The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-11-16

a. per agreement, Tor Fremont anu Daytonwho would
thus be chosen
This, We must admit, is very good plan, in
view Of the practical concentration of the dis
organized forces Of the opposition upon single
Presidential ticket; but it is plan under which
two or three such large States as New York,
Pennsylvania and Ohio might swallow up a
dozen of the smaller free States in population.
This merging the smaller States in the vote Of
the larger ones would be contrary to the whole
policy and intent of the constitution, under
which the individual weight and influence of
each State in all national affairs, are carefully
preserved and protected A strict adherence to
the spirit of the constitution, therefore, demands
that the electoral vote of Rhode Island or Con-
necticut, for President, shall be cast according
to the voice Of her people, and not according to
the superior popular vote Of any other State or
States combined.
Upon this single objection the combination
plan indicated must be rejected, for the smaller
States will never consent thus to be swallowed
up Ivy the larger. We think, however that with
out any such combination machinery the people
may recover the right and the power Of elocting
President, which they have cast away into the
hands Of these party conventions, made up of
secdy and greedy gamblers aud jugglers for the
spells. The people, in their primary capacity, of
this or that party, have only to take the initia-
tive, and make their nominations for themselves.
For example: half dozen Scott men in this
city put their heads together and call Scott
81 a telr e., A
member thereof starts another such club in
Brooklyn, and so on until in every city, town
and village in the. State there is similar club;
aud so on from State to State and, as in behalf
of Scott, so in regard to fremont Seward,
Chase, Douglas, Crittenden and other candidates.
Let the friends Of each, without further delay,
proceed to the organization Of their clubs in
every State where the raw materials for such
clubs may exist Next, under their auspices,
public journals, public meetings and local elec-
tons will, in due time, indicate the popular can
didate, democratic or opposition, and fusion
upon him will follow without much difficulty,
and without the necessity Of anything in the
shape of these juggling Baltimore Philadelphia
or Cincinnati Conventions AID platforms
If we are not mistaken, I was the organiza-
ton of Jeflersonian clubs in Virginia and the
South that secured JefiersO's first election in
the House of Representatives, and thus laid the
foundations Of the old dominant republican party.
After the lapse Of quarer Of a century, the
people having become I" Ill republicans and all
federalists" the nucleus OF the democratic party
tall ha1 ., ka Ta.k lar
ments and clubs, here and there throughout the
country, of l822,-'3.-4, and down to his tri-
umpbant election in 1923 His popularity was
such in 1882 that he was accepted as the candi-
date of the democracy by general consent but
the cid Congressional cauMs nominating system
year formally abandoned, and Democratic Ma
tional Convention was called to nominate for the
Vice Presidency, the result of which was that
Mr.. Calhoun, Vice President, with great unan-
unity was superseded br Martin Van Buren,.
And why? Because Val Buren,, appointed by
Gen. jackson as Minister TO England, had been
rejected by the casting v'te Of Calhoun, as Pre-
sident OF the Senate.
Thus, although in The preceding year
Henry Clay had been nominated By Ma
tional Convention as the candidate Of the whig
party the first example o the servile and de-
graded character Of these party conventions is
furnished in the convention which nominated
Van Buren, for Vice President. in 1882. His
nomination for President b 1886 was compassed
by the same machinery: ald again in 1910. But
this time bis convention managers received a
lesson which they did not forget Thus, in the
convention Of "A, in whih there was au elected
majority Of Van Buren, deegatcs, the two.thirds
rule was turned against hm, and he was turned
adyut Still expecting anther trial. Van Buren,
consented to Folks nomination, and aided In his
timorc, in AS. the outsidefrce soil Buffalo tickle,
Of Van Buren, and Adamsmade decisive work Of
the regular democratic candidate.
And thus, on the democratic side aud on the
opposition side. the dohgs Of their Presi-
dental conventions, from first to last, are but
chapter Of the miserable plots, corrup-
tons and debesing expdicnts of gather
ing Of hungry spoilsmcn nd public plundcrcrs
Where they have made good nomination they
have found II already made among the people
in advance; where their convention cliqucs and
petty squabblcs over the soils have driven them
to some new man. they hare done no better than
to compromise their chances upon some automa-
ton. distinguished above al things for his ana-
bic weakness and inofcnsre obscurity
II Is notorious that ever delegate Of Presi-
Dental convention cxpectsto be paid for his SER
vices in spoils and plundeE Il Is notorious that
his labors are directed to This single object: and
II necessarily follows that President who has
thus been nominated Is expected to do all the
dirty work Of his selfapp,intcd masters. Thus
poor Pierce was literally devoured: thus some Of
the democratic leaders and managers at Cncin-
natl have attempted to ule, and, failing In that
10 destroy MI. Buchan,n's administration; and
thus II follows that to secure President free
from these convention leeches and vampires he