The national intelligencer and Washington advertiser. [volume], December 24, 1800, Image 1

About The national intelligencer and Washington advertiser. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1800-1810

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The National Intelligencer,
Vol. I. WASHINGTON CITY, PRINTED BY SAMUEL HARRISON SMITH, NEW-JERSEY AVENUE, NEAR THE CAPITOL. No. XXIV.
Five Dolls, per arm.
For f&8 Na'/iosial ISfSLIIGEzrcBB.
No. I.
Om the Election of PRESIDENT.
The rcfult of the votes of the Electors
for a Prefident and Vke-Prefident have
fo fir afcertained as to render it cer
hat both Mr. Jefferfon and Mr. Burr
will have a majority of all the vote's. At
prefent, excluding the (bates of Kentucky
and Teilß ' ftand thus :
For Thomas Jcfferfon 65
A iron Q rr C 5
John Adams 65
C. C. Pincicney 64.
There is no doubt that Mr. Jefferfon wif!
obtain all the votes in Kentucky and Ten
neffee, which will give him in the whole 73
votes ; and it feeras moft probable that Mr.
Burr will have the fame number.
In this event, th<; choice of a Prev.len
from the two will devolve upon the Houft
of il.prefentati'.
The Constitution Art. It. Sect. I. di
re&s that
" The Prefident of the Senate Shall, in the
M'-.e of the S mate and Houfe oS Re
presentatives, open all the certificates, and
the votes (hall then be counted. The
i having the greateft number of votes
hull be the Prefident, if fuch number be
a majority of the whole number of electors
appointed; and if there be more than one
who have Such majority, and haveanequal
if of vote;;, fe of Repre
sentatives Shall immediately chooSe, by bal
lot, one of them for Prefident; and if nc
perSon have a majority, then, from 1 the
five higheft on tl Houfe Shall,
in like manner, choofe the Prefident. Biu
in choodng the prefident, the votes fhall
be taken by ftates, the representation from
each date having one vote : a quorum for
this purpofe lliall confift of a member or
ers from two thirds of the States, and
a majority of all die States (hall be neceSfavy
to a choice- In every cafe, after the choice
of the Prefident, the perSon havi
eft number of votes of the el
(hall bcthe Viotf-prcfidcnt. But if there
. mould remain two or more, who have equal
votes, the Senate (hall choofe from them,
by ballot, the udent."
And the aft of Gbagfefs paffed March
1, 1792, directs.
" Tint Congrefs (hall he in Seffion on
tl eG i Qrtd yin February» on<
thou Sand feven hundred and ninety-three,
and oi the Second Wednefday in February
•ling ever: meeting of the electors ;
a..d the Said certificates, or fo many of them
is lh dl have been received, Shall then be
d, the votes counted, and the perFom
who fhill fill the offices of Prefident and
Vice-Prrfident aScertained and declared,
agreeably to the constitution."
From thefe provisions of the constitution
•mid the act of Congrefs it refults that on
the See leiday in February the votes
of the Electors are to be counted, and that
in cafe there be two candidates poffeffed
of the fame number of votes, both having a
majority of all the electoral votes, the
Houie of Representatives Shall elect one of
liiem as Prei'idmtt. In this act the houfc
is to vote by ftntf s, and the concurrence of
a majority of all the States, that is of nine
iis required to conftitute the Elec
tion.
i of America be
will be pre
-60 Mr. Burr ; for it is a fact not
oned by any man, that the people and
Se the electors, as well
'dyes, that voted for
Mr. jcfferfon a-id Mr. Burr, without the
leaft variant don, voted either me
or oMr*<ftly for Mr. JefferSon a:
br Mr. Burr as Vic
fur both arole, nol
ay deiire to place them on the Same
i
, of voting for two p
, \\ ithout avowing S |
for either.
councils as wei'
WASHINGTON * ADVERTISER.
is our citizens led in political
•■<:-. ; and tl in, not confined
to the calm and rational fScpreiiion of vary
ing fentiments and honaft efforts to etYert
certain deiirabie 6bjec\s, ftrikes deep into
perfonal feeling', producing an attachment
to one man, which no change of circumftances
can fhake, and a hatred of another which
no occurrences can {often.
Hence \vn find feme men even in our
I councils, if their profeflioris be fin
celtt, difpoFed to elevate Mr. Burr to the
prefidency to the depreflion or exclu-fion of
Mr. Jefierfon.
