Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-01
SUNDAY............"...APRIL l, 1855.


who stand by him in his attempts to re-
tain in his own hands the control OF the
Republican organization in Virginia do
not admit that the Republican National
Convention of 1854 took any action upon
the unit rule as such. In one view OF
The matter, this contention may be main
tanned; for the unit rule was not men,
toned in the regulation providing how
delegates should thereafter be elected to
national conventions. But the spirit of
the regulation was that the delegates
were to go unpledged. That this was
the intention Of the convention was in
dictated by the circumstances. The fol-
lowing are the words Of the regulation
80 far as they apply to General Ma
HOMES difference of opinion with certain
members Of his State Central Commit
tee. We quote:
Each congressional district in the
United States shall elect its delegates to
the National Convention in the same way
rs the nomination OF a member Of Con-
gress is made IN said district"
Delegates-at-large for each State,
and their alternates, shall be elected by
State conventions in their respective
States"
Here is no mention Of the unit rule
but doubtless the members of the Re-
publican National Convention thought
they had excluded the possibility of
delegation solidly instructed for one man
by providing that four Of the delegates
from each State should be chosen by
State convention and the rest OF them by
congressional-district conventions meet
ing one to-day and another tomorrow.
What else could the National Convention
have done in this behalf? Nobody would
seriously contend that that body could
rightfully forbid any delegation to vote
as a unit if after their appointment they
decided for themselves, whether at home
or at the scat Of the convention, to vote
together. The feature Of toe unit rule
that was objected to-and the only fea-
ture that WAS objected to-was the one
providing that member desiringto cast
his own vote in his own way should not
do so without the consentSof his dele
cation. 1t was of this requirement
that Mr. CAMPBELL, of West Virginia,
Vas speaking when he distinguished HIM
oelf in the National Republican Conven-
ton Of 1850. That convention decided
that every delegate should vote as he
pleased. But this by no means prevents,
or was intended to prevent, q delegation
from deciding for itself whether it will
or will not vote as unit II they desire
10 vote as a unit they have the right to
do go. II on the other hand they desire
to divide they have the right to do So
Instructed or pledged delegations not
free to divide nor to vote together are
what the Republican National Conyen-
ton of 1884 provided against
Now as TO General MAHoNE's plan.
We quote:
cit provides that the people Of the
stricts, or their delegations respec
ely, shall decide whether the meetings
elect delegates to the national con-
aions shall be held at the State Con-
Ion or at another time in their re-
Tiye districts. 1t also allows the
hty committeesto decide whether the
egates to the State Convention shall
chosen by mass-meetingso or by county
inventions constituted by delegates
.ected by precinct meetings"
Here, again, is no mention OF the unit
sule. II cuts no figure in this new
movement. And though General MA
HOMES plan does not provide that the
delegates shall be elected by congress
sional districts, it does provide that they
may be. For example, under his plan
the Republicans Of Richmond have the
night when they meet to elect delegates
10 the State Convention to declare in
favor Of eleeting the district delegates
TO the Chicago Convention by congress
sional-district conventions, and if ma
jority OF the delegates to the State Conven-
ton from this congressional district go
10 that body thus instructed, then the
delegates TO the Chicago Convention
from tins district will be chosen by a
district convention. And so OF any
other congressional district in the State.
IL the Republicans of the counties and
cities fail 10 take action in the matter,
then the delegates to the State Conyen-
ton from each congressional district
may, il they choose, decide to have the
delegates TO the National Convention Sc
lected by the district.
That is a very ingenious scheme.
Suppose YosT, FRAZIER, GnsiEs, LEWIS,
and the rest OF the anti-MAHoNE Repub-
hcans propose to hold q congressional
district convention 10 elect delegates to
Chicago. MAHoSE's followers in that
district will decide 10 hold q congress
Eonal-district convention themselves
and their delegates would beyond
doubt be seated at Chicago
for the Others would be boilers
not recognized by the Republican State
Central Committee. II the delegates
sent 10 Chicago by one convention OF
boilers meet this fate, all the boiling
delegates will meet IL. In a word, Ma
HONE will see TO 1t that his delegates are
the regulars and the others are the
boilers. He will have congressional
district conventions in every district II
he finds II necessary. His plan pro-
vides for this very contingency. He has
not been caught yet He still. has his
grip upon the Republican organization
IN Virginia, and viii have solid SHER.
NAN delegation. We repeat that in
every congressional district whore IL
msy be necessary be viii hold conven-
lion. The delegates from the other dis |