The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-01-19
The Republican National conpon.ion

The Republican National Convention.
The telegram in the Dispatch Of yester-
day concerning the proceedings OF the Re-
publican National Committee was interest
ing but not fun. II win be remembered
that the Stalwarts and the Ilali-Brecds. or
rather, The Third-Tcrmers, or GRANT men.
disagreed with the Blainoites In 1850 AS TO
the proper method Of choosing delegates
u the National Convention. The BLAINE
men said then, and say now, that II no
delegates but those representing Republi-
can constituencies had been allowed TO
vote In the Chicago Convention, Mr..
BLAINE would have been nominated on the
ffrst ballot. The GRANT men claimed that the
Convention was based upon the theory that
the people, and not merely partisans, were
represented therein. II viii be rccolected,
too, that the BLAINE men were strong
enough 10 turn out the LOGAN delegates
representing certain Illinois constituencies
in that Convention, and scat the BLAINE
We helped the Blaineitcs all we could for
months before the Convention assembled,
and reioiccd when they slaughtered Gene
raj GRANT. The fight was bot and furi-
Gus. II was ended by the nomination OF
Mr.. GARFIELD, BLAINE man, for Presi-
dent, and Mr.. ARTHUR, Stalwart, for
Vice-President. But the Convention in
structed the National Republican Com
mittec 10 assemble the next National Con-
vcntion under call which should allow
the district delegates to he elected by con-
eressoual district conventions.
I, was to settle this last and other qies-
tions that the National Republican Commit
tee met in Washington on Wednesday; and
therefore when we read the telegram stating
that upon motion Of Senator LOGAN, the
same Hoosier Stalwart who was defeated Of
his schemes IN the Convention Of 1880, the
old plan had been agreed upon, we were
surprised. The telegram was incomplete,
and not carefully worded. The old plan
adopted was nothing more than the plan
OF having the same number OF delegates in
the next rs in the last National Conyen-
tion-that is, two from each congressional
district and four from the State at large.
For the rest. the instructions given to the
committee by the Blaineites in the Chi
cago Convention were fully carried
out. Next year SIMON CAMERON will
not have the chance OF ordering a
State Convention to elect solid
Stalwsrt delegation TO the Republican Ma
tional Convention from Pennsylvania; nor
ROSCOE CONELING, "A similar delegation
from New York; nor JOHN A. LOGAN, 4
similar delegation from Illinois. Each con-
cressional district will have the privilege
of electing its own two delegates, either by
a district convention or by "a sub-conyen-
ton formed out OF the delegates to the
state Convention. The for delegates at
large are TO bc chosen by State con-
ventions. All that the BLAINE mer fought
for in 1880 was accomplished III Washing
ton on Wednesday last. But not all that
they fought for in committee.
The rotten-borough system remains.
Kentucky will have rs many delegates in
the next Republican National Convention
az Massachusetts,, although the latter State
will certainly vote for the nominee OF that
Convention. and the former State will GER
tainly vote against that nominee. There
was a long contest in Washington on
Wednesday over the proposition to give TO
the Republican States greater strength in
proportion to population than the Demo
cratic States-in word, TO allow Mas
sachusetts and other Republican States
three additional delegates at large for each
Republican senator in the then QSSi eX-
isting or next preceding Congress, and
three additional district delegates for
each Republican representative in such
Congress. In vain did the Re
publican States propose such plan.
IL was voted down by the repre-
sentatives Of the rotten-borough States and
the Territories. Ii is shameful that a men,
Der OF the Cabinet should have been pres
ent at such meeting, but there was Mr..
WILLIAM f. CHANDLER, Secretary OF the
Navy, who said TO the committee that he
had made the calculation that Mr.. MCKEE
and GEORGE b. BUCHANAN and a dozen
other Federal officers in Mississippi would
choose the eighteen delegates assigned to
that state; and when he added that they
ought 70 be satisfied with the old method,
MCKEE boldly replied, $50 we are If you
will only let Us alone"
SO the victory was almost half with the
Stalwarts and more than half with the
Blainetes. The selection OF so many Of
the delegates by districts will add to the
strength Of the IIalf-Breeds in the next
National Convention.
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INVENTIONS AND Their EFFECTS. One