The record-union., 1896-05-02
MISTAKEN POLICY.

The Chronicle" asks the Republicans
mont in declaring that the first choice
of the Republicans of Vermont is Will
lam Mckinley, but refusing to instruct
its delegation to act in accordance with
this first choice In the present situa-
tion an uninstructed delegation is SIM
ply at enmity with Mckinley. The
"uninstructed delegation" is the dodge
by which the anti-McKinleyites hope to
defeat the Ohio candidate. What is
the sense of the Mckinley men putting
any power into the hands of his enc
mics? If the majority of delegates in
the coming convention are for McKin-
ley and desire his nomination, 1t should
do the thing which would most surely
promote that end. Mckinley cannot
be defeated with the votes of instructed
delegates. If he is defeated at all it
will be through the manipulation of un-
instructed delegates in the National
Convention. To send a delegation to
ST. Louis without instruction is to ere
ate an opportunity for the defeat Of
Mckinley.
Let the Mckinley men understand the
issue The people Of California want
Mckinley and have a right to their
choice. The Republicans Of California
are demanding everywhere that the
delegates from this State shall vote for
Mckinley Then why not say so? Who
does the convention represent? It's in
divdual delegates or the will of the
party for whom, 1t is acting? Who will
the delegation to st. Louis represent?
Their own personal selfish ends and
aims, or the Republican party of Cali
fornia? If they represent the Republi-
can party Of California they will cast
the vote Of this State In the National
Convention for Mckinley, and they
should be instructed to do so.
The delegation is an agent and the
Republican voters Of California are the
principal. It is perfectly absurd to say
that there is anything inappropriate in
a principal instructing his agent to do
his will The Republican voters of Cali
fornia are sending representatives to St.
Louis, not persons to represent their
own personal preferences, but persons
who in the very nature Of things are in
structed by the law Of agency to repre-
81, o,,d ha oh nf ha;r
cipal. There is a sense therefore in
which the delegation sent to st. Louis is
instructed The very fact that the Re-
publican voters of California are for
Mckinley is instruction to an agent and
the delegates to the National conven-
ton are simply agents to do the will Of
the people who send them.
When the Vermont convention sent
agents to St Louis and declared that it
would not tie the hands of the agent,
but that the principal had first choice
and that first choice was Mckinley, 1t
simply committed an absurdity. The
resolution itself was instruction since
the parties sent were the mere agents
to do the will Of the principal who sent
them. 1t Is to be sincerely hoped that
the Mckinley strength in the coming
State convention will not permit itself
to be cheated out of a legitimate, honor
able and political advantage.
The action of the Illinois State con-
vention closes the contest in favor of
Mckinley. That action was not pro-
cured, but was a spontaneous expression
of the sentiment of the people of that
State. The McKinleyites in that con-
vention have set an example to the rest
of the country They have shown that
wherever q fight is made for arbitrary
instruction In favor of Mckinley It will
win.
II California is to have anything to
say in the choice of the Presidential
candidate OF the Republican party, its
last opportunity to say it will be in the
State convention the coming week
Later than that 1t will simply be able to
stand round and see the nomination
made.
That which was moral conviction