New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-07

lican National Convention has been brought
to so clear an understanding of this mis-
chievous system. At bottom it is mere trick
to enable the few to rule the many-to trans
fer to a minority all the power which III a
free government a majority ought 10 WleIu'
Just half of the entire vote in Republican
National Convention is cast by delegates from
eleven States. In each of these States, bare
majority of one in State Convention can Sc
cure an entire delegation under the unit rille'
Thus eleven men, over one quarter oil the
whole number of Republicans in all the S:ate
Conventions of the party can, by that pro-
cess. elect and instruct half of the delegates
in q National Convention. But bare ma
iority in each of these State Conventions can
in turn be secured by instructions i'll half OF
the counties, and those again by instructions
in one half of the townships or wards
In short about one sixteenth OF all the
voters of the party can thus capture
and bind hand and foot half OF the delegates
in a National Convention. If the system is rot
to this extreme extent abused, 1t IS nevertheless
so abused already that those men, directing Il
drilled minority of Republicans III three
States, were able to secure resolutions OF III
structi0n giving them entire control OF lio
delegates III tie \? 'jOnal COnventiOn-nearly
q fourth of the V &c number. 1t was seen
at Chicago, and will now be seen throughout
the country, how dangerous this system Is.
After q week Of thorough canvassing the
unit rule has been broken and branded as
unrcpublican by q majority so strong that
hereafter in any Republican body, from the
smallest to the greatest, it will be held honor
able to disregard and break it.
This is not q matter, as may at first be
supposed of special Importance to the Re
publican party only. 1t becomes National
event of the first magnitude, when it Is OBJ
served that in the Democratic party the
unit rule, the system of instructions, and the
other devices by which boss government Is
made easy bear full sway. Upon that system
the Democratic party has been organized, from
township and ward up to National Con-
vcntion, and for many years drilled and DIS
ciplincd. The facilities for personal govern
mcnt are more complete in that party than
they ever have been or could be in the Rcpub-
lican party, Notwithstanding the twO-thirds rule,
because of the greater supremacy OF caucus anu
submisslvcness to instructions. What chance
would the voters have to make. their Will tclt
in the Government if there WERE two such
parties each subject to n personal doSpotlSm'
so that the individual voter would he COM
PEELED to choose between two dcspotismT, or
to throw away his vote altogether III empty
prOtcst3
TO that pass the managers of General Grant
and the management of Mr.. Tildcn Thought to
bring the country. We were to have two par
ties, one controlled in Cipher Alley, and the
other subject to the dictatOn OF the TRINITY
of Bosses. Between personal government as
it was III Grant, and personal government rs
if would be in Tildcn, voters would
have been compelled to choose. a nice
end. truly, for a government profess
srdly free! But the emancipation oil the
Republican party from the methods OF per-
sona government will have effects reaching
far beyond the immediate defeat of General
Grant. 1t will give to the country one party
through which the will of the voters can b"
| freely expressed. To that party it Will give
n new lease of life by reason OF It's
renewed hold upon the confidence Of
J free voters. Upon it the work of this
Convention will impress stronger
hostility to all the methods by which
personal government is fOstcred and the IN
tclligcnt choice Of voters is suppressed, and Il
stronger tendency toward honest and fair rep
rescntation of the will of free people i'll all
its a,scmblagcs and actions. The Chicago
Convention has done what it can thus far to
make the Republican party the party OF the
pcope-thc expression of their will, the agent
of their power, the fortress Of their liberties.
For that work the whole country may well be
| pful.