, 1869-06-04
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.

| Inc question OF now tar repuohcans VINO
regard right principle, above everything else,
are in duty bound to be governed by party
action, or by the setiOn Of q convention, is
one that is now sgitating the minds Of large
number of the republicans Of this territory.
There arc comparatively few Of the old tried
and true members Of the party who are at al!
satisfied with the action Of the convention
that met at Vancouver 70 nominate . eandi
date for Congress. The causes Of this dis
content arc ~ we'll known to all, that IL is
useless ioF Us TO -reiterate them here.
A convention, like any other deiberative
body, has certain delegated rights, and. to
some extent at least, is the party it repre-.
sents bound by its action; but how lar, de,
pends very much upon the harmony and un.
animity with which the members Of the cons
Venlion were elected, what influences we're
brought to bear to elect certain meu, and
the probable motives that prompted their
action 10 convention. Even minorities have
rights which msj9s;;its may not trample
under foot with impuDity. When q couven
tion is chosen to represent and advance the
interests of one faction of party by causing
discOrd and inharmony, and by using foreign
elements to secure their choice, we contend
that the action of such convention is 10 no
degree binding upon those who were thus
crushed down.
A legislative body elected by the votes
Of the people, of majority of the voters, that
enacts unjust and unequal laws is recresnt to
the trust reposed in them, and should be
held to a strict account for their actions and
and on the first opportunity, the people
should, through the ballot. box, rebuke those
who proved recreant, and show them that
they must act right if they desire to be sus-
tained So with convention; il it proves
recreant to the principles of the party it re-
presents, the members of the party it are in
no wise bound by it, but on the contrary
should rebake it's action by stern refusal to
support its nominee
The doctrine Of forcing the voters of the
republican party to vote for nominee, right
or wrong, is the same species of tyranny that
has been practiced by the democratic party
ever since conventions were resorted to.
This doctrine is not one of the principles Of
republicauism there is no independence, no
liberty, no right in such dogma. 1t is an
atrocious relict of proslavery democracy, and
was never introduced into or contended for
by the party claiming freedom as its motto
until renegade pro- slaveryites creptin among
US for the sake of the spoils of Office, which
they cannot hope to obtain without resorting
to their old pro-slavery exercise of arbitrary
usurpation.
The resolutions forced upon the primaries
arc an exact copy of those forced by Gorham
and his cortie on the primaries Of California
in 1867. Republicans pause for moment
and reflect. What is the object Of passing
resolutions to bind republicans TO vote for
the nominee whether they are pleased or not
If the actions we're honest, just, aud intended
to consult the interests of the party, such
resolutions would be wholly useless, for, un
der such circumstances, they would all vote
the ticket cheerfully and from choice but
when few men set out to rule the many,
they must invent some unjust scheme by
which they can force the people to sustain
them or they have no hope of success. Such
was the case in California, with Gorham, in
1867 such is the case in Washington Terri
tory in 1869. Gorham was repudiaied by
by the republicans Of California who were
too honest and Independent to be made the
dupes of shameless swindle, and 1t is our
earnest hope that the republicans Of this ter.
ritOry will follow the noble example of Cali
fornia's true republicans, who were backed
up in the right by such sterling journals as
the Sacramento Union, the San Francisco
Bulletin. the Aha Cdlit1rnid, the Marys
vile ARpeat, the San Jose Mercury, and
above ha f the republican county journals in
the state. During the rebellion Gorham
was Il secession democrat, hence the repubi
cans dared not trust him. here yoH all knOU
,elsO is Gcf1re you. Republicans, stand by
your principles and teach corrupt demaso
CUES lesson by which they may profit. Let
no republican vote lie-vote against his
convictions Of right for the sake Of party
record. The blackest record a man can
make is to do what be feels aud knows to be
wrong Far better not to vote 1t all.-Oiyn1>
pia Transcript.