, 1880-06-06
YESTERDAYS PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE
BALL0TNG.

BALLUI1HG.
The day session Of the National Convention
disposed Of all matters preliminary to the
main work of choosing the candidates for
President and Vice-President The prelinl-
lnaries of this years Convention have been
unusually important and to large extent
embarrassing, but they were determined i'll
final harmony and in accordance with the
established principles of the Republican
party.
The first work OF the Convention yesterday
was to finish the contested cases. The net
result Of this struggle was the admission Of
three district delegates from Alabama and
eighteen district delegates from Illinois,
making twenty-one anti i-Grant delegates who
took the seats of Grant delegates. The ap-
p1ication Of the same rule admitted four
Grant delegates from Kansas, and two dele
gates from West Virginia, who were divided
between Grant and Sherman. The two Grant
delegates from Utah were also admitted III
place of the Blaine sitting members, OIL ac-
count of Irregular proceedings in the selec-
ton Of those who were accredited to the Con-
yention from that Territory.
After this the question Of adopting the
rules came np. The Grant men had prepared
surprise in the shape Of q motion, made by
Gen, Sharpe, Of New York, offering as Il sub
stitute for tho majority report resolution
providing that the Convention should pro-
coed at once to take ballot OH nominations.
Had this resolution been adopted, the ballot
ing would have begun without any rules eX-
cept such as the Chairman could enforce
with the consent and assistance Of the Con-
vention. There was some doubt as to the
motive of offering this resolution. It may
have been merely another expedient for de-
lay. It may have been because the movers,
in the expectation that it would be voted
down, sought the opportunity therein to
maintain that the opposition were afraid to
come to a ballot on the nominations. And it
may have been that the Grant managers
cherished a hope that, in the absence Of
rules, they might still enforce the so-called
"unit rule,o or, in any case, delay the NOM
ination by interminable speech-1nallng and
ilibustering as long as they might see fit to
follow that policy. But the resolution was
voted down by the overwhelming majority Of
yeas 278, nays 47o, and the Grant faction
cast the smallest vote upon this question Of
all the test votes that were taken upon pre-
nminary measures.
When the unfair Conkling proposition to
proceed to ballot without any rules had been
defeated, the Grant men Withdrew all further
opposition to the majority report The rules
were adopted without division, including
the clear and explicit recognition Of the right
of individuals to vote their sentiments, and
with the Important addition of a specific ILL
struct1on to the National Committee to in
corporate In their call for the next National
Convention provision which should include
and secure to the several Congressional dis
tricts Of the United States tho right to elect
their otcu delegates. When these rules had
been adopted the principle Of popular repre-
sentation in the Republican National Con-
yentfon was established for all time. The So
called State instruction and "unit rule" was
buried, never to be resurrected- The State
''Bosses' ~ we're served with notice to quit,
so far as National politics are concerned, and
another grand triumph was recorded for the
people through the agency Of the Republican
party.
The only discussion over the resolution was
relative to an additional resolution on the
Civil Service, which was offered by the Mas
saclusetts delegation. This resolution, in a
modified form, was subsequently adopted,
and Cisil-Service reform again made a con-
spicuous plank Of the Republican platform.
Whatever may be the fate of the Repub-
lican ticket before the people this year, the
popular-soyereignty men in the National
Convention have achieved splendid victory
in the complete establishment Of the princi-
pie Of Congressional district representation,
and the final rejection Of the State-sovereign-
ty heresy III the government Of the Repub-
ican party. The 1aurels Of this victory be-
long chiefly to the freemen OF Illinois. If
the Republicans Of this State, whom "Boss"
rule had threatened with disfranchisement,
had not made the persistent and gallant fight
which resulted in the admission Of the ousted
delegates from nine districts who represented
the sentiments of their constituencies, in
place Of the delegates whom Logan had
sought to impose upon them, the question Of
district representation might have been left
In doubt to plague the Republican party in
the future. All doubt as to popular repre-
sentatlon has now been wiped out. and the