The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-05-19
The Proxy System

That there have crept into the system oil
nominating conventions some evils that ought
to be rectifed and eradicated, cannot be deni
ed by those who have attended conventions
| for few years past. Probably one of the
greatest of these evils, is the so-called
proxy system. We say so-called, because
it is not real proxy system, but only So
called. A proxy is an agent, but as such
should never be allowed but one vote in con-
vention. IF q delegate himself, he should
be permitted to cast his own vote, and no
more. If not delegate himself, there
would be no improperly in permitting him
to take seat, and cast vote as q proxy,
after having presented bis written authority
| to act for some other person who lad heen
duly appointed delegate. The object in
appointing certain number of delegates
from county to attend convention, is to
have that number Olive, representative men
| in the convention. IF one who has been ap-
pointed q delegate cannot attend, let him
see that some other good democrat who is
not a delegate shall go in his stead, with
written authority to cast his vote. A con
vention thus constituted, in part, would be
fair body for the transaction of the impor-
tant business that called it together. As a
general rule, nobody should be appointed a
delegate, who will not pledge himself to at
tend the convention in person if possible.
Sometimes it so happens that one who is
appointed delegate cannot go. In that
case. let him not give q written proxy to
some other delegate, but let him give it to
some good democrat who is not q delegate,
in order that the county may be represented
by men, and not by small bits of paper with
three or four lines of writing upon it. In the
II I
to assemble at Monmouth, on the 22d of July,
Adams county will be entitled 10 forty-six
egates-forty-s live men to represent them.
IF the system that has grown up among
US, of allowing one appointed delegate to 90
round through the country and procure from
other delegates written authority to cast their
votes shall be tolerated, it might turn out
that the whole vote of the country would be
cast by one man. We have known one man
70 appear in convention with twenty written
proxies, and strangely enough, he was per-
hi,'sed to cast twenty votes This was
al wrong. He ought to have been called on
10 cast one vote and no more-and the 9th
er nineteen votes of absentees ought have
been cast under the direction of majority
OF those OF the delegation who were present.
NO delegate is ever entirely satisfied with
the result OF convention, If any other dele
gate is permitted to cast two votao IN b;s
one, or as is sometimes the case ten fe.
teen or twenty TO his one. fit is des;,ea.
BILE, az it certainly is, that our conventions
should be harmoniously conducted and 70
suit satisfactorily and proftably to all con.
cerned, this thing of allowing any one man
to cast more than one vote-except in the
case where but one delegate is present from
county, who should be permitted TO cast
the whole vote of the county-this thing, we
say, of allowing one delegate to cast more
than one vote should be stopped. There is
nothing fair or honest about it--and II is Ii.
able to great abuse, and calculated to infict
serious injury upon the party and to dam
age, if not hopelessly destroy its prospects in
canvass. We make these suggestions to
our democratic friends, not only of Adams,
but of all the other counties in this congress.
lonai district, and, indeed, of the whole state.
1t they will give them a little reflection, we
are confident they viii adopt Quincy
Herald.