Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-15
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

The Chicago Republican eonysntson
so years ago resulted in the romi5S.
p.li:. ton Of James A. CaT-
republican field for Pres,d de- I an
Nomination. tn the , t,ln1irty-sisth BAL
tween Blaine ana Grant was thus rs-
solved into an effective choice In ctrs
cumstanees TO lessen factional friction.
Inc Star Of June 8, 1880 says:
The hot struggle In Chicago which
~ one time bade fair to break I'm the
convention In a row or. at least, to leave
the Republican party In q hopeiessiy
oemo!anzed condition, furnishes as good
AZ IIuStLation as any one need want
OF the folly and danger Of the instruos
ton system and the favorite SON b,Isi-
ness In politics The effect of instruct-
ing delegates to State or national
convention Is invariably to put the men
above the cause, since it takes away
Irom the representative so hampered
the quality Of q free agent with dis
erection and power to make the best
possible selection IN view Of all the CIR
cumstances which have arisen or which
may arise.
"A national convention constituted Of
positively instructed delegates is prac-
tically limited to the few men-and
they not always the best and strongest
whose friends may have been able to
control few district or state conven-
lions, instead Of being at liberty 10 se-
lect the best and strongest candidate
within their party lines after a full In
terchange Of opinion and a careful cam
vaSs OF the whole situation.
Manifestly the true way Is for each
district or State convention to select
discreet, honest and sagacious men for
delegates and leave the rest to their
Judgment and patriotism, in the full
confidence that the whole body in con-
vention assembled will make the best
and strongest nomination and adopt the
wisest and soundeSt platform of prin-
ciples possible, all things considered.
"A national convention stands In pre-
cisely the same relation to its party
that Congress does to the whole colln-
try. 1t would therefore be no more
foolish or hurtful for the several con-
greSsional districts to direct their rep
resentatives which laws to pass and
which not to pass when assembled to-
gether than for a district or State cons
vention to limit the action OF It's dele
gates by ironbound instructions to vote
Tor this or that man first, last and all
the time"
'Protracted and tedious as that ses-
sion seemed" says The star Of June Q,
cb.rI...ou 1880, "the chicagd
OhurIesCon convention did not eli
Convention as long as the Demo.
cratic convention Of
1850, held at Charleston. The lattei
body sat 10 days, most Of the time be-
ing consumed In diminishing and SHARP
lights between the Douglas and anti,
Douglas Democrats. The CharIestoa
convention decided to enforce the twn+
thirds rule. and after taking 81 ballo1
its was agreed that the convention ads
tourn to meet In Baltimore on Illna
l8 following. II reassembied in Bal,
timore accordingly, and there the spin
in the party was finally made. The reg-
ular convention was in session six days,
but took only three ballots. After the
second ballot Douglas was declared the
nominee by reclamation. The secederS
convention was in session by one day
after Withdrawing from the regular
body, and it in turn nominated Breck-
enridge by reclamation. The rest our
readers know and will remember"