Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-05-25
GBe Daily sPp,
MoNnAY, MAY IS, 1851.
The s,nta Conrcn,ion.

The basis of representation, fixed upon by the
State Committee, in calling the Republican state
Convention Of the oath prOximo, is not only I'M
fortunate, but unprecedented. In the history~of
all parties. heretofore in this State the practice
has been, in all their State assemblages for the
nomination of candidates, to select three dele
gates for every one representative to when each
town or city is entitled in the Legislature. but
our sage Republican Committee acting IN con-
cert. we presume, with certain leading republicans
in the legislature, have seen fit to inaugurate
new plan. and to so reduce the convention in size
cutting it down one third, in order plainly that
IT NAV he the more easily managed by the wire
pullers, who have axes of their own to grind.
The Legislative Convention having fallen
through, on account of the aversion Of the eoun-
try to being domineered over By men who were
sent to Boston to legislate for the interests OF
their constituents and not to stoop to the paltry
business of party maneuverng and truck and
dicker arrangements, the plan was fallen back
upon of having popular convention called. with
the basis of representation SO fixed that it
would be in the power of the legislative man
ayers to pack it with sufficient numbers from the
Eastern section OF the State to control its action
Against this we protest, and would call upon the
State Committee, in all eaInestness and sinceri-
ty, to reconsider some Of their action, and estab-
ish the basis of representation of the party in the
approaching convention at such a rate, that there
can be in it full, free, and generous representa-
tion,--a thousand or twelve hundred strong, the
more the better, Of the rising, progressive. popu
lar sentiment of the State. AS now fixed by the
terms of the call,-with only two delegates for
every member Of the House,-we shall have but
about five or six hundred regular delegates in the
convention. Now, Mechanics Hall, where it is
to meet, is the largest in New England, and will
seat nearly three thousand persons What, then,
can be the excuse for cutting down the numbers
of the proposed body, and leaving much room
to be filed up by lobby members and managers
Let the basis of the delegation in the conyen-
ton be fixed at three at least, for every repre-
sentative in the legislature, according to estab-
lished usage, to the end that we can have
fair sprinklng of the liberal sentiment
of the Commonwealth in the republican ranks,
which we could not get by reducing the repre-
sentation as now proposed by the State Com
mittee.
We trust they will look to this matter, and &C.
cede to the general wish, expressed everywhere
far as have learned, by reconsidering that
part of their call, before any delegates chosen.
and restoring the basis to the old rate a great
deal of dissatisfaction is manifested in the coun-
try portions of the State, as the matter now
stands, there having been given no substantial,
or even plausible reason for the change. 1t can
be defended on no reasonable ground. 1t was
made to accommodate the axe-grinders and those
who had axes to grind. Let the old plan of rep
resentation bs restored.