The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-08

The theory of the nominating convention Is
that the members of political party, agree
inc q, some great principle of public policy
and desiring to select the best exponent of that
nolicv to procure its enactment into law, as
SAMPLE en- mdSSe at their various places of
meeting and select delegates in whose judg-
ment and integrity they have confidence;
that these delegates subsequently meet in con-
ventiop, and after consultation choose the most
capable man they can find; and that their
choice is morally binding upon the voters who
have referred the matter to them. If this
conc usion were predicated upon a correct
recital of the facts, it would challenge the
consent of every reasonable man. Unfortu-
nately it is rot. Every step of the proceed
ings is in practice exposed to the suspicion of
taud. The suspicion, so far as the moral
effect of a nomination thus procured is con-
cerned, is as damaging actual fraud would
be. People do not turn out en- masse because
they have a suspicion, well or il-founded, that
the whole thing is "cut and dried" and that it
makes very little difference whether they take
part in the proceedings or not. The caucus is
a law unto itself. The proceedings are loose
and informal. The delegates may be and
sometimes are the representatives of small,
unknown but active clique, popularity describ-
ed as "ring." When they meet in conven-
ton, they meet not for consultation but to
outw,t and circumvent the delegates of other
"rings," and so q candidate is sometimes named
whom the people would never have thought of,
and as the rings" are made up of professional
politicians it is matter of course that their
dat ha VIII will raonUniZp
their claims and reward their services at the
expense of the community. The result is
that we get just as bad nominations as the
community will endure. Men like General
John Cochrane, who is the author of the
striking sen timent that he would vote for the
devil himself If he got the regular nomina-
ton, magnify the form above the spirit of the
convention; but the ties of party allegiance
are practically subjected too often to an un-
necessary and dangerous tension.
1t is evident therefore that nominating con-
ventions, although important means of secur-
ing unity of action, are not without draw
backs. Some correction must if possible be
devised and we have watched with much in
terest the experiment which has just been
tried in Androscoggin county in selecting
delegates to attend the district coWention to
nominate a Republican candidate for Con-
gress. Instead of voting for delegates simply,
it was proposed that the electors should vote
in caucus for their candidates directly, leav-
ing the winning candidate to select the dele
gates for himself We believe this to be
move in the right direction, in SO far as it &C.
customs the people to voting directly for the
candidate they prefer, but it does not appear
to meet all the difficulties of the case. 1t will
| perhaps be necessary to do away with the
cumbersome machinery of conventions alto
| gether, and let the choice of candidates be de-
| termined by the direct vote of the people, This
| plan has already been tested by the experience
of half dozen years in Crawford county,
Pennsylvania, and the Republicans there
show no disposition to return to the old sys-
tenn.
1t was in 1861 that the Republicans of Craw-
ford county entered upon their experiment.
Their method is very simple. Ona day desig-
mated by the proper authorities county
committee would properly assume this office
the voters holding Republican principles in
each town, ward, or election precinct, assem-
BILE at the place of holding elections, and at the
appointed hour proceed to elect one person for
Judge and two for clerks. These three persons
constitute the Board of Election, to receive
votes and determine who are the proper per-
sons to vote. The polls are generally kept
open until about O'clock p. M. The ballots
are cast fer candidates as at an ordinary cleo
ton and canvassed, after the closing of the
polls, in the same MANNER. The returns of
each precinct are made out, certified by the
judge and attested by the clerks. The judges
Tor clerks appointed by the judges as substi-
tutes) meet at the County Court House, on
some convenient day following the election,
and proceed to count the votes of all the pre-
cincts. The persons having the highest num-
Der of votes for the respective offices are de-
clared the regular nominees of the Republican
party. If two or more persons have an equal
number of votes for the same office, the Judges
so assembled proceed to ballot for choice, and
the person receiving the highest number of
votes is the nominee. These judges have also
power to reject the returns from any precinct,
on evidence of fraud, to the e1tent of the fraud
In Crawford County, it is customary for the
candidates for the several offices to have their
names announced in one or more of the coun-
ty newspapers several weeks previous to the
election but each elector, of course, has the
privilege of voting for whomsoever he pleases.
No person is permitted to vote who will not
pledge himself to support the ticket nominal
ted. The danger that persons not members of
the party not qualified voters may take
part in these elections is evidently much less
than in ordinary caucuses and may still fur
ther be diminished by challenges and by the
use of check lists prepared by the town COM
mitteeS,