Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-05-13
sr,,xTo>.s RESPONSIBILITY.

The stanton Nindicator says thal
that city easily accommodated the Re
publican State Convention. and had some
thing TO spare; but the Democratic state
Convention will be a much larger body,
and our people must begin at once to
look around and prepare for accommo-
dating it's members" The Nindicator
recommends that the Stanton Chamber
Of Commerce "call a public meeting Tor
conference on the subjeu,' or, in the
failure Of the Chamber to do so, it sug-
eests that the Mayor should call such
a meeting, and 1t adds: 1--WE must
take some steps right away. for the con-
yention will be upon US In less than
thirty days"
The Dispatch begs leave to remark that
the signs Of the times point to
large convention. The probabilities are
that nearly all Of the more than sixteen
hundred delegates appointed viii be
present. Our Virginia people are be
coming intensely interested In the unit
rule question. They want to hear that
subject discussed at Stanton. They
desire TO know-they have never yet
heard-what substantial argument can
be advanced in favor OF the proposed
innovation. They wish to be told II the
Democratic national prospect Is so al
Turing as to warrant us in inviting us
satisfaction into our ranks in Virginia
They would like TO have explained
Ia them what IL will profit us Nirginians
10 send a solid silver delegation to Chi
cago. and take the risk of outraging the
sentiment of thousands of Virginia
Democratic voters. How can the men
who so eloquently pleaded for harmony
four years ago now argue in favor Of
a rule which will do more to produce
dscord in our ranks than anything that
has occurred since the days Of Readjus-
terism?
Besides. many OF the men who are IN
the minority now honestly believe that
they were i'm the majority four years
ago. and. being strong in that belief,
they will go away from Stanton great
IN incensed IL their magnanimity in lS92
is not reciprocated by the convention
az 1896. Mind, we do not say that the
cleveland men were i'm the majority In
the 1892 convention, but we are sure that
most of them believe they were. And,
for this reason, and for numerous other
reasons. we think our people would bet
ter stand by the old rule, and let the
unit rule alone That other States,
North and South, East and West, Dem
ocratic and Republican. free-silverites
and goldites, have adopted the unit rule
Is OF little consequence TO us. The ques-
ton for us TO decide, now that We know
that there is much objection to chang
ing the Virginia rule, is whether we
ought to risk dividing our party at home
for the sake OF having a solid silverite
delegation at Chicago. Let us remem-
Der the bridge that carried us safely
over four years ago, and stick to the
sensible and conciliatory Virginia rule
and leave the unit rule for States the
Democrats of which have better reasons
for adopting it than the Democrats OF
Virginia have.
The discussion of this great question
will. we think, crowd the city Of Staun-
ton on June 4th with thousands of earn
est and interested Democrats. Let
the people of that city prepare for a
large attendance. and bring into requlsi-
ton all the lodging-rooms their
hotels. boarding houses, and private resi-
dences can conveniently furnish. Re
publicans who attended the recent con-
yention Of that party at stanton inform
as that they were well-cared for
Some, however. say the convention was
not provided with enough suitable COM
mittee-rooms. The convention hall they
were much pleased with.
While the Democratic convention, by
reason OF its greater numbers. will tax
the hospitality OF Staunton much more
than the Republican convention did. we
may also say that the people OF Staun-
ton will be ready 10 DO more for US than
they were ready 10 do for our oppo-
nents.
We hereby bespeak board and lodgings
for ioi delegates from the city OF Rich
mond. and for about one or two hundred
other Richmond Democrats. who will ap-
pear Al stanton as lockers on.