The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-17
THURSDAY, JUNE II, 1869.
FRA UDS IN REPUBLICAN, CONVEN-
TIONS

Samuel G. Perkins, Esq, gentleman well
known and highly esteemed in the commu-
nifty, was deprived of his rights as q delegate
in the convention which was assembled to
nominate Republican candidate for the
Office of Recorder of Deeds. 1t will be re-
membered that the packed Committee on Gre
dentials, acting ignorantly and unjustly, if
not corruptly, reported that the seat in ques-
ton rightfully belonged to one George w.
Buckley, and that the certificate under which
he claimed this position has since been proven
by the statement of the men whose names
were attached to it to be downright forgery
Determined to have all the facts involved
fully presented to the party and the public,
Mr. Perkins made an effort to assert his rights
in the convention, and although he prevented
the friends of Houseman from ejecting him,
they deprived him of the privilege of repre-
senting his constituents, and in response to
his demand for justice threatened to throw
him out of the window if he did not submit
in silence to the infamous programme of
fraud which they had concocted. Deprived
of redress in the convention, he appealed to
the City Executive Committee, furnishing
them with full statement of all the facts.
fully attested. The result of their delibera-
hons is announced in the following note:-
'June 16, 1s6s.-Samue C. Perkins, Esq.-Dear
Sir:-At a meeting OF the Republican Executive
Committee, held yesterday, your protest against the
action Of the convention to nominate Recorder OF
Deeds respectfully received and fled This
action rendered necessary, as under the rules
for the government OF the Republican party (Rule g.
the convention through its committee on Contested
Seats is made the judge Of the right of delegate to
a seat therein; therefore the committee (notwith-
standing the fact that the coUentto acted Il, an out
m,nO nQrtpnlar
see that they could give any redress, other than
deprecate the action of the convention and hope
that in the future there may be cause of COM
''JoHN L. HILL,
president Republican City Ex. Com"
The case of MIR. Perkins was by no means
an isolated one. There were about twenty
contested seats referred to the Committee on
Credentials, and without regard to the merits
of the respective contestants, that body de-
cided in favor of the claimants who were
favorable to Houseman, thus introducing into
the convention o sufficient number of men
who had no right to be there to control its
deliberations and to ensure the result which
has given such widespread and deep-seated
dissatisfaction to honest and patriotic men,
bers of the Republican party.
Aside from these frauds, it is alleged that
many of the delegates present were paid to
cast their votes for Houseman, and that they
we're therefore guided in their deliberations
not by regard for the welfare of Republican
ism, not by desire to select nominee who
would strengthen the ticket, not by wish to
bestow lucrative Office upon a candidate
whose personal character, services or sacri-
fees had given him legitimate claims upon
public gratitude, but solely by sordid desire
to earn money by base betrayal of the real
interests of the organization they should have
endeavored to serve.
Additional strength is given to this accusa-
ton by the character of the proceedings of
the convention, the fraudulent voting in favor
of Houseman, and especially by the unjust
report of the Committee on Credentials OF
contested seats.
1t was bad enough that powerful ring
combined to force one of its favorites upon
the ticket but even this combination might
have been forgiven if bribery and fraud had
not been resorted to to insure the success of
its Vaccinations.
1t is principle in law that fraud vitiates
all contracts, and we see no good reason why
this principle should not be applied to par
tisan nominations.
If any great political measure was at stake,
and Houseman was a candidate for some
great representative Office where his vote was
essential to advance the cause of freedom and
justice, there would be fair reason for sup
porting him. But the Office is purely one of
profit. The public will be equally we'll served
by an incumbent of either party, and the par
tisan interest most deeply involved in this
contest is that connected with the publication
OF the machinery of the Republican organiza-
tion.
When conventions are converted into
mere cloak for fraud, and when they are used
by cunning and unscrupulous managers to
elevate into high and lucrative positions men
who are obnoxious to the community, in def
ance of the wishes of the party they pretend
to represent, they forfeit their claims to re-
spect. Theirproper mission is to ascertain and
give binding force to the enlightened judg-
ment of party organization; but this cannot
be done by delegates who are influenced by
bribes, or by body which excludes the true
representatives of the voters and substitutes
for them men who are base enough to claim
seats on forged certificates.
The CITY Executive Committee announces,
in reply to the protest of Mr.. Perkins, that
thew can recommend no remedy beyond the
hope that similar frauds will not again be
perpetrated IT, however, Mr.. Houseman is
cordially supported and elected, despite the
manner in which he obtained quasl-nomlna-
ton, the unprincipled intriguers in the party