The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1843-06-30

We think that noighboring counties would do
well by erecting prisons Tor themselves, and thus
place thair criminals directly in the charge Of
their own officers, who would be more likely than
foreigners TO carefully guard them.
The Charge Of f'orrmp,ion iu thc 5uIiei DC
mscraIic COnventio".
We hear it frequently charged by the enemies Of
the democratic party in this district That there was
corruption practised in the democratic convention
At Juliet This was to he expected as matter Of
course. The chargeis brought against nearly eve
ry democratic convention that is held ia which
there is more than one aspirant to a nomination
and always hy two classes, viz. |. by wings; 2
by the defeated candidate for nomination. The
wings make the charge, Of course FOR the purpose
# creating di5nnion in the democratic ranks ms
! that ia generally the only means by which they
| can succeed themselves. The defeated candidate
Cor nomination ia making tho charge, Is actuatcd
| by several motives. In the first place, he always
| goes into tho convention thoroughly convinced
that he is the only man in the district that ought
to be nominated. No other man can possibly
possess qualifications superior to his, and therefore
il another receives the nomination it is Of course
| done by corrupt means. GLOW else" he argues,
could they pass hy man of such prc-cmincn'
qualifications az fpossgss, and nominate another
so vastly my inferior In the second place, if a
man has made great exer.ions to procure nomi-
| nation, and, whcu the convention is held, finds
himself awlulIy in the minority he naturally feels
mortified, and his ingenuity il put to rack
TO devise fictitious excuses for his defeat, and what
excuse ia there more convenient than that there
was corruption pracliicd il the convention! And
in the third place, during the contest for a nomi-
ton that generally takes place before the conycn-
ton canes OIL feelings Of personal onmily frc-
lucnlly excited between the rival candidates, and
tho charge of corruption is then always made
against the successful candidate and his friends.
Generally, az tic excitement and III falling en-
gcnAcred hy the convention gradually dies away,
aud as the democracy everywhere graIully unite ia
support Of The nominee of the convention, the de.
iratcd candidates begin to lay by their personal
feelings, and go with the mass, remembering that,
after oil, the democracy are cunlcndiug for "prlu-
ciplcs, not men" Buff the defeated candidate
belongs to the class of democrats that are to be
! found cycrywhcrc where the party is in the as
ccndancy, who are democrats merely lor the sake
of tho hares and f,feS, aud whose soriil minds
cannot grasp Wrluous principle, then will he
follow the bent Of his own evil passions and, not
| him
self DO is determined TIA, he who las received
the nomination, shall he defeated, He viii most
probably take tho stump against the regular nomi.
nee, try TO take away democratic votes enough To
he Processes to be attached into the hands Of the
enemy. This man il generally most boistcrous
in charging corruption against the convention that
would not nominate him; yet there is no grade Of
mcanncss to which he would not have stopped to
get the nomination himself lie is not a demo-
cra,, and should always bo marked. lIo is a
'coTm sleeps ciihng.
We are far lrom wishing to DO understood as
meaning to convey the idea that there ia never
any real ground for the cry of corruption so flc.
qucnlly raised against conventions, or that there
arc no, tines when democrats are justiablo in op.
posing the nominees Of convention. 1t some
! " for the sake Of olcc-spulious democrats
wolves 10 sleeps oO,hng--gei the power in u
convention and nominate men who are of very
doubtful democracy are infinitely worse
than wings, and in whom the party generally have
no confidence. Such men it would be an obvious
injury to the party 10 elect. But the mass or the
party rank aud Ge-are always found the
first To move against such nomination. The
pcoph then raise the cry Of corruption, 1t is not
raised by contemplate qua of di,al,ctcj dema-
gogues who gain importance only in close con-
tcst, where sometimes they WELD tho balance Of
power.
As Cor The corruption said 10 have been practs-
cd in the Juliet convention, we have yet to see
tho first particle otit pointed out The length Of
time notice was every where given of tho time and
place Of holding tho convention before 1t was
held, piecludcj the possibility of corruption being
practiccd To any extent; but the activity aud vi
glance OF those who opposed the nomination OF
him who eventually received it. render it pretty
certain that there was none ut least on his side.
At all events, il is perfectly absurd to say that the
very large majority of votes he obtained in the
convention were corrupty obtained. Gu, of the
10 delegates who attended the convention but 81
could be mustered against Col. Wcutworlh-2l
TO 53-and two counties, with 10 delegates, who
were also instructed to so for Wentworth If Judge
rcarsons should not be candidate, which he was
not, unreprescn,ed. If these delegates had been
present the vote would have stood II TO q more
than thrco TO Que for Wentworth How absurd
then the charge that Wentworth was unfairly no.
minated! Tho party generally are united upon
him aud this charge is go, up to help Spring.
4 A l.. al. 4. l.