The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-12-22
POINT PLEASANT, WEST Va.
Legislature Caucus.
tIbe. Gtlepb tIeFsl adRsadfak IN


$780, IleStsIaaLse Caucus.
.CIbes Gtssp9tIeF IadYss9fpf In
politics no less than in war organ.
hsJionlaRds characterization Iare es
'SsSdsiIy losutFess Ajlaagthsbp;i
-iEpa'iRg forces RpPr9arhs near 70
soeapality inlnumbsrs these essen.
ytiaismaognsnt in q inn ortdnce. y
a1Mdch Tee catti0Ris fSdpifed ID a
Contest, {, sItR, 8 Feak snsRy s6an
githiole That is strong and, wary,
.rIn the one case a want Of unity
iaiOay be simply d vice, but In the
other II can hardly ever" be less
than acrime, ,'. q Na ~,
The Democrats, In Vie Lsgisla,
etlre,elect haye.a majority on Joint
ioballot ofibutssepenl Yotes--.6vsiia
The sHonso and two in theSehaie.
change If only toaf votes viii
give the RepubIic control ofths
joint Assembly, No onei can zas.
eume that the Republicans are
without hope. 10 Theyiareiwell or.
ganited and will unite in any
scheme that will destroy or weaken
The posef,of The Democratic ma.
.5joriIyuiT They know this can be-
-sdone only by disotgauizati6n and
dissension among tho Democrats,
boIhey knoWofalliwell'th that, if Dem.
cCratic unity obtains, they will
have no opportunity either to pro,
mote theitown objects or to impair
3 those Of eitOpponents. Nj 1s9I
ala In the face Of these plain facts
there seems 10 be q disposition on
the part Of some lhoughLless Dem.
q Ocrats to advise members Of the
Legislature to1refuse to submit TO
q party usagqsi IN the selection Of a
candidate for the United States
Senate. This, It seems to us, Is not
soply undenocratic, but inconsist.
aent and just what the Republicans
desiroto have done. met 81
II isiundemocra!ic because itisa
cardinal pfipcipleo Of that party to
submit in good faith to the wishes
Of the majority when ascertpined
according to party usages. 1t has
beon'the recognized and uniform
usage Of the purity, since the day s
Of Gen. jackson, to select oandi.
dates for office either in conveny
tons OF BY primary elections; and
when The majority thus selects the
candidate all opposition is with.
drawnand thosein the minority,
who failed to get their choice, sup.
press their disappointment, fall in.
to line and support the majority
Candidate-the nominee Of the
party. The same usage has been
followed in the selection Of candi
dates by the Legislature to fiji the
offices 10 their respective bodies
aud for the nomination of candi.
: dates for the United States Senate.
, Where the people select the candi'
date the mOd,ts opcrandS is called a
convention or primary election,
and in cases o.. nominations by
the Legislature or other represent.
alive bodies it is called a caucus;
"a bat in either case the principle is
g the same; and the reason and ne.
cessity in the one case applies with
equal force to the others.
1t would DO incon sistent in any
member of the Legislature, who
has been elected as the nominee Of
the Democratic party, to refuse to
go into caucus for the selection of
candidates for the Offices 10 be cho.
. sen bytha body. Such member
was elected because he was nomin-
ated because the majority Of The
Democrats in his county or district
pelecfed him as the candidate Of
the whole party. Those who op.
posed as we'll as those favoring his
nomination voted for him because
he was the choice Of the majority,
and not because he was the choice
. Of those who opposed his uomina.
ton, Can such member, with any
e consistency or creditto his Domoo.
racy, repudiate the usOges Of his
partyH He must admit that he
owes his own election to that
usage. Can he, then, say that he
is wiser than his party or that
i such usage is all right for him to
get into Office, but he is too wise,
Independent and conscientious 10
follow ii after he has gotten into
Officer t.. ,-....,. ..a
70 But it may be said that the go.
ing into the Democratic Caucus
will result in tho nomination of
some person as q candidate whom
The mnmhnr lnns mt want mud he