The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-10-23

1t was to secure the counting of every vote
that this resolution was adopted.
twas not designed by this to change the
original idea of unpledged delegates.
1t was not designed that any notice should
he taken or any separate count m4de of those
tickets having candidates names on them, or
even that the delegates should know in whose
interest they were elected, even if the tickets
should show it. For it was never designed
that the voter should choose the candidates,
| but only that they should choose delegates to
a convention which should select them of its
own free Judgment. That the action of the
Candidates Or their friends, Colonel knight
| and bis friends included, on the day of the
primary election, defeated Ia this respect the
! purposes OF the committee We do not deny.
| But that fault, if fault it was, cannot be
| charged to the committee. They designed
| loT the people to choose delegates, not TO cx-
press preferences for clhdidltes. The people
chose to do the latter in doing the former,
| and thereby really took the matter in their
own hands. We did not even print. nor
c7use to be printed, any tickets Of any sort.
On the contrary, Messrs. Wortham, johnson,
Holiday, knight, and Tanner, who attended
one meeting of our committee, were at that
meeting personally informed that this com.
, mttee would have nothing to do with
the printing Of tickets for senatorial dele
gates.
Such, indeed, was the strength of purpose
found in the committee on this point that
one member IA friend Of Colonel knight
earnestly opposed allowing any ticket to be
counted with Candidates name on it, and
when told that Colonel Knights tickets were
already so prepared, and would be lost, he
said that Colonel knight might prepare
others if he chose-for the plan was to have no
vote between candidates, and indeed, il pos
sible, to have no candidates before the people.
but to have them tefore the Convention
only. The truth is this whole difficulty, so
far as to the charges and complaints made Of
the plan Of the primary election. Las grown
out Of the fact that the candidates or their
friends Colonel knight and his friends in.
cluded) undertook to come directly before
the people ard to make the primary election
the field of their battle and the voters the
arbiters of victory, when it was designed
that no such thing should be done, but that
carefully-selected convention Of good men
should constitute the tribunal to which cam
didates should submit their claims.
If that resolution had not been adopted
there would never have been any misappre-
hension of, nor dissatisfaction with, the plan
on the part of the public. And we affirm
in the most emphatic manner that that reSo-
luton was adopted more for the purpose
Of accommodating and satisfying Colonel
knight and bis friends than for any other
purpose whatever. No ticket having any
other candidates name, or any two candi-
dates names, upon it was ever seen in our
committee-room; and if, as we have no doubt
was the case, members Of the committee
knew of the existence of such other tickets
the committee generally did not, and no
mention of the fact was made in the meet
ing, and no member asked for the passage Of
the resolution in the interest of any other
candidate.
At the same meeting Of the committee
Mr.. Drinkard offered a resolution so far
changing the plan of election as to provide
that the votes cast for the candidates them
selves (not the delegates, take notice. should
be counted and the result reported to this
committee. But this resolution was rejected,
all of Colonel Knights friends voting against
it, as they now testify. The plan of electing
delegates was thus, so far as the committee
was concerned, adhered to and carried out
fairly and impartially.
When the convention assembled the cre-
dentials of only one delegate were contested.
He was in favor of the nomination OF MIR.
Holiday. The President ruled, and the Con-
vention by formal vote decided, that he was
entitled to his seat. This act Of itself shows
that not only was the Convention itself, as
every lawyer knows, the proper judge Of the
election and qualification Of its own MEM
| bers, but that it was called upon to
exercise and did exercise this power. If
| Colonel Knight had any grounds for con.
| testing the election of the delegates in any
| ward of the city, or any district in the coun-
| ty, he ought to have gone to that body with
] his complaint. The committee having
charge of the subject (Mr William II.
Haxall chairman) would have done him
justice if it had required the surrender
of their own seats in the body. ibis
reference to the powers Of the Convention
| is deemed necessary because Colonel Knight
and his friends have thought it proper, be-
coming. and just to complain Of this com.
| mittee that we have refused to u>urp the
| powers of that body. Every rcflecting man,
! however, must knew that if we should
| undertake to revise The action of senatorial
| and congressional conventions the people
| of this city would visit their strongest con-
demnaton upon us, whilst the people of the
counties would scorn to hold fraterna inter-
course with city whose party authorities
should thus dare to set aside or IN any way
interfere with the action of delegates elected
| By the voters themselves.
! We think the facts We have stated fully
| yindicate and establish the fairness of the
plan under which the primary election was
| held. Now, we submit it to our fellow.clti-
zens whether they can justify themselves in
breaking up the organization OF our party,
| impairing its strength, and taking away what
has proved so efficient protection in the
| past sgainst Radical rule, merely because the
practical results of plan Of election, fair in
itself, have not proved satisfactory to them
| And if encouraged by this division among
US. and by the obstacles which the bitter con-
| troversies of this canvass are likely to inter.
pose against our harmonious and efficient
| action as q party hereafter, the Radicals
should SEIZE the coming spring elections as
an opportunity to possess themselves of this
city government, and should triumph in the
| effort because of our discussion, our friends
| who now sport with the very life OF the party
| would be able to draw but poor consolation
| from their success, should they be successful,
| in having defeated at this election one or
more of the regular nominees of the party
Published by order of the Committee.
JOHN Il. GUY, Chairman.
| TV. D. CheSterman, Secretary.
| Police COURT, YEsTERDAY.-B. johnson
| (colored), charged with receiving one lot OF
coffee, of the value of $500, the property Of