The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-06-29
Aztec rHE CoNYENTIoN.

EDIToRs NEWS: l respectfully asl
l the publication Of the following pream
Die and resolution which are in words
and figures the identical preamble ans
resolution which I held in my hant
and sought to present 10 the county con
yeniioh last Saturday. l desire theil
. publication because some parties have
, since said that 81 had two sets of resolu
tions one set to offer in case the friends
of the action of the central committee
got control of the convention, and an
other set 10 offer IN case those opposed
TO the action ofihe committee got con
troll; - and for the additional reason that
1t has been said that'I held in my hand
that day, live (5) pages of manuscript
constituting n series of resolutions with
which was seeking TO bore the meet
ing"
PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTION:
WHEREAS, Three members of the Ly-
on county central committee met al Am
circus, in said county, ON The 10Th day
| Of May, 1882, and appointed seven dele
gates and seven alternates TO represent
the r publican voters of Lyon county in
the distr;ct Congressional convention held
at EmpOria May 81. 1882; and also aI,-
pointed seven delegates and seven alter
mates to represent the Republican voters
of Lyon county IN the stale Congress inn
al convention To b. held at Topeka. June
%, 1882; and
WHEREAS, The power 10 elect dele
gates to Republican county, district or
| stale conventions does, and of right
ought %, betting exclusively a the Re-
publican voters of Lyon county, and
thai such power has never been surren-
dered, nor has it ever been delegated by
them Ia any central committee, there
fore
Resolced, That this delegate conven-
ton of Republicans does most solemniy
condemn the action of the three mem
bcrs of their central committee in
assuming the prerogalive of the Repub-
lican voters of Lyon county by the Sc
lection of delegates Io said district and
state conventions. and that we regard
such unwarranICd assumption uf power
rs fatal la the purity, harmony. prosper
| ity and perpetuity of the party, and as
tending 10 the establishment of most
dangerous precedent.
i desire TO say further and in this con-
nection that the Republican party of
Lyon county cannot afford Ia practice
| injustice or unfairness in the proceed
ures in it's own household, even though
such practice may only effect adversely
a supposed minority. Minorities have
rights that are entitled 10 respect ami
consideration, and il is neither manly
wise, nor polite To ignore these rights.
Such action is dangerous because il
bears bitter fruit which is sure 10 b.
sooner or later gathered, | know it is
said that this committee question is
"Iittle matter" This is not SO. Our ia
theirs could have paid the tax on tea i'm.
posed by Great Britian-Or if they felt
unable to pay the tax, they could have
done very we'll without tea. But they
dare not even at the cost of life and
treasure allow the assumption of the
right to impose n tax. without these re-
quired to pay il, had voice in making
the assessment. So the appointment of
fourteen representatives uf the
people to important political con
ventions by three men To whom
such right or power had never been
ihbGShb bS 10
garded as a small matter; but The prin
ciple which such action violates relates
IN the very genius and perpetuiiy of
the government itself The success of
the Republican party in the past is
largely due to its maintenance inviola'e
OF the idea expressed SO tersely by Mr..
Lincoln at Gettysburg: that "this is a
government of the people, for the people
and by the people"
The Impression which was sought to
be made ut the Americas convention
anu ever since, that the opposition 10
the action of the committee, was an Esk.
ridge movement. or a Ctoss movement,
or IL movement uniriendly TO Senator
Plumb, answered well the ends of the
friends of the committee, because it in
duced member of the district congress
sional delegation To insist upon and eff
feet the admission of its members on the
certificate ofthe central committee, rath-
er than the certificate of the mass meet
ing ut Americas, where an agreement
was most solemnly and publicly made
and entered into, that said
delegation should present only
TO said district convention the certifi.
cate of said mass meeting. 1t still more
fully answered the ends of the friends of
the committee in that it induced the
delegates TO the county convention, who
had been elected by the people upon the
most explicit pledges to opposition in
every form to the action of said COM
mittcc, 10 deliberately ignore and set
down upon their constituency and their
pledges made to them and To not only
prevent any condemnation of said com
mittee, hut rather instead to vote tor and
secure the election as delegates 10 the
state convention of those who in all their
public performances proved themselves
most friendly To the committee, going
even so far in their anxiety TO put them
selves on the record as friendly 10 the
action of said committee as 10 vote for
and elect as one of the Topeka delegates
man who was one of the three members
of the central committee, who met at
Americas ON the 10Th of May and appoint
cd the fourteen delegates. 4 gentleman
who has been careful never to make any
public apology, and SO far as / know to
express privately any regret for his ac-
tion as one of the committeeman. MIR.
Lambert's first act in this drama was to
appoint delegates for the people, select
ing himself as one of the number; and
his last act was moving an adjournment
of Saturdays convention, which he ac.
complished by the aid of its president
and in utter violation of the plaincst and
simplest principles of parliamentary
law, to prevent the passage of a resUlu-
ton which he supposed to be condemna.
tory of the action of said committee.
No, Messrs. Editors, this whole move
.ment from first to last had something
more in it than editors, congressman or
banks. There was an unseen power
behind it which have not time now to
bring to the front. II was a slight of
supposed they were getting one thing
but got another thing. 1t was gigantic
confidence game, in which the people
were robbed of voice in the convention
supposing all the time that they were
distinctly heard.
But the people will control finally
at is a long lane that has no turn
The yelp of exultation which Mr.. Lam
bert uttered as ne passed out of Satur
days convention, may yet be changed Ii
the pleading tones of an humble sup
plant praying for ballot in the hands
of sovereign voter. There are som'
things of more value than triumphs un
fairly won, and what sometimes look
like glorious victory Is really most in
=, glorious defeat. That truth crushed q