The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-25

sion of 1876 I believe may safely say that this
is the first time in the history Of any free coun
try when a tribunal has attempted to rule out
all the delegations from all contested precincts
....aout so much as looking at their credentials
1t is indeed precedent
II am the candidate Of the Democratic party OF
this district for Congress, and / shall continue
to be SO until the election is concluded was
selected by the delegates of the people, and the
people alone shall decide whether or aot they
wish me to represent them concede to no com
nittee to no politician, to clique of politicians
the right to deprive me, by wanton force, of
what the people have intrusted to me. At the
same time, realize keenly that by the exercise
of arbitrary power, such as the State central
committee has given you an example Of you
may aid TO embarrass me in my candidacy It is
possibly true that ought not to have apprehen-
sions of such action by you, inasmuch as ma
jority of you have declared over your signatures
that am the lawful nominee of the conventions
but, after the extraordinary action of the State
central committee, what may not be apprehended2
If that body, which every Democrat should de-
sire to be able to trust, is willing to assume e
power for the purpose of committing wrong,
why should we hope for more from other COM
mittees? If the conspirators against me have
found means to blind the vision and pervert the
judgment of the highest tribunal, why may it
not accomplish the same with inferior rribunals2
1.-THE controversy in this district is no wise diff
ferent from what it was when your majority de-
clared me the nominee of the party. Nothing
has been added to it. nothing taken away There
is no member of your committee, new or old,
who does not know that am the nominee of
the party. There is no member of your commit
tee, new or old, who does not know that there is
no just cause for attempting to remove me from
the ticket. do not ask you TOR any favor; do
not ask you to turn away from rea-
son justice. l warn you to
whatever it may be. which is being welded by
my enemies. l warn you to consider well what
must be the consequences to the party of such
action as the State central committee has taken.
With 1t as precedent the will of any majority
may be subverted by any minority. If the pres
ence of a contesting delegation prevents the law
full delegates from voting, it is a simple matter
to send in enough contesting delega-
tons to enable minority to organ
ize convention, appoint their own
committee on credentials, and seat their own con-
testants, 1t is species of trickery to which all
may easily resort 1t opens the door to fraud
widely enough to prevent any fair convention.
If, in addition to this, the presence Of contesting
delegations is held to defeat the nomination of
candidate who has the votes of clean majority
of the uncontested delegates, as I had, then the
convention system is farce and the party or
ganization is ruined To those who have ad-
vocated these theories, and now profess to be-
lieve in them. have only to say that they are
digging pit into which some of them sooner or
later will probably fall
From these considerations, therefore, know
ing that you have no right to remove me from
the ticket. but also knowing that you have it IN
your power to injure me candidate. appeal
TO you for simple justice / come to you not as a
tribunal but as men. Standing on my rights as a
man, appeal to you. as men, not to add cause
lessly and wrongfully to the difficulties before
me. appeal to you Of the old committee not
to stultify yourselves by declaring that to be
false to-day which You declared to be true
but few days since. appeal to you all as hon
est men to take no action which your consciences
will tell you is unwarranted. / appeal to you as
men OF intelligence not to be persuaded into a
position which cannot be intelligently justified
by any one. appeal to you as Democrats net
to lend support to any theory which must in
evitably produce chaos and ruin in the party.
appeal to You as citizens. who believg that the
hope of the Nation is in the Democratic
party, not to abandon 10 the new
dawn of our national success those
principles of equity which our prede-
cessors have handed down to us as the fun
Gamental rules of party action, and substitute
for them the shameful dogmas of our opponents
in 1876. that might makes right, and that the
power to make decision is justification for
willfully deciding wrongfully.
In making this appeal, however, l do not
wish to be considered a suppliant. There are
some of you whose friendship for me and whose
devotion to the cause / have sustained has
been ardent and unyielding / know you
have adhered to my support because you were
earnest in your convictions that my nomination
was fair. honest and regular; yet ask you to
take no action which will subject you to the
hatred. and, might say persecution of my ene-
mics, for my sake. Your duties the representa-
tiyes Of the party, intrusted with its manage
ment and preservation in this district, discharge
in such manner as you may wish 1t must be
remembered, however that the multitude in
all ages have been patient only to a certain
point Whatever your course may be, mine is
plainly, distinctly and unalterabiy marked out,
and shall pursue it to the end"
During tine reading Mr. Mcdonald questioned
a statement by Mr.. Bynum, that committee
on credentials had in the convention seated all
contested delegations
ut is true" replied Mr. Bgnum
II appeal Mr.. Bynum," said Mr. Mcdonald
ito your warmest friend on this committee
Mr. Hagen"
1.-THE committee retired, explained Mr. Hagen
sbut never reported, the convention had dore
its work and adjourned" The discussion from
this on took a general turn. without developing
any material interest. After its close. and after
Mr.. Bynum and Mr. Bailey, with their friends,
had retired, Committeeman Hagen offered a
lengthy preamble, covering points already
familiar with the pubic, and closing with the
Resolved, That this committee will now 90 into
the inquiry and examination of the facts bearing upon
the question whether a nomination was made by the
Democratic convention of this district
Like the Parrish resolution, this was checked
by movement of Sim Coy, who offered one call
ing for new convention, but, at the suggestion
of Mr.. Mcdonald, Coy amended it so as to read
as follows:
Resolved, That, in pursuance of the action of the
Democratic State central committee the Democratic
congressional convention of the Seventh congressional
district, which met at Indianapolis the 9th of
May last be reconvened and recalled to meet in the
said city of Indianapolis at Tomlinson Hail. on Sat
urday the 4th of September. at o'clock p NJ. for
the purpose of nominating candidate for Congress
said district and that the charmen of the respect
i've county committees requested to notify the del
egates in their several counties of the call and to pro-
vide for filling vacancies in their several delegations
When this was put to vote Coy and Hender-
son gave it their support, while Parrish and
Hagen voted no. Mr.. Mcdonald gave the de-
cisive vote in favor of Coy and Henderson
One of Mr.. Bynum's friends then moved that
the charmen of the county committees be in
structed to require the personal presence of the
regularly elected delegates. Mr.. Coy objected.
and the motion was lost, the vote being the
same as on the resolution. This opens