, 1863-05-09
The Territorial Convention.

held at Vancouver, on the 25th of May
has been issued in Portland and Olympia
papers. 1t is to be a Union Convention o.
course, for there are none but Union meI
ow-a-days, no matter what may have been
or now is their real political status. There
is not a secessionist, a traitor, or a poEti-
cal demagogue, in all Washington Terrific
ry, but rolls the term Union as 'sweet
morsel under his tongue" The call for a
Territorial Convention, is a highfdLlutin
production, full of ready made patriotism,
''sound and fury, and bears its high Off
cial paternity on its face. 1t is signed by
some dozen or two respectable citizens res
ident in different parts Of the Territory
many of whose names must have been used
without the authority of their owners,
while some others perhaps, have been in
duced to sign the document under the in
nocent impression that it really is what it
purports to be-a call for Union Conven-
tion, irrespective Of party, to nominate q
candidate for Congressional delegate. We
must be excused for counting ourselves
among the incredulous on this point. The
thing smacks of official dictation in its very
inception, and if it continues to develop,
as it probably will, into scheme of the
old dodgers to mislead the people and pre-
vent a free expression of the popular will,
the ''bone and sinew" of the country will
repudiate the nondescript convention, and
defeat its mongrel nominse, though he
were ten times the best man in the Terri
tory. Let good men serutinize this move
ment closely, lest they be inundated on
the altar of politio4l Dagons.
A convention such as this call proposes,
made up of the conflicting elements of par
ties of every political hue, and under the
management Of knavish demagogues, each
working for himself or some aspiring friend,
: omises no good to the Union cause or
eople, and if the masses tamely acqui-
in its action or pledge themselves to
by its dictum, they may find them
as badly deceived as they were last
the Copperhead movement in some
J eastern States, and what little char
for loyalty the wire-worEing politi-
S have left the Territory, will be de-
5ed. Unionism, here as elsewhere, is
Onvenient cloak for secret traitors to
under and sneak into Office, and we
.5w Of moro than one party that will at
apt to use it in the coming contest. The
endorsement of so called Union conven-
ton is all they want, and they think their
game will be made If we even escape
sending a traitor to misrepresent us in
Congress by the mongrel convention pro-
cess, we shall, at BEST find ourselves still
in the hands of the arbitrary clique whose
high-handed rule has, annoyed aid disgust
ed the people 1GfS- fS-this Territory for years
past.
We are mo more favorable to drawing
party lines in the approaching election,
than the patriotic concocters of this Union
Convention. Whatever may be our private
political sentiments, as publishers Of an
Independent journal, we think it expedient
in the present state of the country, to ig-
more politics, and select candidates for Of
flee without reference to Their party ante
cedents We shall, therefore, support any
honest and capable man for Delegate, who
can come before the people with a loyal
record, free from pledges, and uncontami-
mated by the corruptions of political cliques.
It may be possible that such man could
be brought into the field by convention
originating with the people, but not by
one got up and controlled by politicians
and ofice-seeking demagogues Bad as
the convention system is at best, and dis
gusted as the people have been by its foul
Vaccinations in times past, We believe they
would rally to the support Of man Sc
lected by their own free untrammeled vol
ces, even in convention. But if as the
signs now denote, this may not be, we
trust the people have had experience
enough to induce them to stand aloof from
all conventions, and at the proper time
choose judiciously from the numerous as
pirants, the most loyal, honest and capa-
BILE man, on whom to bestow their indie
pendent suffrages -OUerland Press.