New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-31

II was stated IN recent Aticie 10 Inc dt0dny
Ertning Journal that State Conventions were
invented" ut Albany in tbs Winter Of 1924, at q
meeting of gentlemen from different parts of the
State, tho stect being TO popularize tie mode OF
nominating State Officers, which, up to that time,
had been made BY Legislative Caucus In the arti-
Gle referred TO, which, cOn.idering the source
whence il ansted, is entitled to an unusual de-
gree of historical as vel as Of political conscera-
tior this statement is made the more sigLihcaht
and positive by the italics in which the word
invented appears.
There il, indeed no mere curious and important
part of our history emPhatic.ly illustrating as it
does. tie observation of Sir James Mackintosh,
that Cover emf, are not made, but grow-thAn the
progress by which caucuses aud conventions,
bodies totally unknown TO our paper constitutions,
have come to play so conspicuous and leading
part in our politics. The ma,hiuery Of State Con.
ven!ions has, within forty years past come so gen.
ersly into use and Low exercises so potent an in
luence thst its origin and progress are matters Of
ro small historical curiosity. Ur6er these circuu-
stance' it is proper to say that the shove statement
Of The ABony Erening Journal is not exactly cor
rect. In tie fret place, tie change from the sys-
TEN Of Legislative Caucuses, made up Of the
members Of the Legislature Of the same party
faith, to the system Of State Conventions, was
net c,ned out all at once, but, like so
mspy other political revolutions was in
troduced by process Of transition. The
fret step in this change was the introduction into
The Legislative Caucus Of delegates specially elected
for that purpo;e from those counties or Representa-
tive dstric!s in which the party was in minority,
and which in the Legislature were represented By
delegates of hostile politics. Such WAS the CON-
posite chsrac.er of the Caucus by which, in 1917,
De Witt Clinton was nominated for the Office of
Governor, in spite of the opposition of the Buck
tail OF T.mmar clique, led b. Martin Van Buren,
whose fayoiite candidate at that time wa. Peter b.
Porter. But that very same year, ii, scheme Of
State Conyention-thst is, a Convention composed
eptire,y Of persons specially selected for hat pur.
d Sc, which The Ersning JoHTnai claims TO have
been invented at Albany IN lS?i-was carried into
effect in Penn ylysnis. The Democratic party in
Pepnsyl7aria was then and had been for some years
divided into two factions Of Conservatives aud Rad
icals-a diys'on indeed to which that party at all
tines snd in all the Ststes seers TO be chronicsly
liable. The Go7er rnor Of Pennsylvania at that tine
was Simon Snyder, who, though originally chosen
by the Radical party, had fallen, so at least il WAS
alleged under Conservative control Snyder, having
served FOX three terms, was no longer eligible. A
Convention, however. at Harrisburg, constituted
on the same principle with that which in New
York nominated Clinton, gave tie nomination for
the efhce Of Governor to William Findey, who Tad
been ,ince Sryders accession State Treasurer, and
one Of bis principal advisers. Tbs nomination was
exceedingly tstssts iu to the Radicals. Of whom the
organ was The Aurora, orce SO famous in the news
paper word, though by this time good deal fallen
fiom lie leading position. In fact foreseeirs the re-
,ult, and loudly complaining that this caucus had been
pscled ard would be controlled by Executive irhu-
snce, tie Radicals Lad got up rival Convection,
composed entirely, as State Cor7sntior, now are
Of delegates specially chcss, s.d representing all
the coua.iss n tie State. Thh Cor7s,tcn INST At
Cari.'s - ,aIs i,y 4 .hs HsI,sury Cc,vea-