, 1860-07-17
The Next C0nEresSs..OuF Representa-.
tive.



NO. =.
AEssns. Ep17ons:-1 had occasion In COM
ADDRESSED % Jon on Friday last,
md publiahed in your issue Of Saturday morn
ng, to express the fear that tae wants and ne
'esaitiea oi thls Congressional District might
% Lost sight OF in the coming Convention
through the harshness and bitterness Of per
sonal contest, and in strong confirmation Of the
reality OF such danger, the same paper con-
Eained two letters from Whiteside County, re-
'ntiTe to the action Of the County Convention
OF that county IN the selection Of delegates to
the Congressional Convention, in which it seems
to ne assumed TINT Mr. Arnold or Ar. Farms
worth is to be put in nomination By that Con-
rention, and as necessary consequence that
fitness for the Office, in view of'the many and
grave questions affecting our interests, Is but |
secondary consideration to the individual pre- |
ference Of the delegates for this or that man.
Tie theory of the convention system. as l
understand it, is that The men there assembled
REPRESENTING tue aoorerate party. and CHOSEN
with due regard to intelligence and honesty,
shall, knowing tho wants of the District, select
a. ita candidate the man WIN in the larpest de-
gree, sball. through his intelljceuce, position,
aud personal WEIGHT Of character. be able to
occupy on the floor Of Coo9ress and in ita de-
liberations IN influential and nma1ding posi-
tion. Legislation is largely controlled BY in
dividual preferences was strikingly Illus
trated few years siuce By our late lamented
Governor. Bissell- through his personal
weight Of character. when too unwell 10 be
present. by a letter addressed to the House Of
Representatives. of which be was member,
succeeded in procunnx the passage of private
bill in faYor of one of our own citizens, which
bad no shadow of chance of becoming law
prior to his personal appeal in its favor.
It is too often the fact that the plain duty Of
the Convention is neglected or overlooked, and
each delegate having preference for some one
Of the persons understood to be candidates,
forgets TINT he has any other duty to perform
except to express BY his vote such pref. renee,
losing sight Of the tact that he has nothing to
do With individual likes or dlsllkes, but is to
look for and put IN nomination the best man
Tor the place; and even WREN the County Con
vent'on, py Which the delegate was chosen, has
By resolution lntinated IN favor of some one Of
the candidates, thus is to be considered rather
as an expressed preference among those whose
names have been presented than Us an absolute
direction in all contingencies and at all hazards
to insist upon the nomination Of the person in
whose favor such instruction was given.
Suppose the County Convention. by which
such instruction was giTea, acted upon the be-
lief TINT TINT member Of the party best fitted
to Eepresent this district in the next Congress
did not desire-and would much prefer to de-
cline the nomination if rendered him, and it
should afterwards appear that it was for the in
terest of the party and the district that such
nouipation should be made Notwithstanding
such unwi11;ngness, then tue delegate would
not only be bound to disr:gard the instruction
but would do 30 with the full knowledge ,ba,
the Convention By which he was instructed, i
in session, would confirm both his net and hi,
disregard Of instruction, and there eau be n.
reasonable doubt that nomination SO rendered
would be accepted.
It will not be gravely argued By my man
that in the selection Of a candidate frou
our own party for 80 important q pos
as the representative In Congress of this dis
; trict, including within It's bounds this lare