Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-06-17
Congressional Nominations.

Nominations for Congress have begun.
The impoI taEce of wise selection is not
sufficiently considered in many districts.
The personal intrigues of individuals
and the shrieks of locality, by which the
exclusion of experienced and worthy
men is demanded to make room for un-
tried aspirants from this or that county
or town, have far too much to do with
the nominations made. The consequences
can be read in the disgraceful failure of
the Democratic party IN the House, and
its collapse in the very first year of its
power.
1t is a good time for Republicans in
every part of the country to consider
what they ought to do, and to put their
heads together to resist all claims of in
dividuals or localities that do not cont
sist with the best interests of the party
and the country. The nomination of men
who can be elected is good. But it is
far more important, in most Northern
districts, to nominate men whose elee'
tion will be of some use. The exclusion
of men who damage the party, who nght
against its principles, who seek selfish
ends regardless of public interests, is
especially important at this time. If
the Republican party returns majority
of the House. and that majority behaves
badly or proves incompetent, it will be
heavy blow to the party, and the conse-
quences in the next Presidential election
will be serious.
1t is needful, first, to put up genuine
Republicans, and no others, as candidates
for Republican voters to support. The
tendency to nominate men who are try
ing to ride two or three horses at time
has done great mischief. If man wants
to be called Greenbacker, that is his
right. but he has no business to be a Re-
publican candidate. Either he means
something by the change of name or he
does not. If he does, he means that he
is not in harmony with Republican
opinions on vital point, and ought to
kept out of Congress so that the unien
and harmony of the party there may
not be disturbed by his presence. So if
man wants to call himself labor can
didate, or temperance candidate, or By
various other names which imply reli>
ance upon a different support than that
which fidelity to Republican principles
gives, it is his right to do so. But it is
not his right, in that case, to be consid+
cred in Republican convention as a
possible candidate of a party which has
National principles, and can justly claim
the confidence and support of the people
because of those principles. Republi-
cans ought to determine to elect this
year as many genuine Republicans as
they can, and not to vote for any other
kind of man where the election of Re
publican is possible.
One ether thing is important-to re>
tain good men who have proved their
worth and whose experience is therefore
of incaIeulable value. 1t follows that it
is equally important to get rid of men
who seek their private and personal ad-
vantage, contrary to the principles of the
party or the public interest, for their
experience makes them the more mis-
chievous. With good selections of cam
didates, there is a bright prospect of
electing a majority of Republicans to
the next House. But it would be an in
jury to the party to elect majority, and
then to be unable to unite it in any ac-
tion consistent with Republican princi+
pies and pledges.-N. Y. Tribune.