The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1843-07-14

professed democratic sheet, in It's zeal for
sustaining democratic principles.
You complain of what! have looked
in vain to ascertain the burthen of your
editorial in No. 3.
My complaint is a common one with
the democrats Of VIII, that the "Signal,"
protesting democracy from priaciplc,
does not f0lloW lis uSages.
You refer to your position as delegate
from Will in the district and labour to
Justify your course before it has been as
sailed or even called in question. The
VIII county convention adopted certain
resolutions, which were approved by the
District convention. The convention,
assembled according to accustomed usag-
es, and after deliberations marked by
nothing unusual, by vote of IS out Of
rs made nomination for member of
Congress from the fourth District, which
you do not support. Now, why does
not the democratic . Signal" support this
nomination VIII YOU reply "because
DIR. Murphy's resolutions were not adopt
ed ?" You have not yet made this your
excuse. If so, let US look for moment
at those resolutions. The first is that a
committee of nine be appointed to inquire
and report whether any candidate for
Congress has made effort to obtain the
nomination. The second is, whether
| the county conventions were organized
according to established forms and whelh-
er the delegates then present were the
true and faithful representatives of the
people of their counties. Now it seems
PLAIN that the convention then present
had neither the power granted nor time
necessary to inquire into what candidates
had done. II it had resolved itself into a
court Of inquiry of this sort have you re-.
Elected to what it might have lead TO
say nothing Of such a precedent, charges
and specifications must be municipalities
| heard in witnesses examined
perhaps to be sent for to the extremes of
the district and possibly, the facts proven
and what then? Why, then the same
examination must be gone over again with
any and all other candidates against whom
a suspicion might arse-and was this the
! object of the District convention Were
there any such powers expressed or inn
! piled in your instructions On the other
hand, were not the people, supposed to
be represented in that convention, TO Sc
lect from all the candidates before them
under all circumstances known or sup
posed to exist, one, honest, capable and
sufficiently known in the District 10 en-
sure his election Surely they were
and tie second resolution duplicating the
county convention and tire whote of the
delegates then present, was an insult to
that body, implying want of honesty i'll
themselves and those who sent them
there; and yet eight delegates are found
SO virtuous and patriotic as to leave the
convention and immortaIize themselves
by their "protGst," equaled only by the
declaration of independence itself. For
that convention, iacitly charged with want
of faith and fraud, would not try them
selves /; and if found guilty, would not
still proceed to nominate a candidate for
Congress
Now it is evident that the mover him
self has too much sense to suppose that
either of the above resolutions could pass
and they were offered merely to be re-
jected that some honest simpletons might
Il. I I III / II
port from the nominee of the conven-
ton. BE assured, sir, that shot fell far
short of its mark. There is a seeming
object in the third resolution with regard
to the delegates from Bureau viz: to in
quire into fraud there in Bureau; but not
so. 1t was to raise a committee to in
lquire whether there was any delegation
from Bureau, and whether fraud eorrup-
ton or artifce was used in the selection
Of any other delegation, broader and
more sweeping than the second, and
eyincing the same cunning artiice in the
mover to distract and disorganize,
The delegation from Bureau had been
called and answered and neither the NOV
er of the resolutions nor any other person
chose to object, nor had charges been
made by any member or information been
given that fraud, corruption or anything
improper existed in regard to any delega-
ton then present.
| come now, Mr.. Senior Editor, 10
that which somewhat concerns yourself.
You are well aware that the present
nominee was not the first choice of many
democrats, yourself among them, of Will.
| ask you, then, why did you not make
an effort to unite your own county dele
CATION upon your favorte or some one
else and hold out his banner, as the dele
gates came in and improve the opportuni