New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1844-02-03

narcnt that but few words. in illustration, will be
| required. The Convention Is party Convention,
and pro:essedly intended 10 take the sense OF the
party which be done fairly, if States having
but little party strength put equality with
| those which have much If that were done, the
result might be- that small portion Of the party
from States the least sound, politically, and which
could give but little support in Congress, night select
the candidate, and make the President, against a
great majority of the soundest, and on which The
President and his administration would have TO rel V
for support. All this is clearly unfair and In
proper TO be denied. There may be great diffiautv
| in applying a remedy in Convention, but do
not feel myself called upon TO say how 1t can be
done or bv what standard the relative party
strength OF the respective States should be deter
mined perhaps the best would be their relative
! strength in Congress at the time. In laying down
the principle added the limitation for the sake OF
accuracy and to show how mperiectly the party
must be represented, when it Is overlooked. see
no provision in the proposed Convention 10 meet II;
But in order to realize how the Convention Will
operate it will be necessary TO view the combined
effects OF the objections which have made. linus
viewed II will be found that Convention so constr
tuted tends rresistblv to
ton of the control over the Presidential election in
the hands of few OF the central, large States at
first and finally. TO political managers, otnce-hoderS
and Office seekers: or 10 express it differently, III
| that portion OF the community, who live, or expect
10 live on the Government in Contradlstlnction TO The
| great mass who expect 10 live on their own means
or their honest industry: and who maintanthe Gov
eminent, and politically speaking emPhatcaily the
| people
That such would be the case may be inferred from
| the fact that it would afford the means 10 some SIX
| or seven States living contiguous and not tar from
| the centre OF the Union, TO control the nomination.
and through that the election by concentrating their
united votes in the Convention. Give them the power
of doing So and would not long lie dormant. What
| no hy
| is so great, will be long TO be done. o
| combine and conquer. Is no less true maxim,
where power is concerned, than to " Divide andcon-
| ouer' Nothing is better established, than that the
! desire for power can bring together ana unite The
most discordant materials.
But the tendency to Capitalization will not stop
there. The appointment of delegates en- m0SSe by
| State Conventions would tend at the same time ana
even with greater force to cenraze this control III
| the hands of the few, who make politics trade
The farther the Convention IS removed from the Peo
pie, the more certainly the Contro! over 1t Will be
placed in the hands OF the interested few, and when
removed three or four degrees, as has been shown
| ii will be, where the appointment IS by State Con-
ventons the power OF the people will cease, and the
seekers of Executive favor will become supreme. At
| that stage, an active, trained and combined corps
will be formed in the party whose whole time and
attention will be directed TO politics. 1t will be their
sole business. Into their hands the appointments of
delegates in all their stages will fall, and they will
take special care that none but themselves or their
| humble and obedent dependents shall be appointed
The central and State Conventions will be filled by
| the most experienced and cunning, and after nom-
mating the President, they will take good TO d
vide the patronage and offices, both OF the General
and State Governments, among themselves and their
dependents. But why say mW Is it not already
| the case? Have there not been many instances OF
State Conventions being filled with Office holders
and oficeseekers who, after making the nomina-
tons, have divided the offices in the State among
themselves and their partisans and joined in recon-
| mending to the candidate whom they had Just nOm-
mated to appoint them to the Offices to which they
have been respectively allotted. If such be the
in the infancy of the system, it must end, II such
| Conventions should become the established usage,
| in the Presidents nominating his successor When
it comes to that it will not be long before the sword
will take the place of the Constitutions.
| Such are my objections to the mode III which the
proposed Convention Is to be constituted, and my
reasons for entertaining them They such that
| cannot refuse to obey them without renouncmg
the principles which | have often avowed in public
and private, and which have guided me through the
whole course of my life.
In coming to this conclusion, have not passed
over without careful examination, the reasons as
signed by its advocates for constituting the Conven
ton as they propose. They have not diminished
the force OF my objections. propose to notice the
most prominent.
That which they have urged with the greatest
confidence, is that each State has rlghtto appoint
Delegates as she peases | meet it, by utterly de-
| nyng that there any such right. That each
State has a right TO act as it peases, in whatever
relates to itself exclusively no one will deny; but
it is perfectly novel doctrine, that any State has
such right when she comes to act in concert with
others i'm reference what concerns the WHOLE
In such cases it is the painest dictate of common
sense, that whatever affects the whole should be
regulated by the mutual consent of all, and not by
the discretion Of each. That the appointment Of
Delegates 10 the proposed convention Is case of
this description, trust have conclusively shown
have, also trust, shown more; that the supposed
right is perfectly deceptive, for while it claims for
each State the right to appoint Delegates as plea
ses, il in reality gives the larger States the right to
dictate how the others shall appoint. If for exam
pie the Empire State, it is! called, adopts the
mode OF appointing las she has) which will concern
trate her whole strength, what discretion would she
leave to Others il they 90 into Convention, but to
appoint as she has appointed to be ruled BY her.
It's then, neither more nor less than claim TO die
tate under the garb OF right, and such its exercise
has proved in the present 1t has left no OPP
uon but TO conform 10 her course, or be overruled
or refuse TO 90 into the Convention.
regret this, because | sincerely desire TO pre-
serve the harmony OF the party. | had strong hope
that the rally after the defeat OF 6i0 would be ex-
cluslyey on principles. This hope was greatly
strens thened by the uy republican stand taken at
the extra session. and the earlier portion of the
ceedlng regular session During that period of rigid
adherence TO neutrality-suspicious. pervaded the
ranks othe party. behedit with oy. believed the
moment highly favorable for the thorough reforma-
ton of the Government and the restoration of the
Constitution. To the republican party looked for
the accomplishment of this great work and | ac-
cordngIy felt the deepest soicitude that tie stand
taken, and the harmony which existed should be
preserved. In order that it should made up my
mind to waive the objection, which have long en-
tertained 10 any intermediate body unknown TO the
Constitution, between the people and the election Of
the President, in the hope that the proposed Con-
yention would be so constituted that might, con
sistentg with my principles, give it my support