Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-09-22
Communicated
\ REVIEW or THE LArE CONVENTION
--NOg A CANDIDATE w EST OF LANCAsr

Mr.. Editor: Hearing much, two years
ago, of discrimination against the West
[ thought yesterday, | would attend the
Convention, and have the benefit Of impair
tial eycsight. ! bestowed but ordinary at
ention to the. preliminary organization
the appointment Of Committee on Creden-
tials, DC, but noticed, with SOME surprise
that the report of said committee curtailed
the town OF Glen Haven OF one-thi.d Of hel
franchise. "Of course" there was no wrong
Intention in this, nevertheless it was suscep
tible Of different construction, and, Il
minds already stored with the history 81
former occasions, it contrasted strangely
with the subsequent action of the Convei-
ton, in picking up stragglers, from towns
anrepresented, and allowing them to cast
two, three, four or more votes each. Anc
low permit me to ask what right have the
delegates OF say twenty towns in our coun
ty, to deliberate, or decide upon the fran
chise Of the remainder, who, either from
neglect or choice let the subject 90 by de
fault! undertake to say, that a Con.
yeptiop has no cognzence Of citizens what
ever, but only Of delegates, and Of delegates
for specific purpose alone. | undertake
to say, that County Convention canno
manufacture delegat.s for town, even oul
of its own citizens. Suppose, for example
any local cause of dissatisfaction should III
process of time, cause one third of towns
say in the West, to absent themselves from
the County Convention, for the purpose d
letting the remainder nominate their owr
candidates, and have the fun of electino
them; and suppose that one man only II
each town was sufficiently traitorous to the
common revolt to attend the County Con
vention, would you drag these traitors into
your councils, invest them with the entire
representation Of their respective towns
and then plead their cooperation with You
as Of binding force Ypop their towns Y 4
you did, you would insult the common
sense OF the age. Your actions would be
more than gratuitous 1t would be arbitrary,
The policy Of such action, too, is as deplor-
able as the principle is preposterous; dc
such work for laggard towns and you viii
always have it to 90. And to appeal to
precedent in defense Of such a practice j:
simply despicabIe. The self respect Of the
nineteenth century rebels against doctrine
that trammels all investigation, and fetter,
the human mind in the poblest efforts.
Ii condemning such course, however
in the late Convention, let me be understood
to impute nothing improper to the gentle
men who represented the delinquent towns;
on the contrary their unquestionable worth
as citizens and republicans was the only re
deeming feature of the affair.
And here again, il speaking Of repre-
sentation, am reminded of another thing,
the basis Of representation. What right
have republican councils to be called into
being on other than purely republican ba-
SIS Republicans, alone, arc responsible
for the measures, the usefulness, and The
destiny Of fac republican party, and howey-
er much we may sympathize with our re-
publican friends in democratic towns, it is
Il misfortune Of theirs which cannot be rem
edied by retrenching the rights of others.
Justice to the different towns is most pal
pably yialatcd, in making the entire poll
the basis Of representation SO also, is every
feature of congeniality and appropriateness.
Why connect, even by association Of IDEAS,
much less the iuxtaposition Of facts, the
rassalating and conflicting outlines Of mod
srn democracy with either the councils, or
The responsibilities of the republican party (!
Do the votes Of men who hold the very
charter Of our liberties to be mass of
-.gIittering generalities, who approach
the polls to install the dogma that labor
ought to belong to capital, reccg-
nize the right of man 10 hold property ~
man? DO the votes Of men who aim at
this, or the votes Of those who are inliffar-
entto it, constitute an appropriate basis for
republican representation If a pert OF
our political friends are situated in unpleas-
ant proximity to some Of the r;ldiating
points of modern democracy, let lis help
them to offer suitable bonus for a better
social and civil condition,--or help them 10
enagrote, but, in the name Of common
sense, do not give them credit, and strength
in our councils, fromthe very misfortune, Of
which, in time, we hope to see thcpa reliev-
ed.
But to the Convention itself. The In
formal ballot for Sheriff showed large dis
against the western candidates
but that was not 50 surprising; they were
both farmers: busy at home, and Their
friends, might not have busted themselves,
.fi,cts rs much as their en-
ernies. In the contest for Clerk of the
Circuit Court, the west | believe, did not
aspire, aud notwithstanding noble effort
Of Mr.. Colburn, Of Fairplay, tie nomina-
ton followed the same territorial direction
with that Of Sheriff. Next comes the nom
nation OF Treasurer, and Jared Warner,
the Western candidate, was nowhere p
Now the east had that office two years,
why lot the west have it two; but Mr.
Jones must have it two more; and the four
teen votes, which Mr.. Warner polled, was
not even reported to the Convention, a
courtesy certainly very odd, but / suppose
entirely due, to the feelings Of one Of the
oldest, and most respectable citizens of"Old
Grant. Next comes the Clerkship ofthe Co
Board; Mr.. Newick Of Bec,own was the
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