Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-06-02
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 1875.

THE LATE CONTEST. -Now that tue smoke
of battle has cleared away, and calm survey
OF the field is possible, We desire to lay before
our readers dispassiouate review OF the &C
ton of the Conservative Committee with re-
spcct to the late election, and to disabuse the
minds of some who have been deceived by the
false representations so iudustrlously made by
interested parties
With respect to the municipal contest, the
chief objection to the course pursued by the
committee is that the primary election was not
thrown open to Everybody, without reference to
past political affiliations or the slightest pledge
as to future action. Now, W. submit TO every
candid reader that such course would have
been absurd. What is the object Of primary
election, or nominating convention? Obviously
to unite the party holding it 10 the support OF
one man or set of men, that its undivided
strength may be voted in the election. how,
we ask any reasonable man. can such concen-
,ration of votes be effected if the result is to be
binding on nobody? The defeated candidates
and their friends, after having had one chance
in the primary election, would almost lnVarl.
ably unite with the elements of opposition out
side the party and defeat the nominee, and it
would thus be far better to be defeated than
to be successful 10 primary election. How
many conventions or primary elections would
be held, or how long would any party organl-
za,op endure under such circumstances?
But it is said that the Dames OF certain per
sons not voted for at the primary election were
printed upon some Of the Conservative tickets.
That is true; but it was not the fault OF the
committee. 1t had been decided, upon the
advice Of gentlemen skilled in the law, that the
Offices in question did not come under the pro-
visions of the charter amendment and, there
fore, they were not included 10 the primary
election. Late 10 the nigh! preceding the cleo
ton individual members of the committee,
aoithout the kno,cledge Of those candidates,
had their names printed on the tickets because
they had ascertained that the opposition had
printed names on theirs, and they anticipated
contest 10 case of the election OF the Conserva-
tive ticket without names for those Offices.
The action of these gentlemen may have been
ipjudicious, but whom did it wrong. For but
one of the Offices in question was there any
other Conservative candidate but the lncum-
bent, and what chance would he have had With
a divided Conservative vote and united oppo-
sition? Apart from that candidate, who has
a right to 6nd fault? Not those, certainly,
who are loudest in doing SO for they voted for
men not one Of whom was nominated, directly
or Indirectly, by the popular voice. Two gentle
men, themselves candidates for the two Offices at
the head of the ticket, were authorized by their
tellov candidates to appoint FIVE men from
each ward to constitute "a convention and
by that convention" the nomination was
made the roters these tWenty men excepted,
had nothing whatever to do with the nomina-
tioo. just suppose the Conservative Com
mittee to have proposed such method of
nomination what howl would have gone up
from the very people who adoptedit. 1.-THE ring
the ring ! the ring would have been the
burden of their cry by night and by day. We
suppose it will be admitted that the ma.
jority of party has right to govern its action,
and that, consequently, an endorsement of the
action of the Conservative Committee at the
polls justified it's action. Now the recent cleo
ton, one Of the most hotly contested we have
had, has shown that there are over thousand
colorcd voters, and We know that at least two
hundred white votes are Radicals. The entire
vote was little over twenty six hundred, leav
ing something over fourteen hundred for the
full Conservative vote. More than thousand
votes were cast at the primary election showing
that nearly three men to one in that party ap
proved the action ofthe committee. five look
at the election itself, we shall see that only one
fourth of the party, if that, supported the men
who affected to deem it necess Try to rebuke the
committee by calling the colorcd vote to their
aid for twelve hundred and sixty-seven men
voted for Mr.. Kemper, while certainly not moro
than three hundred Conservatives supported
DIR. johnson.
We have showo above, We think conc!usively,
that the action of the Conservative Committee
concerning the municipal election was sustained
by an overwhelming majority at the polls 1t
remains now for Us to show that similar en-
dorsement was given with respect to the special
election for delegate to the General Assembly,
1t is asked, why was not the question Of
nominating the candidate submitted to the PEG.
pie at the primary election ~
Had the choice belonged to the city alone,
that would, no doubt, have been done; but the
people ofthe county, a0ho constitute separate
political dtriSion number about one fourth of
those Of the city, and are both in justice aud
party unity, entitled to one candidate at least
once in four years. Now, it is flee years since
one Was given them by the Conservative party,
and as they presented but single name, was it
not reasonable that that name should be en-
dorsed, and how was that to be done if ma
,rity of votes, irrespective of city or county
inos waa m ruln 2 r. 10 ob;oot al ~ . .;.-- |