New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-24
pRRsrprNTIAL NOMINATIONS.

| No ore even passably acquainted with our COnst
tutiona history can believe thatany such machinery
was contemplated by the founders and trainers Of
our free institutions. HamiltOns prescence fore.
BODIED that the time would come wherein an cleo.
ton OF President would absorb and convuIse the
nation; yet we believe nothing like a modern Ma
tional Nominating Convention was anticipated as a
result of our "mOre perfect Union" by any Of the
writers of The Federalis or b. any Of the emineu!
opposers of the adoption of the Federal COnstitu.
| ton National Conventions are NOT yet thirty
years old we trust they are net destined to out
last another decade.
What is the reed Of National Convention
There is no other plausible answer than this" to
enable party to concentrate its entire Electoral
"Yote upon its worthest, strongest man." And
this, We maintain can more safely and surely be
effected without a National Convention than with
one AL that is necessary is that each party should
nominate its Electoral Ticket in every State, pre-
cifely as now, and then that the People should d.
rect by their ballots for whom these Electors should
| vote--as they do not now. Here are Two Millions
| Of Republican voters in the Union, of whom not
On tenth viii have any direct voice in determining
for whom the votes of the whole shall be cast for
F.es dent Delegates are chosen sOrnehow-they
oeasr ally know how, but the great majority do not;
| ana majority Of those Delegates usually agree
soneho W in presenting ticketfor wbomcTery men,
Der ef tire party mast vote or throw bis vote away.
Yet sTeL, this is preferable to the nomination by
Congressional Caucus which the National Conyen-
ton svYplanted.
Bat there is fay better mode than ether-and
s is, to leave every voter perfectly free to the
clss of the canvass, snd invite him then to cast
banot which sholl indicate bic political faith and at
tie same time count one toward the designation of
the man Of his deliberate choice the candidate
for whom tine entire vste of his party shall BIZ
cast Yos, We viii suppose, are Republican, and
won't to vote for hin whe, of all the Republican
ststes men, you think ttest for President But this
you ,caDnOs do ubder the prevailing system. You
must either vote for that ore whom the Chicago
COM, ntiOn shall nominate, or throw your vote
away. And how sure is it that the Chicago Con-
yentOn will nominate that man whom majority Of
the Republicans would prefer IS their candidate
Now let us.suppose this system adopted instead
of the Convention: Every Republican (or Demc-
party, headed by the name of Seward, or Banks, or
Chase, Bates, or Dayton, Cameron, or Liz
coln or whoever be may prefer, Cor President and
60 also for Vice-President. When the ballots are
counted out, let these headings, expressions OF
preference, be counted as we'll and let the resu,t
be returned and summed up, with regard to
| Electors. The State Canvaseers report that the
! vote for Electors stands thus-and that, of thcss
! voting the Republican Electoral Ticket, so many
had voted for Seward, so many for Chase, co
many for Bates, and so on. The aggregate
vote Of The Republicans (and l,sewise of the Demo
crats) of all the States might very soon be summed
up, and formal declaration made that A. CT B.
had bean designated by plurality of the Republi-
cans as the person for whom the Republican Elect
ors oG every State should cast their votes. Who
would not Willingly bow ia the decision of his
whole party Who would not prefer to make his
own candidate, and be at lbsrty to change him at
any time pri9r 10 the election, rather than have oae
clesen for Kim, six or eight months ahosd, and
have 10 cba4ce but between voting for tkat csnii-
| late ard b9VUg DO voice u the eectiOn'
! But whiie it shall oe most un~ssly doomed
+ mp acjieabe 10 let the People make their own
|
current, il is manifessy desirable that the very
ATTEST and best mtn saOuld be chOsea as Delegates
to The several National Conventions, and that they
| shOuld be left free 70 nominate such candidates as
to them should aisr careful inquiry and due DELHI
Grafton, be deemed beet. But So; Delegates are
chosen, net to inquire anc so ascertain who ought
to be dominated, but to carry out some personal
prosramme-Eot TO learn who ought to be nOmi.
mated. but TO insist that A. OF B. shall be. Must
this be always so
We shall very heartily support Gen. Cameron, in
case he ia nominated at Chicago; yet we shall not
pretend TO Ike the way in which unanimous Dele
CATION from Pennsylvania has been secured iOr him.
To give each district the privilege of naming it's
proportion of delegates, and theniusIuct those Dis
trict Delegates TO vote a unit for particular
candidate, ia not quite the thing. Aud we regard
it as no less maadroit than wrong.
How many times must our leading politicians
be reminded that they bent selling the skin Of
| wolf they have not yet taken-thSt we are on
TIE eve of a vehement political struggle, whereof
the result is very doubtful Iii necessary that we
should wrest the Government this year from tlt
hands of the Slavery ExtensiOnsts it is mol neces
sary that our siandard-bearer in the impending
struggle should be Mr.. A. or Mr. b. Let US think
more Of our principles ard less OF advancing the
fortunes Of any one Uan.
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DIDACTIC DEATB-sEhTENCB.
r Irua, 90.