The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-03-15
Delegates TO Chicago.


position on these two important questions
and is equally pronounced in his condem- !!
nation of the secret circular. AS to
the unit rule there can lie no such thing, |
under the rule laid down by the National
Committee, unless the delegates from the
several districts should determine to unite
upon that mode OF casting their votes.
The whole matter is with the District
Conventions. The State Convention may
il struct the delegates at large how and
for whom to vote. bat it has no jurisdlc-
ton over the districts. The object, in
adopting the rule providing for district
representation and denying the right OF
the State Convention TO instruct the dis
tricts, was to secure. as nearly as possible.
a reflection of popular sentiment IN the
nomination of candidate for President.
The purpose was to place the district DEL
egates in the same Independent position
that member of a Congress is-to repre-
sent his district, and not to be controlled
by the delegates from other districts, who
might differ in the choice OF Presidential
candidate. For that reason the National
Committee, at its recent session, provided
that delegates from the districts shall be
appointed in the same manner that candl-
dates for Congress are chosen-by Conven-
lions held within the districts.
The State Convention will have for Its
duties the appointment of four delegates
at large. 1t can exercise the same dlscre-
ton as to those delegates. and no more,
that the district conventions can assume
as to the district delegations. If Il. ma
jority of the delegates to the State Con-
vention shall determine that Sherman is
the choice of the Republicans of Virginia,
it would be in the power of the State Con.
vention to instruct the four delegates at
large to that effect. 1t can go no further.
Should it attempt to usurp authority IN
this respect, the district delegates would
not be, in the least, bound by it. They
will be as entirely independent of the ac-
ton of the State Convention, as each
member of Congress is of another, and
as the members of Congress are of the
| Senators.
| Under the rule of the National Com
miGtee. the district delegates can be APP
pointed in no other way than by Conyen-
ton held within the district. Any other
! appointments would be illegal, and not re-
cognized by the National Convention,
if the question were raised, as it certainly
would be.
If the authorities of the party should be
remiss in their duty in not calling the Dis
| trict Conventions within the time pre-
scribed by the National Committee, then
it would be perfectly competent for the
Republicans of that district. through rep
resentative men from each county in the
district. to call convention and proceed
to elect delegates. The people cannot be
| robbed of their rights by any arbitrary ac'
tion or want Of action of those empow-
cred to proceed in the premises. The rule
Of the National Committee, in this case,
would be paramount, and if it should be
necessary to proceed in an irregular way
to enforce and respect that rule it would
be approved by the National Convention
We hope there will be no effort tC
thwart the object of the National Com
mittee, and that the District Conventions
will be regularly called. and the district
delegates regularly appointed-Ieav .ng t6
the State Con vention the duty of appoint
ing the four delegates at large.
q fD
pleases, and contrary to the judgment of 8
majority of the delegation or convention
for the delegation is a mere epitOmlzet
convention is to offer opportunity to gam
BILE for place, to speculate upon its trus
at the expense OF the whole party al
home"
This quotation is from the secret circu
lar of the Chairman of the Republican
State Central Committee. 1t is plea fol
, the unit rule, and an insult. in ad
/ vance, to every delegate Nho may be ap
pointed to Chicago from the State. Is there
any more reason to assume that a diStric
delegate would trade upon his vote. thar
that the chairman would trade upon tn,
whole vote if the unit rule were adopted
, There would be at least as much prophet.
| in suspecting the one as the other, eSpe
cially as twenty-f0ur voters would com
maud more influence than one. We do no
entertain the thought that there will b.
any trading. but when it comes to throw
/ ing out suspicious, it is well enough t.
look at the question from both sides, ant
see where the greater temptation lies.
1t was TO prevent trading and to secur
popular representation that the unit rul
was disowned and repudlated by the Ma
tional Convention in 1880, and more re
! Gently by the National Committee. TIL
S unit rule is the boss method. The iEde
peDGence of the district delegates is tn
: peoples method. The latter is the law o
the party, and to kick against it will be a
Intellectual as the argument adduced il
behalf OF the unit rule is fallacious ant
misleading
1t seems, however. little inconsisten
to project a suspicion about district
or any other delegate. when we conside
the following sentence taken from the Sc
cret circular:
WHAT Is IT TO Us, AS A PARTY, II
: Mr. BLAINE IS ELECTED AND WE ARR
GIVEN THE GO BY AND ARE SACRIFICED ?
us as party, refers to those who ar
willing to obey the orders of the Chair
man. to enter into a secret plot to assas
sinate the Republican party. pack dele
cation to Chicago for Sherman and thu
; misrepresent the prevailing sentimen
among the Republicans of the State. TIL,
motive for the sentence is the spoils. Th
first and last consideration is u.s. re
CARELESS of the interests Of the who'll
country and the success Of the cause O
the party in the electoral college. us
r must be cared for, or the party can go
, both in the State and Nation Whethe
. it snts the plans of the Chairman or no
Blaine will be the nominee of the Ma
| tional Convention, if his friends think i
J the right thing to do to bring his nam
. before that body. If not, then they viii
, indicate the man, and it will not be Sher
man. The secret scheme to consolidate
the delegations from the States which
cannot assure single Republican electo
; raj vote for the purpose of debating thu
nomination will not meet the approval o
/, | the RenuhlicanS in States which can III