Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-04
Constitutional Amendments.


We have succeeded in fading among own stock
Of paups,ts, copy of the letters of Mr.. Nicholas, Of
Louisville, to which we referred few days since. We
fud them on perusa filed with many sound views, and
We deem them Of 80 much mportancs that design to
repubsh the whole SERIES and invite to them the seri-
Gus consideration Of all public men, and the thinking
people Of confederacy. II is cur conviction, that
times Of high excitement and great commoon are most
favorable for the establishment of great just and COM
prehersve principles Mems minds, a, such times are
less under the influence of petty narrow and selfish con.
s!derstious AID though agated, capable Of great
,hogs In such crisis the present, when our all is
at stake when no man knows that he will survive the
struggle be Loses sight Of self he rises to the dignity of
t5e emergency and in the spirit Of patriot and Sates-
man, legslates for posteriy.
The letters of hr. Nicholas published far back
IS 4O-and though they may contain passages not
strictly pertinent the present day, the greater portion
Of them apply to all time and to all free Governments
The writer subscribes bimselfa Democrat and tho
he qualities the term by saying Of the old school, not
the Wit ia word not appropriate to our insitu
tons According to lis original Specification, Dsnoc-
rIey" which Government by the people, that is
aaj1rity of the people, never had existence in this
country Our fathers formed Representative Republic
founded in popular sovereignty, but regulated and
iroled BY lar which was supreme protecting mnorities
as well as mel )rses, well as millions There
no doub. that this is tho sense in which Mr. Nicholas
regarded the subject though he employs the word it
il popularity and Incorrectly employed
The object of the letters to show the importance
Of changing the mode Of electing President and the
vast evils resulting from party srfe which engender
ed and fosterad by popular elections. We think he dem
ous,rates, coneasiyely, that good government god
morals and permanent liberty incompatible with the
system that prevails amoug Toe downfall OF the old
Union, and OF al freedom in the Northern states is
practical proof The like fate must Inevitably oyertae
~ of the South, if we persist in retaining the came Vi
oious syste The evils of popular election are shown
20 be greater than the evils which would result from any
President That process forces the country into plres
it makes the President in spite of himself the head of
party and i. makes the majority of Congress his vas
sails Aud as the head of party, and representing the
majority he becomes iuvested, in fact with far greater
powers than vas ever designed By the Constitution.
This Is the evil proposed 20 be corrected. The remedy
sugges:ed BY Mr. Nicholas the election Of Electors by
the people, who SHALL choose the President from among
themselves by the divine agency Of luck. We sutjan
his plan, as given in the appendix, and which varies
somevhl from tho scheme proposed in the body of the
Letters
We think the subjec. Is worthy of the most serious
consideration Of Southern Statesmen. The old system,
which we have hastily adopted, has just failed most dis-
a,trously aud IL we of sense, will profit by
tao catastrophe:
PLAN FoR OBTAINING our PRESIDENTS WITHOUT TEE
| INrKEyENrfoS OF POLITICAL PAkTIEs
Amend the Constitution as to procure she formstiCn
Of su Electoral College and election Of President ard
| Vice.Pfesident substantially IS fellows:
/. The people Of the States having ess than million
population 60 cleo. one those with million, bat ess
tiau two mon 70 elect two; those with Two, but less
than three mlun TO elect three those with three but
les than four million, TO elect four; aud those having
| four million to el,ci FIVE, Electors.
. Toe Chief Justice, or Speaker of the Senate, or
Speaker Of the HOUSE OF Representatives, TO be the pre-
ding officer OF the Electoral College thu1 formed, and
! have the casting vote in n cases OF Ito.
g. The Escioi3 be listed in the alphabetical order Of
tae:. names and srasged according 20 that order into
sx classes as nearly equal ia numbers hs may be, and
numbered froal olc TO SIX Any surplus numbers to be
| dis.ri luted among the clsslcs ~ lot.
4 Cas- ore TO nonioaie Elector from class two
The later from class hrce Tho later from class four
tho htqr from class fve the later from class six which
| shall nominate from class one.
g. From the six electors thus put 10 nomination, two
to b drawn by lot from whom the Colleges 10 elect