New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-31
THE THEE BOSSES.


We are to find out at Chicago whether
three persons, who have undertaken to boss
the Republican party, can force it to do their
bidding. That it will not voluntarily or
willingly has been decided by the party itself in
its choice of delegates. The most reckless
boaster. engaged by the Three Bosses to
stampede the opposition, does not pretend that
the party has sent to Chicago q majority Ct
delegates who agree with the Three Bosses IN
purpose, or will vote with thom If permitted
to vote freely. But he brags that the delegates
cannot, will not, and dare not vote as they
please, that the Three Bosses will vote for
them, and have O chairman who will refuse to
hear unY other report of the votes than that
which the Bosses make. One of the Bosses, he
boasts, is chairman of the Republican National
Committee, and therefore will call the Con-
vention to order and take It's vote for
temporary President. This man, we are
promised, will refuse to receive the votes OF
delegates, but will accept only such votes as
the chairman of delegations may see fit to
announce for them. In this way, an admitted
majority of delegates Is to be permitted to
cast only minority of votes, and the Three
Bosses, instead of the Convention, ale to select
its temporary and afterwards its permanent
President. The fact that precisely the same
course was adopted under direction of another
of the Bosses in the Illinois State Convention,
certainly gives some probability to the
assertion that the experiment Is to be tried
There can DO no better time to find out
whether the Republican party is master Of
itself, or whether Messrs Cameron, COnkling
and Logan are its masters.
Canofor Non1arOn. "a chairman of the
National Committee, has any power to decide
how votes shall be cast or what votes shall be
received, nc has so much power that the rest
Of the Convention has none. In that case. we
may as we'll request him to pick out a candidate
of the Republican party for President, and
advise the rest of the delegates to stay at home.
But Mr.. Cameron has no such power, and,
unless he recognizes in the preliminary vote
the rules Of the last Republican National Con-
ventiOn, lie has no more right than any other
usurper or nterlOper Those rules necessarily
govern until the new Convention is sufficiently
organized to make rules for itself. Under
those rules, each individual delegate has a
right to his own Independent vote, and, if
that vote is not properly announced by the
chairman of his delegation, lie has right to
rise IN his place, announce it for himself, and
require that it be recorded. Whether Mr..
Cameron will recognize this rule Of previous
Republican National Conventions as binding
upon him. he will probably be asked to state
as soon az the National Committee meets; and
IL he does not, in the most distinct and un-
eduivOcal manner, the Committee would better
lose no time IN finding a new Chairman who
will.
The first business of the National Committee
is to see that the coming Convention is
organized without trick or fraud, and in strict
accordance with the terms of tho CALL which
provides for two delegates from each Con-
pressional district, four from each State at
large, and two from each Territory. These
persons, voting as individuals, have q right to
select their own chairman and make their own
rules, and the Committee will betray the
party into the hands Of its Democratic
adyersaries if it does not make strict and
sure provision that each individual member
of the Convention shall have his free voice
in its organization. The Committee has
power to select any person to call the Con-
vention to order, to propose temporary
chairman, and to call the roll Of the delegates,
if the vote IS demanded upon the choice Of q
chairman. II can refuse to recognize any
heads of delegations, and require viva vOce
vote by each person chosen as a delegate, until
the Convention itself has become sufficiently
organized to adopt for itself different mode
of voting. 1t can select, to call the COnven-
ton to order, person who can be relied upon
to secure to each individual member his free
vote, in case of any dissent from announce
ments made in behalf Of State delegations In
either Of several ways, 1t can see that the Con-
ventlon is not robbed of its freedom by any
triCkery, usurpatiOn or fraud, and that is it's
flrst and most sacred duty. If 1t fails therein,
the Republican party win be very apt to go to