Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-04-29
lancaster frltelIigelmer.
Honest and Sensible.

very simple and proper way. The plan
adopted is much better than the original
ly-suggested compromise, inasmuch as it
decides the matters in dispute in the reg
ular way, by means of hearing before
the committee on contested seats. 1t is
one more illustration of the fact that 1t is
always better to pursue recognized and
established methods in conducting politi-
cal as well as any other business. There
is a tendency in the human mind, appar-
emily, when things get into a big snarl,
to try to find some Out-of-the-way and
elaborate method of disengaging them.
A simple way seems inadequate to the
occasion, because of its simplicity, but,
nevertheless, such ways are always the
best. A convention s rules will always get
1T out of its troubles in the shortest time
and most effectually, if they are intelli-
gently applied. In this case all that was
needed was the appointment of a CON-
mittee Oh contest in the fairness of which
all parties would have confidence. There
ought to be this confidence felt in every
convention committee 4; but unfortunate
ly the average delegate is too strongly
tempted to decide for his faction to in
spire much confidence in his impartiality.
Each side will generally use the power it
possesses to obtain an unfair advantage
over the other. Thus there seems to
have been contest for the control of the
hall of the convention at Harrisburg, so
that the outside pressure might be made
available, and the friends of Senator
Wallace charge that Speaker Ran
dall's friends used unfair means
to get possession of it, and that
the tickets were partially distributed.
There appears to De good ground for this
charge. Unscrupulous persons seem to
have taken advantage of the chairman
of the state committee and to have abused
the confidence he reposed in them in en-
trusting them with the control of the
hall. There is nothing so difficult to
manage satisfactorily about a convention
meeting us the matter of admission :;
and it is difficult to avoid being charged
with unfairnesS even when the intention
is best.
The plan which has been adopted in
organizing this convention may prOtitably
be copied hereafter. The chief difference
from the usual method has been in
the selection of the committee on
contested seats and the awaiting
of their report, before any business
whatever is DONE This is eminently
proper. especially when there are many
contested seats. The great aim in con-
ventions of opposing factions has here
tofore been to get control of the tempo
rary organization and to pack the COM
mittee on contested seats in their inter-
est. If this committee, composed of an
equal number of men of each interest
and of approved judgment and impair
tiality, can lie amicably arranged before
the work of the convention is begun, the
chief source of trouble and dissatisfac-
tiOn will be avoided. The trouble, how
ever, is that men need to he compelled to
be fair; and when a convention meets
in which the power is all one side
the minority is apt to have little respect
paid to its rights and it goes away sore
until after few years of such processes,
repeated now on one side and then on
the other, us the different ends of the see
saw come up, the party gets into the con-
dition in which our party has lately been
and the people get tired of it and bring
the leaders down to a common-sense
agreement and amity such as now halls
lis from Harrisburg.
We trust that it will lie permanent.
We welcome the promise that it shall be
which is freely given. There is but one
reason why it should not be, and that is
the jealousy of wOuld-be chiefs. There
is room enough in the party for all its
members to live together in peace if they
can but remember that the party was
not made for them and that their indi-
vidual advancement is not the main
purpose of its being. If they remember
too that without the party they are moth
ing, they ought to be ready to sustain it
even with their own sacrifice. If Mr..
Wallace wants to he senator and Mr..
Randall to be speaker, the party needs to
be kept vigorous and strong for the sake
of their own ambition; which they
know. Mr.. Wallace is of the
more jealous disposition of the two
men, and it has been more of a
struggle with him to reduce himself to
subsection to the common sense declara-
tion of amity which these two leaders
entered into before the eyes of the con-
vention. Both have valuable qualities
for leadership and each has glaring defic-
iencies in this regard. Their ability to
act together for the common good, if it
shall be demonstrated, will rebound to
the credit of both and entitle them to |
the regard and following of the party.
Otherwise they will need to give way to
those who can better do their work.
THE Harrisburg Patriot claims that |
the Cincinnati delegation, in it's dis
trict membership, stands eighteen
Tilden to thirty-slX anti-Tilden. The
Patriots figures are somewhat colored
by its anti-Tilden proclivities, but no
doubt it is right in stating that major
ity of the delegation is opposed to Mr..
TiIden. The fact is that the independ-
ent delegates who are committed to no