Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-06-15
THE CALL FOR TIE STAT.
COW IGNITION.

We give above the call Of the Republican
State Committee. for q Convention q. De
held at Rutland on the 9th inst, to i .a-
mate State officers for the coming yeu 81.
cannot let it pass without expressing -ae-
prise at the form IN which the call is made.
At the Republican State Convention Of judy
II, 1889, held at BrattIeboro. the folloViug
Resolution was adopted, as appears from .ae
official record.
Resolved, That the Republican State C.ayer-
tions IN future shall be Delegate Conyeuti.ls. aa4
the State Committee Is directed 20 issue their
calls for such Conventions the following basis
10 lri for each town one delegate and ALSO one
additional delegate for every 100 votes, and a.-.
one for each fractional number Of so a.. -...
votes cast for the Republican candidate t.r Cove
ernor at the State election next procodi-E ..a
Convcntions-the delegates 20 lie elected a. % .r.-
lie caucus in each town and properly cert..i 3.
the Convention.
Here was a posture directoa to the >a.e
Committee by the organized body which APP
pointed them as to the basis on whic. they
were to call the Convention. They We're 81 call
it as Delegate Conrmtioa and in no .t.-r
way. Not particle Of discretionary g.r.r
was left to them on tins point S. fc. .-
least, their Office was purely ministerial, d
they had no right to call the Convell-a
otherwise than as directed. To call it as 81, y
have done is a usurpation Of Authority,
which, if it can find precedents in the action
OF official. of the pro-slavery democracy, BIAS
no proper place in tie ranks Of Republicans.
We do not forget that in the call f9r
Republican State Convention at NorthE-il
last April, to appoint delegates to the Chico
20 Convention, the same State Commit
called it as a Mass Convention, under tie
excuse, given by individuals Of the Committ-c
that the resolution Of the State Convenuu
quoted above, was, perhaps, not meant =
apply, except for Conventions to nominate
State officers We regard the excuse as a.
unsound one 4; but good or bad, it was dead
against the Committees present action.
We do not forget, either, that the ConveI-
ton at Mortified, called for the sole purpose
Of appointing four delegates at large to the
National Convention at Chicago, passed
resolution in " hich the State Committee wa
" ddr1sed to call it the State Convention now
called as GRAND Mass CONVENTION"
OF course that Convention could adrise the
State Committee TO commit any irregularitv
to call the State Convention in New
Hampshire, or to jump into Lake Cham
plain if they saw fit ; bat it did not d,re4
them to disregard the positive rule Of the
body which appointed them, and 1t did not
pretend it had the power to do SO. They
transgress their authority therefore, on their
own responsibility, and must be judged Of
accordingly.
1t is proper for ms to say here, that we are
informed by the Chairman of the Committee
that the determination OF the Committee to
call the Convention as Mass Convention
was not unanimous. A large minority, him
self among them, believed the Committee had
no right to 60 counter to the direction Of the
Convention which appointed it. bu- they
yielded to the majority.
As to the reason given by the Committee
for going contrary 70 the rule laid down for
their guidance by tie State Convention
which appointed them, with all proper re-
spect for the Committee, we must say that
in our view it is no good reason at all. 4
judge might as fifty make different decree
from the one prescribed for him by the law,
because a good many persons had wished
him to DO 50. As for giving the people Of
Vermont an opportunity to express their
views upon the nomination Of ABRAHAM
LINCOLN and HANNIBAL HAMLIN,"
that could have been done just as well if the
State Convention had been called properly.
as it can be done now.
On the question, whether Mass Conyen-
tions or Delegate Conventions are preferable
for the purpose Of nominations, We say moth
ing here, because that question is not perth
nent to the case in hand. The real point and
the only point, is that rule of official action
laid down for State Committee by State
Convention which appoints them. is not one
for them to set aside at their option. 1t must
be IN force till superseded by another rule of
the organization which adopted it. For
State Committee to tread it under foot is do
ing mischief not easily remedied. Bad ex-
amples find imitators in plenty.
Howard GUARDs.-The Howard Guards,