The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-08-23


great was to Alexander the copPersmi,h.
Still as conventions are intended to ex-
press the popular will, they should appear TO
be fairly summoned, fairly constituted. land
fairly conducted to give such force 10 their
behests as should command an united action
10 support them. But ifevery silly pretence
is 10 be seized upon TO question their valii-
ity, they are nothing better than worthless
pageant. We have noticed no preiext
more frivolous resorted to for this purpose
than that Of writer in the Vergcnncs YER
monter, who seriously urges that the nom-
inaiion of Mr.. Marsh should be set aside,
and regarded as an attempt d" 10 ioheedle the
people out Of the privilege of exercising the
right of suffrage ,oith the fearless indepen-
dence uhicA becomes true freemcn" because
Mr.. Foot of Rutland few days since at
Burlington, in a conversation with some
his whig friends spoke opprobriously of Mr..
Slade, which indicates as he supposes a
similar spirit on the part Of other wings
Now we would gravely ask whether sneer-
ing remarks made about Mr.. Slade, by
man out Of the district, connected II you
please with the efforts made in the conven-
ton by individuals inimical to Mr.. Slade
as objected by others, should exert an in1u-
ence so fatal TO the regular nomination A
politician who has no foes even in his own
party is piece Of supernaculum which is
seldom met with. He should be canonized
at once, and placed among the prodigies.
The fact as insisted upon by another
writer in the Vermonter that personal piques
and private jealousies exercised an in1u-
ence, or even that there were men in this
county "who have had the unspeakable
meanness TO go TO Burlington to fight
against Mr.. Slade" should have no weight
until It can be shown that there exists
specimen Of humanity SO perfect as to COM
mund universal homage and adoration.-
But let US no longer indulge in distractions
isns. The truth is every man has bis friends
and his enemies. Roth Mr.. Marsh and Mr..
Slade had their friends and foes in that con.
vention, and that they should between Them
severely scan the merits and demeriis of
their favorites. and canvass with zeal and
activity, requires no commentary otherwise
than that this circumstance affords no seri.
Gus objection to the decision of that conven.
ton.
But says another writer, "the mode bv
,ohich the nomination of Mr.. Marsh ras eff
fected Das the reriest piece ofpoEti,ai gam.
bling euer resorted TO-" We have often
heard this or similar wholesale denuncia.
tons made against the nomination. but have
not found even in the facts alledged to prove
them the weigh, off feather. The one in
sisted on by one writer is, that Mr.. Field
reputed good whig from New Haven, was
voted member of the convention, and mis-
represented the town. We have before
shown that this was unimportant, and fur.
Their not without precedent. Indeed we are
told that in all conventions whether state
district or county this practice is not unfre-
quent, and therefore evinces no unfairness
in the members of the convention.
Another ground Of charging urfairness
is that the nomination of the convention was
not what it would have been had Addison
County been fully represented. This cir.
cumstance it is said was known TO the con
vention, and should have controlled their
descision. If the members of the conyen.
lion were guided by the sentiments of their
constituents they fully performed their duty.
They were not sent there TO guess at and
imagine the,preferences of others uurepre.
scented, and vote in conformity 10 them,
rather than TO those Of their own constituents
who might thu, be absolutely betrayed
Each delegate votes for the town he repre-
sents. Nothing can be more impartial
than the result thus produced. To ask
them 10 do otherwise is to ask them TO mis-
represent their constituents in their zeal TO
, represent others. If a portion of the people
, of Addison County suffered the convention
10 go off by default, it is their own folly and
n they have no right 10 attempt TO bring them.
selves again q" rectus in curia" by distur.
f bling nomination honestly made by ma
D jority of tie members present at the conven.
y lion fairly called. If they can plead their
own negligence in cause of this descrip.
iion, every state convention ever assembled
| in Vermont would have been invalid as not
Q half the towns or population of the state are
, ever represented.
r But suppose the delegates from Chi,ten.
. den and Franklin had gone on to guessing
, in the true yankee style, what reasonable