Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-03-23
BRATTLEBORO, FRIDAY, MARCH %, 1894
reap the whirlwind for its act of insane
folly in electing man like Waite governor.
An Important Change Proposed.

At the time of the last Republican ma
tional convention, held in Minneapolis,
the question was raised, and seriously dis
cussed, whether there ought not to be a
change in the basis of representation so
that the states giving the bulk of the Re-
publican vote should have greater proper
tionate voice in naming the candidates
than the states, notably those of the South,
that can never hope to elect Republican
member of the electoral college. AT Min
neapolis it was urged that the southern
delegates had it in their power, by concert
ed action, virtually to override the wishes
of those from the great states of the
North which must furnish votes for the can
didates nominated. Ever since then the
matter has been under discussion, and
now Joseph Manley of Maine, the secre-
tary of the Republican national committee,
has sent out circular letter in which ne
says:
At a meeting of the Republican national
committee, held in Washington on June
27, 1892, n. b. Scott, the member of the
national committee from West Virginia,
offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the call for the next Repubi-
can convention be upon the following basis: Two
delegates from each state as delegates at large
one delegate from each congressional district in
the United States and an additional delegate for
each 1000 Republican votes cast in any congress
ional district at the Presidential election of 192
and delegate for the fraction Of 1000 votes
greater than onehaf, and two delegates frum
each territory and the District Of Columbia.
If the call should be based upon this
resolution the following states will have the
same number of delegates as if the call
were based upon the old representation of
four delegates at large from each state and
two from each congressional district: Del
aware, Montana, North Dakota and Rhode
Island. The following states would gain
in representation as follows: California, :
delegates; Colorado, p Connecticut, -
Illinois, 81; Indiana, %; Iowa, 10; Kan
sas, IA; Kentucky, !; Maine, .; Maryland,
8; Massachusetts,, 8; Michigan, 21; Mime
sofa, o; Missouri, IA; Nebraska, 4; New
Hampshire, 2; New Jersey, 10; New York,
"a; North Carolina, g. Ohio, "a; Penn
sylvania, SO; South Dakota, 2; Vermont,
2; Virginia, 6; West Virginia. 8; Wscon.
sin, Is. The following states would lose
in representation as follows: Alabama,
delegates; Arkansas, 4; Florida, 4 Geor-
gia, 10; Idaho, ?; Louisiana, g.: Missis
sippi o; Nevada, 3; Oregon, l; South
Carolina, 9; Tennessee, 2; Texas, Il;
Wyoming 2. 1t would increase the num-
Der of delegates in the convention from
902 to ll65, making a net increase OF 263
delegates.
The national committee before taking
action on this matter are very desirous of
knowing what the leading and influential
members of the party'think of the proposed
change, for they desire to be governed by
the wishes of the party if they can ascer-
tain what the sentiments of the leaders of
the party are upon this resolution. The
committee is therefore anxious that you
should examine the question and give the
committee your opinion upon these two
propositions.
The propositions, or questions, are, in
short, whether the committee have the
right to issue the call on the basis suggest
ed by Mr. SCOTS suggestion, and, the
right being granted, whether it is wise and
polite to SO issue the call. The opposition
to the movement will come mainly from
the South, as a matter Of course, but at the
same time no northern Republican state
will wish to see any action taken which
seems like overriding or discouraging the
struggling Republican party of the South.
We think the common opinion will be,
however, that there is no sound reason, in
common sense or in justice, why a change
should not be made on some such conserv-
atiye basis as that proposed. To Yer
mont Republicans it will seem all the more
reasonable, because it is substantially on
this plan that town representation in our
state and district conventions is fixed.