Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-20
THE STATE CENTRAL COMMlrTEE


THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
It's Extraordinary Performance In Ant,ci-
Pating tho functaons ofthe state
Convention.
Further information of the doiDgs of the
Democratic state central committee at
Pittsburgh on Thursday confirms the views
editorially expressed in the INTELLIGEN-
GER on Friday. The full meeting of the
committee was made up largely of substi-
tutes, and for this, as well as for some
other reasons, the action of the committee
in undertaking to settle the factional dis
pute in Philadelphia is not likely to lead
the chairman of the state central commit
tee to usurp power not belonging to him
and to do that which the state convention
alone has power to do.
The following letter from Mr.. Steinman,
explains the matter concisely:
The Objections to Instructions.
PITTSBURGH, March 1S, 1880.
The attendance at the meeting Of the
state central committee to-day was very
full, every district being represented by
members and the substitutes, which the
committee was very liberal in authorizing,
in a few instances admitting representa-
tives who were not residents of the dis
trict Mr.. McConkey, of Harrisburg, for
instance, appearing for Mr.. Buckalew, Of
Columbia, and voting steadily with the
Philadelphia members. The latter sue
ceeded in inducing a bare majority of the
full committee to sustain what they called
the regular delegation to the convention
from Philadelphia, introducing resolu-
tion to instruct the chairman to put their
names upon the temporary roll of the con-
| vention. This was done after the business
of selecting the time and place for the
| meeting of the convention had been dis
proved of with little difficulty. The resO-
luton Of instruction to the chairman caused
| prolonged discussion, being strongly op-
posed because it was unprecedented, and
| exhibited a lack of confidence in the fair
ness of the chairman in making up the
| roll. 1t was urged that the committee
| should not be asked to interfere in the
Philadelphia dispute, the settlement of
| which must be made by the
convention itself and that, moreover, this
committee did not have the credentials of
the delegates before it nor the information
upon which it could render an intelligent
decision; that it was setting a bad
| M, or 70
central committee in deciding case OF con-
tested election in every district in the state.
The Philadelphia members, however, per-
sisted, and by voting solidly for themselves
were able, with the help of the substitutes
whom they brought out to aid them and
with the votes of number of the men,
bers who thought that the MCGOWAN dele
gates represented the regular organization,
tosecure the passage of the resolution by the
vote of twenty-eight of the fifty members
of the committee. Mr.. Steinman offered an
amendment to the resolution providing
that all the Philadelphia delegates
whose seats were contested should be kept
off the temporary roll, but this was
not accepted by the Philadelphians, as it
would defeat their voting upon the tempo
rary organization of the convention, which
they desired to control, and it was voted
down by them and their friends. 1t is not
likely, however, that the convention
whose decision in the Philadelphia matter
has been sought to be forestalled in such
an extraordinary way, will permit the COM
mittee to control its action in regard to
the Philadelphia dispute, and it is to be
presumed that it will not allow either
Philadelphia faction to vote in the con-
vention on questions affecting the admissi-
bility of their delegations. The right way
to settle the chronic Philadelphia fight
would seem to be to refuse the city repre-
sentation in the convention until it can
agree upon its delegation. The discussion
in the committee was temporarily though
earnestly conducted and when it ad journed
after four hours session, it was to meet
at Harrisburg on the day of the convention
at 10 a. IN.
The "Post's " View oft
| LII ltS COA"ChI Ou tAC VI
the committee the Post says with truth
We know nothing about the merits of
any future contest that may arise in re-
gard to the representation of that city, but
this we do know, that the procedure in
our state conventions in the matter of con-
tested seats, is we'll established by prece-
dents running back for half century, and
that these precedents, something of ian
unwritten law, "of which we hear so much
these days. cannot he overborne by any
instructions the state committee proposes
to administer to its chairman. At the
Dill convention, at Liberty hall in
| 1878, Chairman McClelland, at the in
stance of Mr.. Wallace, attempted an
innovation of this character. but the
convention sat down on it so quickly that
| the gallant chairman became somewhat an
object of pity. The law of Democratic
conventions in this state in the matter of
contested seats is SO well understood that
we hardly think the convention that meets
in 1880 will be controlled by instructions
from committee appointed by the con-
vention of 1879. This resolution of in
| structions, if we catch its drift, contem-
plates exactly what was attempted in 1878
at the state convention. It changes the
unwritten law of the party in determining
contested seats. and lays down one rule
for contests from PHILADELPHIA. and an