The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-08-01
Democratic Convention.
To the Editor OF the Herald.

botiao couIity seeln5 10 uhVe DebH SOiHt
what unfortunate in her effort to harmonic
conflicting interests in her political conven
tions, and our last one but illustrated tn
fact of how difficult it is wisely, safely anc
with proper dignity and self-respect to dc
clare the will of the people under the pres
emit methods Of assembling party conventions
propose to offer in this paper some reasons
for adopting what l conceive to be bette
method-a mt thod, which it is respectfully
submitted will avoid the usual packing o
conventions and the bringing out of ole
stagers or dark horses, with complacen
confidence that the machine will override
the intelligence and conscience of the PEG
pie.
While political conventions have no con.
stltutlonal or legal authority for their exist
ence, or for the enforcement of their de.
crees they have, nevertheless, over since 1886,
exercised most potent inau nee not only
upon the destinies of states, but upon that
ofthe Republic itself
The assemblages of the great state bic ,al
and the national quadrennial conventio.s of
the respective parties are regarded with ab.
sorbing interest," not only because of the So
lection OF favorite candidates, but because of
the enunciaton of principles, which al -
determine the public policy of the
respective states and the republic for the en-
suing two or four years. From the action of
these conventions the most momentous resuliq
have followed results which have convulsed
the body polite, caused severance of states,
marshaled great armies, and plunged the
country into one of the most terrific and de-
plorable wars that ever afflicted people.
NOTABLE INSTANCES.
The Charleston, and subsequent seeding
Baltimore and Richmond conventions arc
notable instances of temporary ruin of a
great party--of its political suicide, because
of the inherent viciousness and uniairness at
tending the assembage and action of such
bodies. If the Charleston convention had
expressed the will Of the people, as principles
essentially Democratic require it to be eX-
pressed, and had not been controlled by am
bilious leaders and violent factions, there
would have been Democratic president
elected and war thus averted. Had the will
OF the people been properly expressed in that
body by a system of recorded votes from the
primaries up, and no discretion OF opportu.
nifty left to delegates to disobey or override the
declared will of the people of the United
States, 1t would not have been left to history
to record in letters of blood the fearful scenes
subsequently, enacted.
The popular will in Texas was virtually
disregarded by the Austin convention OF
1877, and both Throckmorton and Hubbard
sacrificed These two gentlemen were con-
sidered by the people to be the leading and
perhaps only candidates, and delegates were
selected to simply choose between them.
II. is well known that instead of choosing
either one of these popular favorltes, com,
mission of fifteen or twenty gentlemen
agreed upon the present incumbent. The
people at the primaries had not even thought
of Judge Roberts as candidate for governor,
consequently could not have instructed their
delegates to vote for him.
THE PRESENT METHODS UNDEMoCRATIc
If it DO true that convent Jns possess the
power to produce such results, and that such
consequences as are indicated have followed
their action, an inquiry into the manner in
which they are assembled, and, if the present
methods Of attending their organization are
undesirable and undemocratic, the proposal
of better methods are not Importing.
1t is not unfrequently the case that when
conventions are called under the present avs
tenn, some half-dozen men, led by the partiSan
of some candidate, assemble themselves into
primary behind some clubhouse or rush
into some public building with cut and dried
resolutions and preordained delegates soma
time before the legitimate hour for conven.
ing. and in few brief momeats assume TO
express the will of the people, and name del
egates to declare it by their votes in the
county or district convention. Even il the
primary be fairly held and proper delegates
are appointed, the whipper-in of some can
didate Is dispatched to tue precinct to secure
from the unsuspecting and careless delegate
his proxy. Men quite frequently come to
conventions with q dozen or more of such
proxies stuffed in their pockets, by which
they, IN combination with the ring or CLIQUE
name their man. The will of the people in
such conventions Is prostitated, the conyen.
ZION itself becomes a farce, and the masses,
seeing the
TRIcKERY AND BAD FAITH
Of such bodies, and the fostering upon them
otmen not chosen by them, quickly lose con.
fdence IN such assemblsges, and probably
drilt on from the party and its immortal
principles into such heresies as Greenbsok.
ism, communism, socialism or any other
demagoguism that may for the time being
intrude itself into the popular presence. The
present mode of assembling conventions ia
essentially Republican II use the word in a
party sense), and tends directly to centralsm
AZ lakes away from the people their votes
cna closaes selected, oft.times sef.selected