Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1872-08-06
Nomination Conventions.

To secure the success of political parties, 1t
is necessary to have organization and party or
ganization, which is the life of the party, can
only act efficiently, as all parties recognize,
through properly constituted conventions. That
is the only practical fundamentally through
which the wishes of the party can be expressed,
and its success accomplished. In no other way
can the proper concentration to ensure success
be accomplished. Without it, when the greed
for Office is SO great, and there are so many who
desire to get into Office, the vote of the party
would be SO divided among a number of volun-
teer candidates, as to render its defeat by
minority party almost certain. There must be
concentration, and that can only be secured by
the nomination of convention. 1t is the pur-
pose of conventions not only to secure concen-
tration, but to secure the nomination and cleo
ton of the man in the district who is best quail
flied by virtue Of his character and intelligence
to represent the district with the most efficiency
and with the greatest credit to himself and his
constituents To do this, the choice of the
convention should not be confined to those who
happen to be candidates for the nomination,
but it should choose from all the men in the
district. 1t should look to character and quail
foations, and not confne its choice to those
who have manifested an eagerness to be the
recipients of the honor of the nomination. If
the best man happens to be in the number of
volunteer candidates, he should be nominated
but if not, the nomination should be conferred
upon him whether he is a candidate or not. The
fact that man is candidate for the nomina-
ton, gives him no claim to the nomination
whatever. The mistake that is made in the
township meetings in the election of delegates
to conventions is, that the voters at these cleo
tons choose delegates in reference simply to
those who have announced themselves as can
didates, and thus the convention becomes COM
posed of those only who are the supporters of
those who are candidates, to the exclusion of
every other man in the district. In this way
the choice is Improperly restricted-the wishes
of the people disregarded, and much dissatis-
faction created. This is the secret of the OPP
position to conventions, which prevails to a
considerable extent The fault is not in the
convention system, but in the voters, who eth
er fail to attend the township election for dele
gates, or when they do attend, elect delegates
with reference merely to the support Of one or
another of the candidates announced.
The remedy is for all the voters to attend the
Township elections, SO that the wishes of the
Township may be fairly represented, and then
to elect sensible and reliable delegates-who
will vote in convention for the nomination of
the best man In the district, without regard to
the fact whether he is candidate or not If
the conventions should, on one or two occasions,
make nominations from those who have not an
nounced themselves as candidates, it would not
be long before conventions would not be en-
barrassed as now with candidates, for they
would not incur the expense of time, money
| and labor consequent upon canvassing the dis
| trict in advance of the meeting of the nomina-
ing convention, if they knew that the conven-
ton would nominate without regard to those
who are candidates. They do it now because
they feel convinced that delegates will be elect
ed with reference alone to choice between the
candidates In the field. As it is, the cone is
put on its apex-the candidates control the vo-
tiers and the convention, instead of the voters
and conventions controlling the candidates.
The servants are made the masters, and the
masters the servants, The people should change
/ -