Litchfield enquirer., 1880-04-15
The New Haven Convention.


 AS protest against the renomination of Grant, the Republican State Convention at New Haven, last week, was a complete suc- cess. Frcm all we can learn, not single del egate. chosen at that convention will cast his vote for the Ex-President. The delegation will not, however, give MT. Edmuuds the sup port to which the prevalent Republican feeling in the State entities him. On the other hand Mir. Blaine will get more than his just propor- tion of votes. That happened which, in re- cent article, we suggested as likely to happen. The Edmunds majority were men new to con- ventions The very fact that the convention was one of the largest ever seen in the State, and that it was composed of the best material gathered together in many years, laid it open to be taken in by the ''skilled talent" which had the interests of Mir. Blaine in charge. The choice of delegate at large for this Con- gressional District is an excellent illustration of the Blaine tactics. MT. Samuel Fessenden, of Stamford, is MT. Blaine's speclal fugieman. The delegate at large was to be taken from Fairfield county, this county having filled that position in '76. MT. Fessenden. first procured his own nomination to that position in the Fairfield county caucus, and then, when the delegates from the two counties met in joint convention, he demanded the ratification of his nomination as matter of course, without any ballot, and he got it. The delegates from this county had just taken a vote to show their kol f<,l lows: Edmunds, 25; Blaine. 8 Grant, 3; scattering, 6. Had ballot been taken in joint caucus, there can hardly be doubt that Mir. Fessenden would have been defeated. The Winsted Herald reports the matter as fol- flows:
 The delegates from this county voted not to oppose the appointment of Mir. Fessenden, of Stamford. as delegate at large from the Fourth district, notwithstanding the fact that he is known to be favorable to the candidacy of Blaine. The appointment this year belongs to Fairfield county, by courtesy, and the Litch- field county republicans did not think It in good taste for them to question the preferences of gentleman whose name was suggested by the republicans of that end of the district. With the prevailing sentiment against Mir. Blaine in this district, however, something which MT. Fessenden will have no trouble in distinguishing, we shall be disappointed if he insists in voicing at Chicago his own prefer ences rather than those whom he represents.
 Mir. Sam Fessenden will make no bones of ''voicing his own preferences" at Chicago. He holds his position by bit of sharp practice such as politicians of his stamp consider allow abe Had the Litchfield county delegates fully understood and asserted their rights, he would never have misrepresented this dis trict as he now most unquestionably will.
 The full list is as follows:
 DELEGATES AT LARGE
 First District-Henry 0. Robinson, of Hartford.
 Second District-John M. Douglass, of Middletown.
 Third District-Augustus Brandagee, of New London.
 Fourth District-samuel Fessenden, of Stamford.
 COUNTY DELEGATES.
 New Haven County-Hobart B, Bigelow, of New Haven.
 Hartford County-Andrew $. Upson, of Pennington.
 Middlesex County William c. Hough, of Essex
 Fairfield County-Edgar s. Tweedy, of Danbury.
 Litchheld County N Taylor Baldwin, of Plymouth.
 Holland County-William NJ. Corbin, of Union.
 Windham County-Jeremiah Olney, of Thompson.
 New London County-Daniel Chadwick, of Lyme.
 Mr. Charles Dudley Warner, of the Hartford Courant, one of the Hartford delegates, intro- duced the following resolution just before del egates were chosen:
 Resolved, That the republicans of Connecti- cut desire the nomination at Chicago of candidate for President who will best unite the votes of all sections of the country, and whose character will be party platform and that they recognize inGeorge F. Edmunds of Vermount or Elihu B. Washburn of Illinois, such astatesman, whose nomination would need no defense.
 This brought several Grant men to their feet with amendments and protests Mir. Bran- lution in a speech in which be advocated uni ty and deprecated the introduction of elements of dscord. and the sending of pledged delegl- tions. He shrewdly suggested that if the Chicago should nominate Grant, Connecticut Republicans might make It little harder to ''eat their crow" by passing such a resolution. ''When Chicago has spoken" said he, "every republican who is worthy of the name, will bow with respect and support the nominee" Mr. Warner finally withdrew his resolution. nd fho ba foll
 ResoIoed, That this convention pledges itself and the constituency which it represents to the hearty, vigorous and loyal support of the nom- inees of the republican national convention at Chicago. (Great applause.)
 Undoubtedly this convention did we'll, as conv entions go, but did it frankly do quite its whole duty2 Do the candid, thoughtful men who went down to New Haven really believe that if Grant is nominated at Chicago ''every Republican worthy of the name will vote for him, or that they could honestly pledge their constituency" to vote for him? So far from this being true, we believe that some of the best men in that convention-the Republicans who never went to State Convention before, and who went this time because they wished to make it certain that Grant should get no support at Chicago from Connecticut not vote for him themselves should he be nom- mated. These gentlemen accomplished one part of their mission most completely. They prevented the sending of any Grant delegates. What they did not do was to give warning of the danger of Grants nomination. It was not an paav thinp for a n0ltical convention fo do. perhaps it was impossible; but, unquestiona- bly,, che most important fact of the political situation in Connecticut, today, is the utter impossibility of carrying the State for Grant against any fair Democratic nominee. Yet the record of the convention nowhere indicates this controlling fact.
 We refer more particularly to Gen. Grant because he seems to us the only objectionable candidate likely to succeed at Chicago It