Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-06-15
F ST. LOUIS
 CONvEN TON.
All Ready to rhoose a Candidate.
spy LEADERS PARLEYING
1esues of the Hour and the
 Potency of Each.

.,a Great Political "Junta" Is Ex-
 .o Accomplish-How B Conven-
 n.a. It's work-The Functions of
 xo+,ona1 Committee Chances of
 .a.t;ne Delegations-Great Men of
 partv Who Will Take Part-Recol- ..,on, of Former Conventions.
 Copyright. 1Se8'l
 z 18th of June, the day fixed for the ss 'ssl,oon national convention at St 5 is now near at hand. The forma- |sss s tbis great deliberate body was con- sd in the election of delegates two Es aeo. Their assembling is awaited 2 anxiety. hope and fear by aspirants sslitical honors, according to their rat Fnf their chances of success, and with .snterest by the rank and file of tho ablican party. The eyes of the people |lparties will be fixed on St. Louis the | pf the 16th of June.
 ba selection of candidate there Is per Zinc selection of president and the ,fion of national policy, and on that sr the prosperity of the country de- Aa present system of political conven- sjn America is the result of a century .elution State legislatures once named 5dential candidates, and at one time .sere named in congressional caucus. gentions were fora long time irregular Informal, and the very effective meth of today are hardly more than half a 1lry old.
 And what are these methods?o some ast citizen may ask. The question is m enough, for. while political con Ions are attended by many thousands, sslre missed ' as many millions. To zeiate the work of the convention let 7st glance at the work that has pre- dit.
 E sooner has candidate for the presi- x been defeated at the polls than the ##for the next conventions grinding as to accumulate The political as- 9iDns of thousands fell with that aspir- bnt in the world of politics old hopes H die, and new ones arc born every lfe. Disappointment is the bitter ethat increases the appetite for office Strengthens the determination to win. 7 Delegates and Their Pledges. le national convention is the culmina- of four years of political labor This 't to say that every delegate is poli- II for perhaps not one-third Of the as representatives can be so elassed, eaeh is in some way connected with 3olitical interests of the locality which apresents. Each is pledged to policy possibly to candidate. If every del aeould be trusted to redeem the pledges c to his people or even to the candi- 5. forecasting convention work would bc so difficult q matter. But delegates 1ncertain quantities, and, though there |been cut and dried conventions in the )rg of American politics, they have not |Inany. In almost every instance the ention hall has been a battle-ground, the conflict has brought at times some
 lng and unexpected results. Some g in the national situation a crisis s, one that must be met boldly and ont too much deliberation. The very ,f party may depend on the prompt |eaation of a principle of government nm protest against some proposed E in tho system of national economics. ufh juncture local and personal con Ations give way to the supreme ques- H expediency, and the man who is 1al 1al the best representative of radical fsprinciple is chosen without debate. as ability to merge all differences "a ones sometimes) into harmonious 1sand to make personal sacrifices upon !l1ar of party loyalty is the best evil epf the excellence of our political sys- as well as of the devotion to principle h turks somewhere even in the most 'mary breast.
 M the Republican convention of 1896 .eehVention swayed by devotion to a party principle or by popular preju- tor an individual2 Or will the two ances be combined? Will it declare ~ oracle of protection, or the standard er Of sound money" " or the apostle