The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-09
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1871.
TIE NEW REPUBLICAN, RULES.

noon, at which a portion Of the report made
by the committee was adopted, with some
amendments, after series of animated de-
bates. The only promising feature of these
proceedings is the development of the fact
that some of the members of the convention
are disposed to improve the old order of
things, but it is to be feared that in all vital
and materially important changes they will
be overruled by the maj jority. The discus
sion of one of these reforms is reported as
follows in a morning contemporary:
AN IMPORTANT AMENDMENT.
''Mr. Iittleton moved to amend rule five by in-
sertiDg after the word convention the followug:-
cast the Republican vote given at the last preceding
general election OF the division which he represents,
Tor the candidate first named on the Republican
ticket then veted and the candidate receiving the
majority OF votes so cast before such convention
shall be the nominee OF the party for the ohce In
"Nr Littleton in lengthy speech, advocated
this system.
"Mr William b. Mann replied aud declared him
self utterly opposed to the measure. lie stated that
few wards would then control the entire party, aud
Republican voters could couDterbalance ten dele
gates of divisions containing but forty Republican
votes each. He also thought that the counting up
OF these votes would occasion coAfasion and pro-
long the sessions OF conventions.
"Olher gentlemen replied and very general and
somewhat noisy debate ensued. Finally a vote was
taken, and the amendment was rejected by voSe
being present"
The amendment advocated by Mr.. Little
ton contains the germ of the first step
towards a true reform in the organization of
Republican conventions, and its defeat
affords lamentable evidence of the determi-
nation of the controlling spirits of the pre-
sent convention to make the Republican
masses of this city hewers of wood and draw
ers of water for grasping wire-pullers.
Wherever a reform like that proposed by Mr..
Littleton has received the consi ieration
which it justly deserves from honestly dis
posed conventions called to rearrange party
rules, it has been adopted. Mr.. Mann's argu-
ment, on its face, condemns his side
of the question. He alleges that,
under the proposed amendment, "a
delegate representing division of four
hundred Republican voters could counter
balance ten delegates of divisions containing
but forty Republican votes EACH" Mr.. Mann
was exactly right in this statement, but ex-
actly wrong in the inference he drew from it.
In party councils one Republican voter ought
to have as much influence as another, and
under the system favored by Mr.. Littleton
there would be, in one respect at least an
approximation to this just result. But the
logical conclusion of Mr.. Mann's argument is
that one Republican C0tfr icing IN a strongly
Democratic diU,SiOn ought to hd0e ten times as
much pOaoer IN a Republican contention as q
Republican a1hO Ioes IN strong Republican
dSUtSt0n or qodrd, and, wonderfu nj to relate,
this monstrous doctrine was ratified by a vote
of 40 to 13 The effect of its rati-
fication is obvious. 1t tends to
ID loIa
who represent rotten boroughs, and who,
having but small Republican constituencies,
consequently dare to sell or lend themselves
to the wire-p -pullers, and to perpetrate outrages
on Republican sentiment which few repre-
sentatives of large Republican divisions would
dare to perpetrate. If the convention per-
sists in maintaining large number of rot
ten boroughs, the wire-pullers will, by
their existence alone, be enabled year after
year to make odious and unpopular nomina-
tions, and to override the sentiments of
majority of those who attend the delegate
elections. If we cannot have a direct popu-
lar vote for candidates for Office the next best
thing is that proposed by Mr.. Littleton, of
giving just representation to the Republi-
can strength of the respective divisions and
wards and the worst thing, SO far as regards
this portion of the rules, is to continue to
make one Republican in some sections of the
city as powerful as ten Republicans are in
other sections of the city.
The new rules, to serve good purpose, and
to save the Republican party from success
sion Of future defeats, should be based on
just principles, and SO arranged as to at once
insore large attendance at delegate cleo
tions and provide safeguards for their honest
management, as well as for fair dealing in the
conventions. The whole spirit of the new
rules proposed is of directly opposite char
acter. Little by little they provide for
weaving network around the people, until
they are caught in meshes from which there
is no escape except by staying away from the
polls, cutting the Republican ticket, or by
voting in part or whole the
Democratic ticket. What a convention
appointed to frame new rules ought to dc
is to seek to strengthen the party with the
masses, to purify its councils, to devise pre-
ventives against fraud, to equalize represen.
tation, and to lay the foundation of good
nominations by inviting the cooperation Of
all good Republicans in the work of selecting
candidates The ruling spirits Of tie preseR
convention are doing just the opposite; MeS
are UeakeFirg the party aoi4 the masses
they are Ihr0aOing pODer into the hand
Of tho prcfessfona! pOIit clans, they ar
ptqpetuating inequality ofrepresentattOn, the
are aging the foundation of bad nOnainG