The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-12-19
ABoLITIONIsM OPPOSED TO NATIONAL C0NyEN-
TONS


TIONS.
1t to be expected that party which is avowedly
sectional its composition and whose reliance for success
is upon combination of the stronger against the weaker
section of the Union would be opposed mode of party
organization which recognises "no North, South no
East and West" but looks the whole country for its
successful maintenance The New York Evening Post
takes the lead in assaing the usage of
ton nominations and in elaborate article its issue
the 18th instant the osensibe grounds of its opposi
ton Its first objection national conventions when
stripped of its verbiage amounts simply the assertion
that few intriguing politicians control the nominations
and thereby defeat the real popular choice The Post
the existence Of certain facts in connexion with
nominations and from these dcduces the general position
that national conventions controlled in their results
by the intrigues of small number of designing poll
ticians.
To expose the lacy Of the conclusion, we have only
to refer to the false assumptions on which it rests
For example, it is said by the Post that in 1914
Mr.. Van Buren, the choice of the country for
President Few who really understand the pop
ular sentiment of that day will be imposed upon by tina,
assumption. To defeat his nomination the Post aAirms
that some four or five intriguing politicians got control
in the convention and determined that new man should
be nominated each one hoping that the choice would fall
on himself The only truth in this is that it was found
that the preferences of the delegates were SO divided that
none Of those first voted for could unite two-thrd and
hence it not only apparent that Mr. Van Buren, was
not the popular choice but that the convention would be
compelled to harmonic upon man. 1t is next said
by the Post that the friends of Mr. Van Buren, understood
the game playing against him. and determined to dsap-
point the intrguers and avenge the wrong done to him
by nominating Mr. Polk forgetting observe the absurd
ty into which II runs in assuming that Mr. Van Buren,
had strength enough TO nominate Mr.. Polk who orig
naly got votes when he was not able to nominate
himself
Again: it Is assumed by the Post that in 1852 General
Pierce nominated in pursuance of nm intrigue set on
foot long before the convention assembled and that the
few ntgucrs who executed the scheme managed to
troll the convention TO defeat the popular choice and
finally TO effect the nomination of General Pierce Tho
Post is charitable enough to admit that the great body Of
the convention were innocent dupes nasmuch il
that the whole machinery of the intrigue worked by
few politicians who had concocted the scheme in aa
vance and who executed skully that the delegates
themselves were not conscious Of the fraud praosed upon
them This Is downright petty arcenya mere revival Of
the old story which originated with Edmund Burke and
which absurd and ridiculous that nobody has
thought It worth stealing until the Post spproprates II 10
sustain its abolition theory to the best mode of defeat
ing the democratic party in the election of President
1t from such historical as these that
the Post draws Its conclusion that the popular choice
defeated in national conventions by few designing in
tgncs Instead of arbuting the results which il char
acerzes defeats of the popular choice to the personal
well political feelings which often induce delegates
TO persist in adherng to their FIRST preferences with unrea
sonable enacy, and afterwards seek to crafty sprit
Of revenge for dapponments produced they assume
by too much pernacy in pressing the claims of other
val competitors the Post oveook these obvious causes of
the unexpected results of conventions and adopts an ex
PLANTATION which is not only absurd in ITSELF but which fall
SITES the real facts which it's theory is based
Mr.. Van Buren, had been nominated in ls4s his defeat