, 1872-09-26
The Democratic Convention.


t;onal spirit, the self-assertion OF age
and experience, and says: "We fail to
see wherein Mr. Brown derives his au-
thority to dictate the course of the Dem
ocratic party We understand very
well that it is the spirit of the times for
the young to make point of honor to
reject all counsels coming from the old,
and it is undoubtedly true that the old
are often irritated by seeing the fruits
Of their hard earned experience rejected
by the ecotism and self-wi of the fool
ish and inexperienced, who persist III
courses the folly Of which will be made
clear to them by their own after expert
ence. Men who refuse to profit by the
experience Of those older than them
selves are not the safest custodians of
the rights or interests of their fellows,
aaa all experience proves. While devot-
ing the entire resources Of our mind and
body, through the fe-time Of Il genera
tion, to the cause Of Democratic party,
we never claimed any dictatorial powers
or right of seniority over the last or
youngest accession to the party; never
sought recognition at the hands of the
party, or made our support of any man
or measure conditional upon personal
consideration In our later years we
have often been overruled By younger
and more inexperienced, in matters in
which our own observation and expert
ence had taught us We were right; and
in no such instance did not subsequent
events yindicate our judgement to the.
satisfaction of all reasonable men. We
should have applied our observation and
experience through long life devoted
TO ono vocation TO small account if it
wore not SO.
In the matter in consideration, we
need not be told by Mr.. Newell or by
1ir. Murphy, that We have ''no author
ity to dictate to the Democratic party"
Whatever rights we may have had in
that party we cheerfully concede to those
az old war horses Of Democracy who
snRffed the battle from afar very
far from the field OF danger, and were
lsver absent on the division Of the
spoils. We have heretofore distinctly
aad repeatedly diselamed any position
in the party or share in the plunder,
which seems to be the chief considera-
stion with them. But we never have,
nor DOVE propose to, surrender the right
ef every independent American citizen,
is critieise OF censure the acts of that
rarty in its public relations. To deny
this right in the manner in which it is
denied by the gentlemen aforesaid, is to
assume that every citizen holds his right
of Suffrage at the behest of party, which
we most emphatically deny. In pro-
testing against the action of the Demo-
cratic Committee-wliich could have no
other object than eithe. to superceie
Judge McFadden as a candidate or to APP
propriate him exclusively to party-we
represented not our own opinion merely,
but the expressed and admitted opinion
of q large majority of the Democratic
party, and a great number of voters
who would vote for Judge McFadden if
permitted to do so without being COM
pellad to acknowledge allegiance to par
ty, and without whose votes he cannot
be elected We joined in request to
the Committeeman to nominate without
the intervention of convention, as the
chairman represents-but to desist en-
tlrely from party action in this matter,
and We were backed in this request, rs
he Chairman admits. by the almost
unanimous voice Of the Democracy OF
the Territory. The only excuse he Of
fers for disregarding this request is
structions Of a previous Convention
The instructions which he qoutes,
DO not direct, but simply author
ize the Committee, to call fer a new
Convention, to be held at Olympia, at
least six weeks before the first Monday
in November" That resolution, which
only conferred the discretion and power.
subject to conditions, is construed as
mandatory without the conditions at
tached, while the subsequent instruc-
tions of a majority Of the delegates and
the people are utterly ignored on the
demand ofa confessed minority. When
the Convention assemblies it will be
composed of delegates in whose cleo
tions not one-tenth of the voters partici-
pated, some self elected and some hold
ing proxies by appointment of single
individuals, and this is the body which
is to lay the candidate under contribu-
ton and to dictate the terms upon
which he is to be supported. This is
all to maintain that beautiful system of
party organization and caucus drill,
which excludes from participation in
the selection of candidates all who do
not recognize Caucus as King, regard
less of consequences. If Judge McFad,
den has been bullied into consenting to
this arrangement, we only hope he may
not find he has assented. against his
better judgement, to plan for his own