Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-10-06
The Election Of Electors

Inc latter gentleman, addressing the pcoplc at
OrongeburgC. G. H., after going into the question,
says:
" ask again, why should we change? What
great benefits are we to derive from letting the
people vote directly for the election of Presi-
dent? Is it pretended that the Legislature
have not expressed the will of the reople i'm all
Of the elections that have hitherto been made
think no man will say this. Why our present
mode OF elccting electors appears to have been
the most benchclnl to the quictude and unani.
nifty of our people that could have been devised
We have scon the people of other States, where
the election of electors has been made dircctlv
by the people, under the lead ofaspiring dema.
g"gnes, divided and torn into hostile factions
and parties. The people have been induced b,,
these leaders to leave their homes and their oc-
cupati0ns, an. Vim in these bacchanalian de-
monstrntions which were to be of little or no
practical benefit to themselves. The elevation
OF some frothy demagoguc to place and profit
under the victorious side, has been always the
result, the former result. Of all their zeal and
enthusiasm. Put not your trust in Princes.
says the Bible, and will add neither in Pre-
sidents or in politicians. South Carolina was
once very enthusiastic in the election Of An
drew Jackson as President. lie was to bring
pol'tlcal salvation to the country, the Govern.
ment was to be purged of its corruutions and
the wrongs and injustice heaped upon our peo-
pie were all to be removed under his admins
tration lie was triumphantly elected and the
response made to our complaints was the Force
Bill, the Proclamation and threatened applica-
ton OF hemp for traitors" For myself this
one lesson in GUY life has been sufficient and
and have never since trusted in Princes Pre-
sldcnts, or politicians. What was ,tYt.2 of An
drew Jackson has applied with equal truth to
nll of his successors. The true and only trust
OF Tree people should be in themselves But
what especial bcncftarc we, the citizens of the
Parishes, to derive from this change in the mode
| oi election. Why, our influence. strength and
power arc all to he diminished. That is the
blessing we are to derive from their change. a
very able writer in your midst, over the sigma
ture of |" Parish Man." in the columns of the
Souttrom, short time since illustrates the
point in the following language:
representation i'll the Legislature being based
on population, taxation and election districts the
Low Country, which is divided into Parishes and
which has larger proportion of slaves to whites
than the Up Country land hence pay more ttSes)
has much stronger vote in the Legislature than
she v I'D in direct popular vote, where no other
elem mt but white population is represented The
Parishes of this Congressional District for instance
cast in an election before the Legislature be tween
| the one-sixth Q-G) and the one. seventh 40 of
the whole vote of the State while in election
before the people they would cast but little over
the onc-thirteenth Olctwccn the LIP and l-l3l
of the whole vote of the State
'To bc still more explicit, and to go a little more
into detail, the Parish of st. Johns Collcton
sends three members TO the Legislature Zone to the
Cl.
ifty-sixth Q-56) of the whole number of both
branches Of the Legislature, but her white populn-
ton is only Il2, which is but the onc-thrcc hun
dred and ninety third Q393) part of tho whole
white population of the State. She would, there
fore, lose the difference in the change from the
Legislature to the people, which would he seven
times less than her present by the Legislature
The vote of the Parish of st. Paul would be re-
duced' IN the same way, TO onc-trd of her present
vote; st. Luke's and Prince Williams to nearly
onc-hird; st. Helena and st Georges to one half
ST. Mathews to nearly one half, and so on through
the whole. In direct vote of tho people the
DISTRICT OF Spartanburg alone. which hns only six
votes III the Legislature, would ow ing to her large
white population, outyotc the Districts of Collcon
and Beaufort, and the Parishes of St johns Col
Teton and St Matthews, which, together, have
twenty-thrce (23) votes in the Legislature.
Are we willing to lose the influence of these
twenty-thrcc votes, in Presidential election
for the mere qualification of popular vote,
which can be overcome by the vote of Spartan
burg alone? Certainly not. / will illustrate
it in another view. The District of Orangcburc
is divided into two Parishes, Orange and ST.
Matthews there two Senators and three
Representatives, five in all. from the District.
The District of Richland has onc Senator and
four Representatives, five in ali. In a Prcsi-
dental election, where the vote is given by the
Legislature, Orangeburg is equal to Richland-
Dnt Kichland having more than double the po
puihtlon OF Orahse;,iTG. T0"ll, IN popular
vote have twice as many votes as Orangcburg,
and would, consequently have twice the power
Are you willing to surrender your present
strength for IL shadow? ! think not More than
this You now by one popular vote elect your
representatives and your electors they are
virtually the same; and by this mode YOU pos.
sess twice the power that you would have in the
election of electors alone. Is it possible that
the Parishes could be so unwise "a to lose the
substance by grasping at delusiye shadow
hope not.
{" 1t is very evident that the idea of giving the
election of electors to the people is the initiate
ry step in the overthrow of the whole Parish
system"
Now, what Col. ELLIOTT states is true; and
every reason given n opposition to the change
below, is an unanswerable argument in favor
of the change with an upcountryman