Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-04-06
.,..-.. COMPENSATED.
THE CONVENTION QUESTION.

=, THE CONVENTION QUESTION.
rEy u"
Mr.. Editor VIII you permit a plain
man who is disposed to look calmly at the
political outlook in our county, and who
has certainly no axe TO grind at any poIit-
ical grindstone, TO deliver few blunt
thoughts to your readers on the question
raised by your correspondent I" Leonard
toion," in late issue Of the Beacon7 /
profess to be able neither to see deeper
into milestone than the picker of it nor to
deeipher remote contingencies more clear
~ thah my ueighbors. Nevertheless, !
believe | know hawk from handsaw
aud also that certain effects are practicable
from certain causes.
The question Of Convention or no Con-
ventiou in our county ought not TO be set
s'ed before II is sifted, and even then il
ought not be settled in the special interest
of any man or any ring Of men, bat set
tied according to the general interest. Is
II to the general interest in the present
condition of our county that Convention
should be convened 1t will be my en-
dcavor to prove chat it is.
In the first place, the democratic party
of our county cannot aroid calling Con-
vention to send delegates to State Con-
.vention to nominate a candidate for Gov
ernor. None who oppose County Con-
vention for other purposes, oppose It for
this purpose. 1t does not follow, Of coarse.
that party Conventions may not be proper
for some purposes and improper for other
purposes, but. surely, if Ii isproper to call
. Convention to aid in nominating a man
who is to execute the laws Of the State. it
cannot be much out Of the way to nomi-
nate people who are 70 make The tars which
that man is 10 execute.
The general rule of our party in county
matters is, that whcFc the party is not
likely to be injured or its supremacy to be
jeopardized by the free fight system, the
"free fight system ought to obtain -
The reason for this rule is, that the lead
ers Of party ought not to restrict, and
the members Of party ought not to allow
themselves to be restricted, by party ac-
ton, except in clear cases where the par
ty welfare would be compromised by nom
action. Gan restraint upon human ac-
lion not intended and calculated TO meet
and eosrest evils, present OF remote, is a
usurpation That should be resisted. -
Granted A nominating Convention IL
restrictive, at least, in limited sense, and
the question recurs, is q nominating Con-
.vcntion in the present political situation of
our county necessity demanded by the
party welfare
. believe am under, rather than above
4he mark, when say that the republican
force in our county is thousand votes
In free fight, there is certain to be at
least twice as many candidates for Office
ms there are Offices for these candidates to
6ll. In such a fight, and between any
two democrats who may be contesting for
the same Office, the democrat who is strong
est with his own party is likely to prove
the least acceptable to the party of the en-
emy. But the force of the enemy is SO
large in the county that, if it unites upon
and is made TO assist the weaker candi-
date, that candidate is almost certain to
be elected. Thus, the republican party,
though in a minority in the county and
though, perhaps, afraid to make an open
contest with us, will, nevertheless, dictate
both who shall represent us at Annapolis
and who shall administer our affairs at
home. But it may be asked--what mat
tcrs il who represents us, so VIC are repre-
scented by democrat S? Much moro, |
am afraid. than most people think. There
are degrees Of earncstncss and purity and
competency largely evolved in this qucs-
ton. principles not men" are terms
which regard as very contemplate and
very hurtful catch-words. But | will not