Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-08-02
The Call for a New Convention

The q ali ltA N 49,
We have deprecated the moFemen' '0i
neu convention and new ticket Tor county
officers. IN this county, for reasons already
given by us at length. Our views remain
substantially unchanged, though the ieeiing
renre.epted by the movement proves to DC
deeper and wider than we had supposed
We arr informed that the request to the
Corn,ni,tse 10 issue the call was signed by
nearly two hundred citizens OF Burlington
and in like proportion throughout the Ooun-
- Tho call for the Convention Is certainly
,erv respectably and infuentially endorsed
MANY of the names attached to 1t are Oh
gentlemen whose social. moral, and political
standing is beyond question. Evidently 1t
ia No movement that can be disregarded, or
pooh-poohed down A formidable bolt and
an excited and doubtful contest over por-
ton of the County ticket, seems to be newt
able. Ill-adyised as on the whole we con-
slider their action to be, tits due to the movers
in this matter, to say that we doubt not
that most of them are influenced by dis
interested regard for the public good. We
do not believe that their action IL due as
has been stated, to personal enmity towards
Nessrs. Hard and French. Those gentlemen
have very lew, if any. personal enemies
Their recognized ability and genial personal
opsli,ies have commended them to the kind
" personal feeling OF the great mass oil
those who know them. But those VINO
thus oppose them, aver that their noInina-
ton was effected by packing caucuses, and
undetermined fugling that opposers oil lem
perance and wholesome law boldly claim the
nominations as their work and the nominees
as thar men that their presentation as
candidates is part IF an organized plan 70
break down the prohibitorY law, and restore
the reign Of free rum; - that there Is a
limit to the binding force ei party homlna-
ons. and that it Is time that the wire
up,rs were taught that no Convention,
however large and regular, can afford to fly IN
the face of the temperaucc-law-and-order
loving and moral sentiment OF the commu-
pity and that it Is service to the
party, to compel it to pay more regard to
personal character IN its selections for othce,
than is paid in some Of our nominating
conventions
Willie it cannot be denl,d that there Is
some foundation for these statements. We
still fail to see that in tie long run the
cause of Temperance or of Republicauism
is likely to be the gamer by a bolt. The
FREE Pass is wont, az general thing, to
sustain regular nominations, and does so
on principle. Our State elections come ev-
cry year, and it must be a very extreme
case which cannot afford to lie over for a
twelve month, and be cured. if a remedy
proves to be needed. in the regular way
II it be possible to educate, urge or shame
the mass Of our staid and honest republi-
cans to the simple duty OF such attention
to the PRIMARY mootirgs as shall secure reg
ular nominations which heartily commend
ihemtclvcs to The majority of the party,
that is far better than to attempt to mend
matters. by the violent methcd Of an organ-
iEed bolt with its inevitably attendant con-
sequences of disorganlzation and bitter feel
ing. s. believing. We cannot favor holt.
Those who cannot thus zee their duty,
Of course must be guided ~ their own con-
sciences. and by them mcst stand or fall