Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-06-25
CONVENTIONS.

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When two political parties are numerically
nearly equal and every man in each party
wants an office, it is evident some plan has to
be adopted by which the party vote can be
concentrated upon only one candidate. Up
to this time, conventions seem to have been
considered in this State, the most feasible
method of ascertaining the relative strength
of the respective candidates for party honors.
But experience has shown that, by the un-
fairness of the representatives of the party in
the nominating conventions, men who, if not
actually distasteful, are at least not the choice
of the party, are selected as the standard
bearers around whom all of the truly faithful
are expected to rally with great enthusiasm
in the political contests. IF this were the
inevitable result of compromise entered into
by the nominating convention, after an hon.
est attempt, and failure to decide who the
strongest man in the party was, we are sure
there would be no complaint by the con-
stituency of the convention. Men would feel
that, as the convention could not agree which
of two, or more, prominent men, having equal
claims, could best draw out the party strength,
compromise upon some man not before
thought of, and possibly of less merit than
others, would be about as good way as any
other of settling an unavoidable difficulty
At any rate there would at least be the sem
blance of fairness about such compromise,
and we think We have heard that men in the
military service do not writhe SO much under
the rigidness of discipline, as under the I'M
fairness with which it is sometimes admins
tered and it is just this natural disgust at
evident unfarness, which has disguised us
with the action of political tricksters in our
nominating conventions. IF the convention
happen to be one in which the people through
out the State represented, these political
tricksters, by means of unfair combinations,
select the State officers from one section of
the State only, without any reference to the
wealth or party strength of any other section.
Those who bear proportionally the greatest
burden of the government, and have contrib
uted most to the success of their party, are
called upon once more to wheel into line of
battle, and secure the victory for those who,
nowledgment of the obligation they are under
for past services of a similar character.
IF the convention happen to be one in
which only several counties are represented,
and there happens to be as many Offices as
there are counties, it looks very fair indeed to
nominate a candidate from each county
Not that it is positively right so to do; for
the candidate after election, represents not
his county only, but the entire district from
which he is elected. But as the selection of
candidate from each county looks SO hon.
est, we have heard of conventions in which
this perfectly fair plan was adopted What
has sometimes been the result? The minori.
ty of the delegation from one county would
agree to cast its minority vote with the en-
tire delegation from the other counties for the
favorites of those counties, upon condition
that those delegations will cast their vote sol
idly for the favorite of the minority of the
delegation of the county from which the can
didate is to be selected. Thus nominating
from at least one county a gentleman who
whether there be any substantial objection to
him or not, does not receive majority of the
vote of the delegation of the county from
which he was selected. IF the Convention
be one in which single county only is rep
resented, the townships form the same unfair
combinations formed in the State, District, and
Judicial Circuit Conventions. And so the
trickery goes on, whatever may be the size of
the Convention. IF the people in their anger
threaten to'bolt' the cry is raised ''Oh you will
defeat the party" ga Radical will be elected"
and certainly, remembering the way in which
We were tyrannized over by the Radical party
when in power, that last cry is generally
enough to hold the Conservative party, how
ever indignant, in tolcrable order. Now we
are not advocating, "bolting" any Convention
which has heretofore been held in the State
or Senatorial District; although it is evident
that sooner or later an example will have to
be made Of some Convention by not only
"bolting," but actually defeating its nominees
in order to show the tricksers of which it
was composed, that they cannot palm off on
their party any amount of unfairness, under
the assurance that the party, in its just terror
of once more falling under Radical domino.
ton, will submit to it.
But it does seem to us that considering the
unfarness with which Conventions make their
nominations, the plan by which Virginia,
especially the Eastern section of that State,
was enabled to wrest the political power from
the Radicals, is the least Objectionable, al
though little more troublesome, of all the
plans We have ever heard suggested for con-
centrating the party vote upon one man. In
that State during the early struggle with car,