Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-04-20
0lre 9ree ptea6
rHEDIsrRICT CoNvENrIoN,AGAIN.
BURLINGTON:
FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL 90 1860.

THE DISTRICT CONvENTION,AGAIN
The Times has, with more than its customar,
alacrity, turned entirely over. with referenc,
to the call for the District Convention. anC
now graciously allows to the District Com
mittee the privilege of issuing the call in thei1
own way.
1t is Just possible, indeed. that the call
would have served its purpose and the Con-
vention been held as called, all the same, if
the Tine, had still continued to hold back
in tie breechlng. Its surrender, however,
saves us the trouble Of further argument
with it, and the following, which we copy
from the Times of this morning. will give
such further information as the public need
TO possess at present.
BvRLNGroy, April H. 1850.
GENERAL D. W. C. CLARKE,
E5,far of iEe Do,'1 Times
Deo- Nr;
l see from your paper Of this morning
that you regard the call Of the District Committee
for Delegate Convention at Hydepark, on the
oath instant as unauthorized and null. and that
you apparently consider the form of the Conven-
tion to have been settled in a different way and by
others than the Committee.
As this can only be from misapprehenson of
the facts, on yonr part will you allow me to make
4 simple statement Of hem
The call which you have published was issued
! .L. ~
took the responsibility Of attaching to it the names
Of the other members Of the committee, undoubt-
edIy supposing that it ,ropa receive the full assent
Of the other members but before it had received |
such assent from any one Of them, to the i'm |
nortant particular of the form Of the Convention.
Upon learning that his views on this point were
lot shared by some Of the Committee, the Chair
nan rrote t. me. that if a majority Of the Commit
ee favored delegate Convention, he should
h7nge ne cali, to meet their views. A majority
f the Committee did favor such a Convention. and
lotifed the Chairman of the fact, and, Of course,
expected that call embodyng their decision
would be issued at once.
The action Of the informal meeting, held at the
equest of the Chairman Of the Committee, in the
arlor Of the Mortified House, has, think,
arjly the Importance which you ascribe to it
hat meeting had no authority to FIX the form Of
he call or to the committee, and it did not
retend TO do SO. The Advice of the dozen or twen-
y men who voted for the motion advising the
committee, is probably worth as much as the ad-
ice Of any other equal number Of the Freemen
f the District, and for one, l disposed to give
al weight to it. But having obtained contrary
piuions and advice from a much larger number
f the Freemen Of the District, and remaining {
am gla to see that You do) always in favor o
slegate conventions" fully concur in the final
scision of the majority of the committee.
In a letter received by me night before last, the
hartman Of the Committee fully acg,ucsees in t4a
.cision, Chough undoubtedly retaining his indi-
dual preference for a Mass Convention) suggests
le basis of representation by delegates set forth
the call directs me to proceed to issue the call
accordance with the views Of the majority, and
iyises the adoption of means for fully notifying
le people Of the District Of the change in the
ii.
OF course, you are at perfect liberty to decline
receive and publish the call IF the Committee; I
ut I think you can hardly fail to perceive that
le call which you have published is not the Call
the Committee, unless the Chairman alone con-
itutes the Committee, aud hat the Call for
elegate Convention is the on authoritative Call
n the District Convention.
Yours truly,
q pgrN-vDTTT