The Osceola times., 1882-03-18
POLITICAL CONVENTIONS.
Must a Majority Rule or Shall
Meroenary Persons" Run
the Party?
ABLE AND SOUND.
IFort smlth Eleyator l


masters Of the people, and form coa-
liticns with their associate officers,
and with the aid of corrupt mercen-
AIRY persons, run the party. /; is no
use under such circumstances, unless,
indeed, the republican party is some |
what formidable, to attempt to con
troll convention in the interest of the
party, because any set Of officers, and I
their deputies, and confederates in IA
county all assisting aud conspiring
together with the state political ring
to back them, can influence sufficient
of the democrats in any township to |
secure their nomination. especially
when ten men in township not nee
essary either TO be democrats, can
make n democratic nomination, which
the farmers can be bullied 10y the
officers and their friends TO support.
it would never do of course for the
democracy to establish a rule that
any certain portion Of democrats
should be present at any township
convention. As for the democratic
press, instead of having some rule
about what proportion of the democ-
racy should be present at primary
meeting and as to what should be
accepted as proper nomination, IT
does not appear that sufficient atton-
tion is given to il, and consequently
a chairman, and one person to make
the motions, and one to do the vot-
ing, perhaps two, is all that is neccs-
sary for a democratic convention. 1t
seems to be left by the press to the
little coterie of blatant sycophants
of Office holders to be found in each
township without any restrictions,
and so, if five democrats in hun
dred make up really, or fctitiously,
the nomination, the democracy must
support it.
As for ourselves, il was always our
opinion that the majority should
rule, and unless a majority of demo-
Gratis in a township were present and
participated in the nomination, it
should not have any weight. OF
course, if there are one hundred dem
ocrats in township and ffty-four
assemble and vote, and twenty eight
vote in favor of the nominees and
twcnty-six against twenty eight,
which is only little over a fourth Of
the whole number, controls the one
hundred. We, as democrats, are
willing that If bare ma jority assem-
bles and the nomination is made by
over half of those present, it shall be
counted good; or, in other words,
that in nominations we will assent to
one-t third of the vote Of the democra-
cy thus cast, provided such rule be
made. If some such agreement and
understanding could be had by the
democracy it would stop a great deal
of political trickery, and we respect
fully submit that county democratic
conventions, and county delegates to
the state and district convention do
for the good of the party take this
matter under advisement. We hard
" think we arc asking too much of
nominees for Office that they shall be
endorsed by one-third Of the party at
least.
Another thing TO be considered in
the matter is, that some of the most
worthy, honorable and honest demo
crats, seeing and knowing how nom
nations are made without any re-
gard to justice or propriety, and with
out any rule as to numbers, or the non
or of the coterie making them and see
ing all the time that trickery and |
dishonesty prevail, and men wholly !
incompetent, Incorporate and inn
moral are elected, have become will |
ing to ignore conventions altogether,
and the party on account Of corrupt |
practices, is rapidly losing the sup !
port of the best men in it.
Now,-if the party wishes majori-
ty TO rule, is it not necessary to say |
so, and to provide that in all convon-
tons, but especially in primary ones,
that majority Of the democrats who
voted in the preceding political elec-
tion by name (the names to be taken
and certified by the chairman as such |
Majority, shall be present and par
ticipate in making each nomination,
or in holding the primary election?
or no convention shall be considered |
as held and no nomination rs made.
Some honorable and fair rule Of
action ought in all candor, we think, |
be made to save the party from DISC |
luton, and if the managers (some of
whom are frequently selected because |
of their subserviency to some clique !
or ring, and who will in all such /
cases oppose this or any honest way
to give honest democrats a chance), /
do not agree TO and make some rule |
for the majority to govern, the dem
ocrats generally can not be expected |
to pay any attention to conventions.
When county rings have been /
formed by all the county officers and
they have perpetuated their power
from year to year, and become more
and more powerful, by means of their
combined influence in each township, !
il will be found almost impossible |
for any man outside that ring to get !
a nomination even though one-half