. The
aggregate federal vote Of the State is about
5l4,5O0. OF this amaiority will be 257, 500.
Now the five Parish Districts, Charleston,
Colleton, Beaufort, Georgetown and Oran.
geburg, and the Districts lying near to, and
identified with them in interest, viz: Barn
well, Richland, Sumter, Clarendon, Marion,
Hory, Williamsburg, Marlborough, Fairfield
and kershaw Q,eing only fourteen out OF the
thirty Districts in the State) have federal
vote Of 25S,OO0-being sufficient to elect
the whole Electoral ticket But these Dis.
trcts have an aggregate rhite population Of
only ll3,056; and supposing the ticket OF
eight to be elected by bare majority in
each District, $1,000 white population might
absolutely control the Presidential vote over
the other white population of the State,
amounting to 2l7,563. But more than this !:
Suppose each District in the State should
have different list of candidates for Elec.
tors-,hen, the District, having the largest
federal vote, might elect the whole electoral
ticket of the State. Thus Charleston Dis.
trict alone might set up her voice in the vote
for President as the voice Of tho whole State,
to the exclusion of all the other Districts.
This, it is true, is an extreme case; but ex-
tremes test theory. Is such scheme en-.
titled to the confidence and support Of our
people!
Take now the other plan offered, which
proposes to give the election Of Electors to
1.-The people according to white population.
Would this better secure the entire Interests
of tho State9 More than one fourth OF our
white population live in the five Northern
Districts, York, Spartanburg, Greenvile,
Anderson and Pickens; and more than one
half {I3s,56S) live in thirteen adjoining Dis.
tricts, including the above, to wit: Chester,
Chesterfield, Lancaster, Laurens, AbbevIlle,
Union. Newberry and Lexington. These
Districts could therefore elect the eight Elec-
tors against the wishes of the other seventeen
Districts. Did nothing exist to array these
sections one against the other, the vote OF
the State might be SO split up among the
Districts as to produce no unhappy or in.
furious results but the whites in the upper
Districts named, greatly exceeding the slaves,
and in the lower Districts the slaves greatly
outnumbprinp the whites. antagonistic inter-