Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-05-25
Uninstructed Delegates.

The idea of sending unpledged dele
gates to the Republican state conven-
ton, meets, as was to be expected, |
with the opposition Of the active
agencies of all the announced candi-
dates. The Rutland newspapers of
Doctor Mead, the Morrisville rep
resentative Of Mr.. Fleetwood and
the Burlington of Mr.. Smith all de-
claim against it. The burden of their
talk is that the proposition is unusual.
if not absurd; that the delegates
would have the matter in their own
hands and do just as they liked; and
that the only real way is for the peo-
pie to instruct them and have them go
and carry out their wishes. 1t is
urged, too, that large number OF
uninstructed delegates assembling on
the eve of the convention, lacking in
conference or organization, would fail
Ito accomplish anything It is further
limited, but scarcely believed by those
who utter it, that the whole move for
uninstructed delegates has deep plot
and motive behind it, with some candi-
date in ambush" standing ready to
accept a nomination handed to him IN
, this way that he could never get IN any
/ other.
, Now we grant that as strong call
) for uninstructed delegations as has
! been thus far evidenced, from the
\ present popular endorsement, is quite
2 unusual. But that does not condemn
5 it; rather justifies it, for 1t reflects
conditions that actually exist. The
: plain. unvarnished truth is that large
Y number of Republican voters in Yer
o mont are not satisfied with any of the
&b1c fo apnnUnnnd
4 are they yet put to the pass of being
forced to choose between them the one
q least unmeritorious. They believe moi
V all the resources have been exhausted
a for commanding the services Of mar
Is for governor this year who shall
V be superior, in point of ability, to those
!. who have formally entered the lists
: Thus believing, they claim a right tt
be represented, as Republicans, at the
state convention, by delegates of thel
way Of thinking. If the caucuses shall
- prove that this factor is negligible
- why, then, the delegates will go I'm
= instructed, for one or other Of thu
- candidates, but if in some or man!
- towns the caucuses prefer to send dele
a. gates uncommitted and let then
~ exercise their best judgment at tn
io convention, they are at perfect libert,
a to do so. 1t may bother the presen
- candidates a good deal, and brin!
II ! about a result that will set all pre-
- dictions askew, but if it represents tn
- views of the party no one can tax
80 exceptions to 1t.
ii '7 Sending uninstructed delegates
~ not an unheard-of proceeding. Ever
a. year there are some Of them at stat
81 convention. In some years they hav
II been numerous enough to affect tn
~ result. And so far as the secondar
10 places on the ticket are concerned, tn
:. delegates are almost wholly unlnstruc
- ed and exercise their own Judgmen
~ ~ with, usually, proper outcome. In n;
az tional conventions, Vermont seldom il
0y structs her delegates outright, leavir
el them to act as the exigencies of the cas-
- and conditions warrant. 1t is no III
:. written law that every town caucl
~ ~ of half dozen or twenty voters sha
oe bind its delegates to its liking.
VI can do so, Of course but only II tt
ilesl caucus itself determines.
20 AS to how the plan would work on
~ that is matter of secondary lmpo
We lance. If the people should take b
W in their teeth and run away with g
Ia rules and precedents, nobody but Il
Do present candidates and the frame-l
'eS politicians would sorrow. 1t would
.ot singular, indeed, if large number
10. .a delegates of similar views could nc
H 1So within few hours, get together in
'iie way that would make themselves fe
n, 1t has been done heretofore, notab
-. in the state convention that overturn
~, the Reed program in 1896 and sent t
20 Mckinley delegates. 1t is no u
"a paralleled thing for convention
~ ~. drop all registered candidates, pick VI
e e.. new man and nominate him. A
- there has never been case on reco
~ ~. of man, so nominated, refusing
'ta nomination. Roosevelt was chosen
We We the vice presidency in this way, ev
e oa despite his personal desires. The C
l 1 of the people extended in such W
I've: could not be unheard by any man
na' Vermont today. The very best there
op- thus obtainable, and why not take
pts 1t would be thing impossible fol-
'o!C mass of uninstructed delegates to I
en-. : Il. in anybody but the peoples own g
: - honest choice. To manipulate tn
was s1 deftly in favor of some covert can
lltn date is beyond the genius of any pc
,ers tician, however shrewd. Such S
ng. .picion, even, would defeat the mo-
up, ment. The choice would have to
al! we'll nigh spontaneous, after such c
ave sideration as the occasion afford
do7on names MIGHT he SllppeS