Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-26

nurse. dry nurse, and trained nurse so
long for the Republican party that he
wants 10 take us all 10 Chicago on q sort
OF Sundsy-school excursion. we In eips
and fuckers with sticks Of candy and he
with the guide book and cane. lie wants
TO show us the sights.
The Reverend William Malone leading
his hock-some black sheep, some white
(my status uncertain would Dc an
edifying spectacle, and make all the
delegates feel "good." Some OF US,
however, feel little tired OF having our
bibs tucked under our chins by General
Malone. Some Of ds are getting large
enough TO rock our own cradles, and, IL
/ mistake not, the delegates from the
Third congressional district are gong
TO Chicago as the peers of anybody and
the prOte1eS of nobody.
General Malone sillustrations by which
he seeks to liken the rule OF malorities
to the unit rule all lose sight OF the fact
that instructions from creator are differ
ent from agreements among delegates
themselves, and of the further fact that
such agreements, except in an electoral
college,
MAKE A FALSE TNtEGRAL
in the convention where tue delegate and
not the State is the true unH.
Not single illustration relied on by
General Malone proves anything except
that majority rules, whereas the unit
rule may and often does operate to give
minority rule. Thus Nine men-three
from each of three districts-are in con
yention. Under majority rule five must
agree in order TO decide point. Under
the unit rule, il the three from each OF
the three districts meet apart. two in
each of two districts can vote their col
league against his will, and then. al
though the three in the third district be
unanimous against thcm, the four in the
two districts vote six aud beat the five
opposed to them.
hold that this unit rule is wrong IN
principle and worse In practice. and
surely it is no treason TO my party TO op.
pose that which the Republican National
Convention has repudiated.
General Malone is inaccurate himself
when he attempts TO make me inaccurate
as to how voting is done in convention.
The call by States is merely for conve-
nience The vote is not by States. The
vote is by delegates and not by States.
The STATE is called so that the chairman
of its delegation may announce, not the
rOts If the state. but how each delegate
from that State votes, and in doing so
the chairman delivers from Virginia the
twenty-four votes, representing eleven
conventions. There is no similarity
whatever between the way the votes OF
delegates in Republican National Con-
ventlon are delivered and the casting and
delivery OF the votes Of presidential cleo
tors. The electoral college and the vote
by States OF the House Of Representa-
tives, on an election falling to the House,
are instances Of the application of the
unit rule--a rule which has been long
doubted and questioned by oil parties,
but expressly repudiated by the Repub-
lican party as the one to govern IN presI-
Dental nominations.
Undoubtedly, if the State Convention
instructs its four delegates to obey the
unit rule and cooperate with the dele
gates from all the other districts, and the
ten district conventions instruct their
delegates the same way, the twenty-four
delegates from Virginia may be amalga-
mated and made as one A.; but | confess |
fail to see any reason for it in any OF
General Malone S arguments. Looking
at the practical operation OF the unit
rule, as illustrated above seeing that 1t
NAV be so welded as to make four men
outvote five, or sixty-eight men Outyote
one hundred and ninety -four, what be-
comes of General Mahones argument
that in opposing the unit rule | am
trucking to minority at the expense OF
a majority ? Is not the very reverse OF
the statement the truth ? Protesting a
devotion to majority rule, no argues at
length for the unit rule. which throttles
majority rule and puts 1t ct the mercy of
minorities.
From General Mahone's way OF stating
what passed between us in our last con-
versation on the unit rule he would leave
the impression that | only put my OBJ
lection to 1t on the score that while the
argument in its favor was the strongest /
had committed myself in 1884 against 1t,
and | did not want 10 10 inconsistent
with my record. lie takes this SIS a con-
fession that | wanted 70 go to Chicago
free to vote against Arthur and agains.
the will Of the party. How does he
jump from his premises to his
conclusion If | had been instruct
ed for Arthur most assuredly |
would have supported him. 1 think l
would have supported him in any event.
But what objected TO Was being bound,
not by instructions, but by unit rule,
which destroys the true integral unit Of
the whole convention and makes ME
bound to cast my vote according TO the
will of pitiful minority OF the whole,
SO that in the effort to ascertain the
will Of the whole, as expressed by the
unit of delegates, my vote may he
counted exactly opposite to the way |
wish it, because | have agreed to A .fdfse
unit of States.
General Malone has known ny oppo-
sitiOn 10 the unit rule since 1884. and
be well knows that in the conversation
about it | begged him not to in
sist on it. told him then that if We
went into the convention and passed IN
structions aud unlt-rule resolutions
every malcontent in the party would say
we packed the conventions whereas. II
We merely met and selected our best
men. we would avoid all criticisms and
might accomplish the same results sub
stsntially for, getting the best men we
had. We could safely rely on their acting
together tremendously whore Joint
action was necessary and advantageous.
| understood him 10 assent to this. and
so reported to friends here long before
his secret circular appeared. / was