The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-08-17

inquire, and the object Of censure. A great
deal OF Time was spent in wrangling over
tue Alexander county difficulty, and a
great deal OF bad blood was engendered
Inc disorder, the noise and confusion, could
no more he stayed than the current of the
mississippi river. At abont two o'clock in
Tue morning, the convention having been
III session ali night, a vote was taken by
counties, to determine which set of dele.
delegates should represent Alexander coun-
w. As slowly called the counties alpha.
oetlcaIIy, the Secretary and Assistent Sec
fetaiy, each by himself, recorded the vote
as announced by the chairman Of each coun-
~ delegation. When the figures were adj
co up ny each Secretary, independent Of
the Other the result was found to be the
same, and probably every delega-
ton IN the convention already new what
the result WAS. But at this point, u scene
OF confusion was witnessed that beggars
description. There was demand made
by some one or two, to have the vote YER
flied, and Immediately others demanded
the same until the house WAS IN perfect
uproar all manner of hard names were
heaped npon me, and no notice taken of the
rapping of the improvised gave. On in
quiry of an individual what he meant
precisely by verifying the vote, his answer
amounted 10 this--to take the vote over
again.
We had devoted the day and night to
the Alexander county quarrel, and deiber-
ately voted upon it. Now why should the
vote be taken over againl Had the secre
tarles bIunderedf Had they conspired to
secure fraudulent result or was it supposed
that, after another loag wran1le, ampre
satisfactory result might be reached The
truth ls, the vote had been properly taken
and counted, and declared the result
and no parliamentary rule, or principle laid
down in the books, was violated or invaded
And all the clamOr aud uproar that fol-
lowed, and all the anathemas and INJECT
ives hurled at me, were from dlsappoint-
ment and chagnn, and like the angry bill.
lows OF the ocean, dashed into storm of
toamlng fury.
But to hasten on have been called a ty-
rant and usurper and other things, because
L enforced the unit rule Even the Chica-
20 Tribune brought that railing accusa-
ton against me- The laundering numb
skull who sent that report ought to be
ashamed of himself. What is unit
rule ~ Why, simply when all the mem
bers of a delegation are required to vote
alike. There was no unit rule enforced or
sought to be enforced by me at the Cairo
convention. Nor did that body ordain
such a rule. The only attempt to enforce
II unit rule in that convention, was made by
the chairman Of the johnson county dele
CATION, and broke that. He, however, be
it said, was carrying out instructions in
good faith.
A remark or two will close this hastily
written article. When took the chair in
that remarkable convention, | resolved to
preserve my own equanimly of temper,
come what might, ana ! succeeded. l
knew presiding officer must govern him
self, if he would govern others. There were
times when | believed delegates were
determined to make me angry, and to con
fuse and tangle me up, if possible. They
certainly did not succeed. | am sure I
was cool and self-possessed during the en-
tire convention, Those unhappy men who
coarsely tried to insult me, failed utterly
in their object, | remembered the logic
and the philosophy of the man who said
mo one but gentleman could insult him,
and no gentleman would With refer.
ence to any decisions and rulings on ques.
tons that came up, | have this to say:
do not think any difficult question presented
itself And | do not see how any expe-
rienced presiding Officer, who made the
rules of parliamentary law a study, could
have decided .questons differently from
what | did. Decisions and rulings of Sen
ator Hoar, chairman of the Chicago Ma.
tioual Convention of 1880, were invoked,
with considerable flourish and gusto, but
when sifted down, they amounted to
nothing--besides. Judge Hoar is not recog
nized as authority in such matters.
am very respectfully,
L. DYER.