The Hickman courier., 1874-09-04
The congresslonl convention
pn1orron. *. Aue. %. 1s74.


Dear Sir
invite you, with the Chairmen of
! the committees of the other counties com
| posing the First Congressional District to
I meet me at Paducah on Tuusday, Septe m
J Der 8, next. to confer in relation to mold
J ing a convention 10 nominate candidate
! for Congress, and to do whatever may
be necessary.
sm yours truly,
NJ. DUDLEY,
I Acting Chairman Democratic Executive
Committee First Congressional District
We congratulate Mr. Dudley, the
Acting Chairman of the Dem Ex Com
mittee for this District, in calling the
District Committee together to confer
in relation TO holding a nominating
convention. The situation demands
a convention, and the Democratic sen
timent of the District not only unques
tionably warrants the chairman in call
ing the committee together, but abso
lutely demands of tlsfSommittee TO as
sembie party convention. The
COURIER has urged this action for
months.
The District Committee is composed
of our best preventative men. gen
tlemen whom every sense enjoy the
sincere confidence of the party, and
we have every confidence that in call
ing a convention they will exercise
every precaution within their province
10 secure the fair, unbiased will of the
Democracy in the selection of a nomi-
nee. There is confessedly some oppO-
sition among some good democrats to
conventions, which is the outgrowth
of unfair practices, trickery aud per
sonal mauipulations, which in some
instances aud some conventions, no
doubt, have been resorted to, ard the
will of the people thereby thwarted.
There mover has been a political party,
and probably never will be, until hu-
man nature is changed, that did not
have in it some such tricksters. The
remedy for these possible evils lies
with the Committee calling a conven-
ton and chiefly with the people them
selves.
The Committee should give due aud
ample time before the assembling Of
convention, so that the will Of the
party in every county, ward and pre-
cinct, may be fairly and deliberately
expressed, and that any and all aspi-
rants, may have equal and unprejudiced |
opportunities. The Democratic peo-
pie in every county and precinct, the
question of a nomination being refer
red to them, should exhibit the same /
interest as at regular election, re-
membering Slways that the contest is
between Democratic brothers, guarding
we'll that honest, capable and upright
delegates are selected in the various
primary meetings to represent them in .
the nominating Convention.
One of the great objections to the /
fairness of conventions, is the custom I
of counties iHstructing solid for this
or that man. For instance, it is i'm
possible to believe that any candidate I
can carry the solid, entire vote of anv
county in this District, and there is
therefore grounds to doubt if dele
CATION instructed TO enter convention
solid for this or that man correctly
represents the Democratic sentiment
Of their county. We mean, if, say IN
county. it IS manifest that
Y can command 700 votes, Y COO and
z 100, it is incidentally wrong that y
should receive the entire vote of the
in convention. This is the
fruitful source of objections to Con-
veutions, and should be as much as
possibly guarded against The active
partisan of this or tia. aspiIant is too
apt to press bare majority or plurality
for his chief to this advantage, and
thereby cheat the popular will. The
only remedy, as before remarked, Is
for the people to exhibit their interest,
aud see that public sentiment is fairly
reflected. IF q minority in McCracken
or Fulton, feel that they are entitled
to one third or one fourth of the dele
gate vote, let them make it appear by
from the different precincts,
so that the county convention will not
refuse it. There are troublous points
in all this, of course, but as near as
possible the exact, honest sentiment of
the party should be arrived at, and the
harmony and success of the party
being held as the foremost and con-
trolling motive of all. Such We be-
lieve will be the result. The calm,
unexcited state Of the public mind
warrants fair Convention and popu-
lar nominee.