, 1884-07-09

convention of New York having placed
upon its delegates that trust, he chal,
lenged the right of this convention to
strip the New York delegation of the
rights thereby conferred. Such action
would not pass without protest from at
least some of the members of that body.
The speaker then read the Instructions TO
act as a unit passed by the Saratoga con-
v%ention. The vote Of delegations should
be governed. New York alone had right
to command it in the State Convention.
Every member from that state in this
convention voted for the enforce
ment Of the unit rule, and the
delegation itself had declared by
more than a two-thirds majority that its
chairman should express the will Of the
state by casting its scvcnty-two votes as
one He babe them pause before they
struck down ruthlessly the express will of
the sovereign State OF New York, as
given in a resolution which he had read.
Mr.. Menzies, of Indiana, offered as an
amendment to the amendment that no
state shall change its vote until the result
of the ballot has been announced.
MIR. Grady, of New York, spoke in sup
port of his amendment. He claimed that
The delegation from New York had been
represented in this matter.
THERE WAS GREAT DANGER,
he said, that through the power and in
iuence Of political machinery the
hunost and truthful opinion
Of New York might not
have its proper force here. The news
papers might lie bought to print III their
columns that seventy two solid votes from
New York would be cast for one candidate,
but there was no power to make that So
(Hi, HID. There were r~esolute men in the
New York delegation who would not only
give their reasons why one candidate
should not get the nomination, but would
have the right to give their votes to thtt
candidate whom they thought would be
elected (Hi, Hi, Hi and Oh, Oh, Oh and
Kisses from the galleries..
Mr.. Harris, of Virginia, made a point
of order hat the discussion was not in
order pending the temporary organization
of the convention, but the point was over
ruled by the chairman.
Mr.. Grady continued his speech. He
said hat when the New York delegation
left that state it was understood that their
votes would be decidedly one way,
but by political combinations the
peoples will was sought to be
interfered with and so they made this the
only protest they could make. They made
it for the
HONOR OF THE PARTY
and for the honor of the country and so
that New York might take its place in
the Democratic column. He hoped that
this convention would adopt the old Dem
ocratic method: Let every man speak
his sentiments and vote for his senti-
mCnts,' and then whatever sentiments
prevail, it would give them a hearty sup
port. [Cheers.1
Hon. j. A. Doolittle, of Wisconsin,
said the question was a fundamental one
that the question was a state right to
speak for itself or not in the election of
Presidents of the United States. The
state always has spoken us a unit. 1t
could do in no other way in
naming a man to be elected
President of the United States.
Should he not be chosen in
the same way, hat is by the voice OF
the several states as a unit. Whatever
was done in the New York State convon-
ton could not control the action of the
national Democracy. There was no pow
er in the convention that could make a
reporting secretary place a lie in the min
utes of the convention and falsify its pre-
ceedings. If the chairman of the delega-
ton announced twenty four of his col
leagues as voting for a certain candidate
for whom they already announced their
intention not to vote, and if the secretary
50 reported them, he and his colleagues
would be reported as setting in a form
which their lips denied, and that woulI
be an outrage on free speech.
General Cluuie, of California,
said that his delegation had come
all the way from California to vo,c
for the greatest political retormer of the
age, Samuel j. Tildcn Speaking to the
question at issue, he said the delegation
from New York had been elected by dis
tricts and at large, and it would be an out
rage on the minority not to permit them
to vote according to the
WISHES OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS.
In the name of justice, decency and fair
dealing he called upon the convention to
permit the district delegates to vote in
accordance with the wishes of those who
chose them.
Mr.. Powers, of Michigan, advocated
the amendment offered by Grady. Why,
he asked, should a man be presented as q
reform candidate and an attempt be made
t9 nominate him by machine methods,
Applause
Mr.. Harrison, of Illinois, argued that
if the State of New York had instructed
its delegates to vote as a unit, and il
they failed to vote they would be dis.
obeying the state, but that this CONVEX
ton had nothing to do with that.
Applause. lie would probably be fouu
voting differently from Mr. Grady on the
question Of candidates, but he wanted Q
free vote now,