I c;m fcarcely believe that a Tingle mem
ber of the Houie of RepreTentatives iincerc
ly means, in the contemplated event, to
give his vote in this way. My refpecl for
icier of arepreientative ol
the people, which ought to unite <'
with wifdom. and coniiantly to
fed with the importance of confuitiug the
public wilhes, when clearly expreffed, iniv.ee
me to reject a belief, which T cannot en
tertain, butat the expence of his perfonal
honor and political integrity.
I hope that the fuggdHon is merely tin
playful ebullition of a fportive fancy, and
not the effe* of del '
Thft iubject, however, is to interefting
initfelf, and: maybe att^aded with i
quences lb very \ th It, C
ingthe preference of Mr. Burr i
fon as ban
abject well wor hy of consideration, ihaf
much as there may be fonie individual.-.,
who, amidfl: the inbrtdled .paroxifms of
party, are not oifpofedtb gothofe gloomy
' - which iv a defperate Spi
rit can Im.'l to ; men, who if informed . F
-he views that prompt, and the confequences
likely to foil ■ -aid at once
. "fuiV hy participation with thofe
with whom they have ufually co-opera
ted.
For thi illuftration o1" the fubje& I will
in the//»jJ £'<:re allien the motives which
nay be prefumed to di
and in th v $ecd id place mumer. I
to flow from it.
1. It cannot be fuppofed, however un
limited our candour, that a pit-tore nee of
Mr. Burr can arife from any lincere con
viction of the fuperiority either of
tents or virtues to Mr. JefFer
' i:;.
Without drawing any invidious ciicTinc
tiprj between the intellectual and moral
qualities of thefe tw
truth could not juftify, it may be a:
that the private as well as public ml
. JeSferfon are asuntarnifhed as thofe ■
of Mr. Burr, while the Superior age, and
the more extended field, of political obser
vation and action of the former juftify an
entire.reliance in the general fentiment that
rfenbes to Mr. Jefferfon the larger' por
tion of information and experience-
If this be not the true motive, is it to
be discovered, 1. In :f that Mr.
Burr will m ' than Mr. JeS
ferfon ( :ng views of all
defcription'
This belief prefuppofes two descriptions
of mm, republican and federal. Now,
the wholefneceiilon c: polil Shews
that Mr. JeffciSoii is pre-eminently I
vourite of the former. His popularity
with thera has remained un I from
throer -i larationof
independent ; and ha;
»ccom] all the Fu< i
offices i s v hicb In
has intern-. ll< d.
It v
to pretend that tl
Son from tb«
ciliate
whom ■
be the major part of
Can Sue':
deraliits ? I can dii'cern but two v,
Such an eSect can be produced. Ir
y the. effect would 1 ..■
Bph <^i' th ■
over t! which in *•■
prefiion o{ the public will
11 previous I
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24th, 1800.
to a libel upon the federalists ? Does it:
not imply a to:al disregard to principle (foi
the argument does not fuppole that Mr.
Burr is lets a republican than Mr. |
Ton) does it not extend full farther, and
confiderthe federalifts, not as transported
from the fober convictions of reafon by a
lively, however miStaken, enthufiafm for
■rcatman, but as carried from their
fettled purpole by a vindictive perfonal ha
tred !
The fecond way in which fuch an effecl
could be produced would he by the expec
ted ciirelictioii by Mr. Burr of his repub
lican ferUinients ; of thofe very Sentiments
which had placed him in a Situation that
enabled his opponents to elevate him to un
■d power.
If fuch an expectation is entertained, I
do not hcfitate to affirm it no lefs viiionary
-ban immoral. The integrity and nice
. f honor, which have been the inva
riable attendants on Mr. Burr, are to thofe
Who know him evidences, that require no
iird proof, of his immutable adher
ent c to principle.
But, if fuch an expectation dees exift,
is it one that, if realifed, would tend to
conciliate the great body of tree federalifts?
Let it be granted that feme men of that
defcription have fo lively a regard i
tain political ends, chat th lly in
different as to the means, ( an it he bt hevi.r
thatthi ifewith the irtais of thof<
that Support them ? Would not iixh an
immoral art open the eyes of tl
tuents, and pourtray in vivid colours the
depravity cf their n ives ? Could
a rati6nal confident : be I to be
!in them ? Would not every honeft
man of the party, however he might he
el- aJed with the end, .
thofe who i S< I them ?—('ml, übtedly this
would he the cafe ; and fo free from m due
tt ( i'iat'um, it. would
extend divifion.
