The Van Buren press., 1871-07-18
The State Meeting Of the Democratic
Committees.

The Daily Gazette contains report of the
late conference. at Little Rock, Of the Demo-
cratic Congressional District Committees
with the Democratic and Conservative Exec
utive State Central Committee. A brief histo-
ry Of the several committees may be expect
ed of US and not uninteresting. The selection
ofthe old State Central Committee. by an in
formal convention or mass meeting in Little
Rock in 1866, was confirmed. without change,
by the Democratic State Convention which
assembled in Little Rock, in January 1867
Tbis committee, for reasons doubtless salts
factory to the committee, but which have
never been made public, has exercised no au-
thorjty since the issuance of their address,
preceding the campaign of 1865, announcing,
~ the party policy, that electors should take
the oath required by the State Constitution
and apply for registration, and vote at polls
holden under such constitution.
During the session of the last Legislature
20 and II, the conservative members Of that
body, cooperating with citizens, organized
new State Genital Committee, by whom the
invitation for conference with the District
Committees was issued to take place on the
10th inst. The District Committees were
chosen by the regular District Conventions o.
each Congressional District, in lsSs-69.
On arriving at the place designated for this
conference or convention OF committees
namely Little Rock, at the time appoints
ed, July 10th, the District Committees held
separate meetings Of their respective commit
tees and ratified as far as in them lay, by res
olution, the appointment of the new State
Central Committee, chosen as aforesaid by
convention Of members of the Legislature and
citizens. The expediency OF holding State
Convention was also considered by them
The conference or joint committee vo-
ted for the resolution Of the lst Congression-
al District, that a State Convention would he
inexpedient until after the issuance ofa call
BY the National Committee for National
Convention. The conference or joint com.
nittes also refused to rescind resolution of
the Central Committee, previously adopted
declaring that the committee and the Arkan-
sas State Gazette were in harmony" etc. {;
that Is, making the Gazette the organ Of the
committee. The conference voted down the
proposition OF Major Peek, Secretary Of the
Central Committee, and one or two others, re-
pcatedly made. to authorize the Central Com
mittee to select delegates to the National
Convention. Also resolution Of the confer
cnce committee discaiming the right to make
platform, but recommending favorably to
the consideration Of the people the address OF
the Democratic members of Congress and the
platform Of the Democracy of Ohio and Penn
sylvania as embodying living issues upon
which the national campaign should be made
opposing all secret political organizations as
being destructive to the best interests OF SO
ciety, and commencing to the people the pro-
lection of the rights Of all citizens, irrespec-
tive of race, color or previous condition. but
at the same time demanding their own rights
by all legitimate MEANS calling on the peo-
pie to give their cordial support to Democrat
ic papers, and indorsing the action of Hon. J.
u Hanks as member of Congress.
AS delegate to the conference, partIclpat-
ing in It's proceedings, we feel called on to
abide by the action taken, but we deem it a
right and our du,y, in answer for the trust inn
posed In US as delegate, to state wherein we
c0ns.Ge. that action unwise, with our reasons
for SO regarding it. And We have as much
fault to lind with the manner In which this
action was secured, as with the action itself
We think convention should have been
called to meet during the week appointed for
holding the state Fair. at Little Rock in Oc-
toher next. We are satisfied that good rep
resentation could have been had then. AT
that time there will be a large attendance up
on the Fair. and upon the various Grand
Lodges; and the attention OF the people, in a
State so exclusively agricultural rs ours.
could better be given then, than at any other
time In the year.
Ifonly as the initiation Of the great cam
paign coming on, 1t would have had fine
effect. We cannot too soon, we think, or BY
too much demonstration, begin to arouse the
Conservative party from the apathy into
which 1t relapsed, as a consequence of the in
action of the last few years. But there is I'M
portdnt work for convention even at this very
moment The proceedings of the conference
are cited as the best proof Of this. Did the
State Central Committee need aconflrmation
Of their appointment and an endorsement Of
their authority, that which would undoubted-
" have been conceded to it by State Con-
vention would have been authoritatire and IT,
nal! Did they desire to give efficacy to a par
ty organ, rs was manifested by their resolu-
ton, declaring that they were in harmony"
with the Gazette, and their refusal TO rescind
tie same, a convention would have indicated
line Of common policy, without the neces-
sity of committing the party to any restricted
formulary,) with which all the party papers
In the State would have been compelled to
place themselves in harmony" and the COM
mittee, besides the Gazette, would have had
an advocate In every Democratic and Con-
servativc newspaper in the State. In the
present cxigency, when new Democratic
paper Is about to be established at the capital,
avowedly not "in harmony" with the Gasette
we cannot see, with a due regard for the
"harmony of the party, how the rdst impor-
taace of holding convention could have es-
capped the committee. Another reason for
holding convention in the coming autumn.
l. The necessity for calling such convention
some time before the assembling Of the Ma
tional Convention to appoint delegates to
that convention, and Of another such conven-
ton after the adjournment of the National
Convention to take final action in regard to
a platform of political faith In accordance
with that which may be adopted as final