Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-07-08
THE REPUBLICAN STATE CON-
yENTION
S. HUNTINGTON,
+. BEECHER,
A. B. IiALBERT,

We have heard but one opinion on the
subject of state officers to be nominated by
the Republican State Convention at Brattle-
boro, on the 18th inst, and that is that the
present state officers will be re-nominated
without dissenting voice On this account
there is reason TO fear that the attendance
at the Convention will be small. except from
the vicinity of the place of meeting 1t is
one great evil of the mass convention system
that it induces great neglect to attend con-
ventions, except from those who live near
BY. The evils Of such system have become
SO obvious in this State (where alone we
believe, it has prevailed at ally, for years
past, that last year there was almost,
we are not sure but quite, a unanimous ex-
preston Of opinion from the Republican
papers that it ought to be done away with
without further delay. We will repeat
what we said on that subject in the Free
Press of May IA, 1858.
"a convention, to which nobody is ap-
pointed to go,-to which nobody feels oblig-
ed to go,-in which whoever pleases to 60
may act as a member, and which as mat
ter of course, is mainly composed of the
people who live near to the place of meet
ing,-in which for the sake of nominal fair
ness to the State at large, the business is
turned over to a nominating committee ap-
pointed on the spot by those who are there,
one man sometimes fixing the entire no
minating vote for a whole county,-is as
untitled for the purpose as any arrangement
well could be. Such a convention may
do right, and it may not. Its result may
come from mere chance, or from the private
management of a few who are present to
effect their own ends. Moreover, such a
practice operates steadily to induce among
the voters generally, a habit of neglect about
the important political business of the State,
and under the plea of attending to their
own private concerns, to leave the manage
nent of their public ones to whoever shall
please to attend to them. But with Dele
gate Convention, the member chosen public
" by the voters at home, with full knowl-
edge Of their opinions as to candidates.
chosen in fair proportion to the voters who
are to uphold its doings, in which the whole
State is thus fairly represented,-in which
there is an open and frank discussion, every
member giving his own vote and no other,
and holding himself ready to account to
those who appointed him, for his action, the
case is entirely different. A general and
fair representation OF the votes of the State
is thus secured, and there is moral weight
both at home and abroad, in the doings of
such q convention, which is of great impor-
tance.''
The subject came up at State Convention
last year for consideration just at the close
Of the convention, and after a very brief dis
cussion, the resolution on the subject re-
ported by the committee on resolutions,
was referred to the State Committee to re-
port on 70 the next State Convention. We
learn that the State Committee intend to re-
port in favor of having future Conventions
consist of delegates, to be chosen by the re-
publican voters of the State on an equitable
basis.
Over and above the duty of the Repub-
licans to be present from all parts of the
State to take part in the business of nomin-
ating State Officers and of expressing their
sentiments on the political questions of the
day, of this subject,-viz the settling the
form of future State Conventions, makes it
important to have good representation
from all parts of the State. We trust that
the Republicans from this region will not be
regardless of their duty in this respect.