Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-08-14
Il WOrd to RepuJiic0Hs.

TThe following article we copy from
the last number of the Green Mountain
Freeman. The article was undoubtedly
written by its able editor, Hon. c. w.
Willard, the nominee for Congress in
the First Congressional District. The
article is candidly written, and should
receive fair consideration.-EDs
1t is fundamental principle upon
which all Republican governments are
founded, that 'majOrities must rule
Societies, associations and parties recog-
nize this truth, and no one ought to eX-
pect, in joining any of these bodies,
that his individual preference or inter
esi, should take precedence of the wish
es or will of majority of those associat-
ed with him. 1t may be and doubtless
is true that majorities are not always
right nor are minorities always wrong ;
yet to adopt any otherru for associated
men than that the will of the majority
fairly and legitimately expressed, should
have binding force upon all members
composing such bodies, would at once
lead to confusion and anarchy, and be
destructive of all good sought to be OBJ
tanned by banding together for mutual
protection, action and benefit.
Each individual in joining political
party, for instance, virtually adopts its
principles, and promises to support its
candidates when fairly nominated. He
expects to give up his own personal pre-
possessions for men, if perchance the
majority of the party happen to have
opposite preferences, and put in nomi-
nation candidates for office other than
those he desired nominated. There is
no yielding of principle or sacrifice of
nm Observation-Disclosures in Ini - &,
only q concession that others NAV be
right and he unintentionally wrong or
misjudging. In other words it is sim
ply an admission that one may not al
ways be infallible, and all other fallible
II they chance to differ from him. We
often hear it remarked of well-meaning
men who have committed some blunder
or petty malfeasance, that such an act
was an error of the head rather than of
the heartily which we are expected
to understand that the heart is the safer
counsellor, and the man has only been
lead astray by the misguided impulse of
the head. Now we have often thought
the ''desires of the heart,o were quite as
unsafe counsellors as the impulse of the
head, and that when we greatly coveted
the nomination of particular man to
office, while majority of our party pre-
fered some other person, it We're well to
pause and consider whether those desires
of the heart had not befOgged our iudg-
ment, and led us possibly to consider
any one but our favorite an unsuitable
candidate for the place.
We have been led to these reflections,
by observing disposition in Franklin
County as well as in some other portions
of the State, to "bolt" part of the reg
ularly nominated Republican ticket. A
split in any party has a tendency to
weaken that party, and should never be
permitted, save for good and sufficient
reasons. In case an improper unprin-
cipled man folsts himselfupon the ticket
by unfair and disgraceful appliances
by bribery or by surreptitiousIy packing
the convention or the nominating COM
mittee, it is not only right,
but it is the duty of all honest
men to repudiate and refuse to support
such nominee. The good of the party
demands that at our hands. But in this
State the instances that would Justify a
bolt seldom occur. All preliminary
meetings for selecting candidates are
seasonably called, and all have due no,
tice to attend and put in nomination
the very best men. Ordinarily no undue
or unjustitiable appliances are used to
induce men to be present or to corrupt
those who are present. The proceed
ings are not secret, butall have chance
to participate in the action of the con-
ventiOn. And when a convention thus
Constituted and carried forward, pu s its
ticket in nomination, it is the duty OF
those who participated or might have
participated in its proceedings to cor
dially support the men put forward as
the standard bearers of the party. Ones