The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-06-30
THE COLUMBIAN AND DEMOCRAT, BIZ
Voting Instructions.


Necessarily, under any plan of dele
gate election, the issue in voting for
delegates in any district will common
" he upon single nomination, or with
reference to the candidates for single
nomination. As, for instance, the pres
ont year in this county, the issnc in
choosing delegates in many districts
will probably be between the two can
dldates for the Representative nomina-
ton and other questions will be subord-
mate to that issue. But candidates for
other nominations may be In many
cases embarra ssed as to the course their
friends shall pursue on the actual issue
made up; in other words it is often
difficult to act upon three or four dis
tinct questions of nomination In voting
for delegates. This Is not difficulty
peculiar to the new rules of nomina.
tions, nor at all increased by them. On
the contrary those rules, rightly under
stood and administered, will alleviate
or decrease this inherent difficulty in
delegate elections by enabling voters to
express themselves by their votes more
perfectly than ever before.
AS to all secondary nominations, not
put in direct issue in the selection of
delegates, voting of instructions can be
readily and freely resorted to, and in
structions when given will be Of somo
account because they can be enforced
upon the instructed delegates.
We take it for granted that in many
districts there will be an agreement
upon the persons to be chosen as dele
gates. They will be settled upon by
common consent as proper representa-
tives of the views of the district upon
the leading question of nomination,
and then instructions will be given
them as to all other or secondary NOM
nations. Tn such case majority of
the voters of the districts will decide
how the delegates shall vote upon all
such secondary nominations and that
decision will stand good and must be
enforced by the convention when it
shall assemble.
But in case where a contest shall
take place in the election of delegates
the issue being upon leading nomina-
tion-the friends of candidates for all
secondary nominations must be more
discreet and careful. They may satisfy
themselves as to the position of the
several delegate candidates upon the
several questions of secondary nomina-
ton by direct inquiry and by other
means, and thus enable themselves to
vote intelIigently for them or between
them; or they may vote instructions
to the delegates they support. In the
latter case, of course, the rule is that
delegate can be instructed by a majority
of those who vote for him and not
otherwise. For ii would be absurd and
entirely destructive of the principle of
proportional and just representation to
allow smaller number to instruct, or
to permit the opponents of delegate,
(who have voted against him) to bind
him to obedience to their will.
Instructions whenever given, should
be contained upon the tickets voted for
delegates, and are to be duly reported
to the Convention by the election Off
GERS. In our opinion blank tickets in
proper form for instructing delegates,
and other proper election blanks, should
be furnished by the Standing Commit
tee to the several election districts of
the county. This would guard against
mistakes and promote fairness at the
delegate elections.