If-then thefe n tnnot be a:'
ers of the federal party, if'they
contrary, to hi
only to men at once deprived ofthetr
and tin ii• \ " id any
adequate motives, Such as we
rational hud likely to feel
cedurc ?
3. There are but two remaining r«
which hear the leaft Semblanceof plaufibr
iity ; the one is a perfonal difllke to Mr.
Jeffcrfon amounting to frenzy, which is
calculated to precipitate its unfortunate vic
tim by every act of defpair into greai
it. If this motive actuate any
man, T can difcem no cure for it. The
patient mull !>.■ I as difeafed be
yond the power of moral remedy* For as
the hatred entertained by him has arifen
without even a Shadow of canfe Surnii'hed by
Mr. Jefierfon, it will be impoffible to
t hange, I will not fay the Hate of his mind
hut the Hate of his feelings by any train of
rea foiling.
Such an individual may derive Some anti
the hope that a
r. Burr would he a Source of
mortification to Mr. Jefferfon. But the
would be dehdire. It isnottorank or
power that Mr. Jefferfon owes either his re
putation or his happinefs. The ftrft is fe
cured by the Services be In- rendered hi*
country, and the laft is confirmed by ahea't
rich in th * purity of its intentions, and
a mind always engaged in the cultivation
and extenfmn of its powers.
4. The genuine motive of futh ah
, ■ trinmphed. The pi
: • this remains the
federal party, hitherto the fole
of power , | to their
■h compelled to Furrender theii
for a time, tliei;
reateftobfti
couhl ' I to Such a
on of Mr. J.itc
fectionatel)
know that no man, from l
his ma
and the urn
Paid Is Advance.
the pure principles of liberty and peace.
Th* ie traits of character prefcnt dreadful
barriers either to Seduction or oppoiition.
Directed againftfnch a character, what can
they do? '1 'hey can only brighten his inte
grity, Strengthen his firmnel's, and endear
him ftdl more to the people. He, then above
all other men, is to be Seared. Let us then,
they exclaim, at every hazard, keep him
from the Presidency, This being retblved
on, there remains but one alternative.
Burr Must be our man. Perhaps through
inexperience he may take Some imprudent
Hep. We will dart upon him ; and the
dagger of political affaliination ihall put an
end to his official exiftence. At all events
whatever«his talents and his virtue, we will
call them follies and vices. The people
will be more likely to believe what we af
firm of him, not being So well acquainted
with his talents, as with thofe of Mr. Tel
le rfon.
Short Sighted policy ! vilionary dream I
my next number, in exhibiting the conSe
quences of fitch-an attempt, T.iil Shew that
even the profound ftatefmart becomes a child
in intellect, when he abandons the paths of
•truth.
iSTIDSS.
For fas I\a?:gxal Is'tt.lli^sscsr.
CONSIDERATIONS
On the Goi< t I"zitßZ-7'QRr of
Cc;
.7.
The report of the committee of the
Houfe of Representatives 0:1 this f.
mult gi diftrefs to t
inter, it. d in the fate of the
iugton ; and ory in
Which it is fituated. This report dots not
appear ution;
nor is it cd to Satisfy the.mind of
ician, or t
\l.
The member of the hot took a
lead in this n, and who called it
into public notice during the hit i^'hon ;
who was then appointed on the committee
to whom it was referred ; whole attention
was devoted to it during the receis, aid
►vho was again appointed on the cemmittee
to whom it was referred at this feffion ;
might I to have dd
tto the public
withe:-, ■ ibor and parade, what
n the rcfult? ApLn,by which the Ter
ritory of Columbia is to he by two
■un and jurispru
dence ; by which the Seat of local govern
ment for one half of it is to be on the t
peake, and the other on James river; by
which its t. productive at pre Sent,
andincidcu! are, is to be de
from its own bofcm, and placed at the dif
poial offtrai fis'j by
which the r of the United States
is to he an ohfi c, in the i
of Prince G . in the ::
;md ; Sy which the adminiitration of
is trPuSeeled a: I
!; are I An- uwuf
trious and lime
led to wafle then.-time & fuhli.mce in &
as jurors', & place".
moSt remote from their n leience, ar.d dif
ficult and expertfive to travel to.
if it .!*;■' City cotild
per t.
i fore
to foperna
rde advantages ; '
-
don not
\ from
..v P '