Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1880 — Congressional Convention. [ARTICLE]

Congressional Convention.

The Democrats arc now all singi»sr , - ' . •• Whew you get • rol »Mog tare it, tare it Wlica you catch a black cat ekin It to the tail.” The negro exodus from North Carolina is the best thing the Democratic ‘-half starved country editors"’ have Had- for some time. -.Ti c Democrats are like the man who said a certain horse was seventeen feet high ami stuck to it, notwuhjStnndthg he meant to say the was seventeen hands high.They have said the negros were imported from North Carolina by Republicans to carry Indiana next fall, and regardless of the fact that it has been proven a falsehood they continue to reiterate the vile slander. The alleged proposition of President Hayes to correct the Mormon evil by withholding political rights from Mormons would probably be Accepted and work well if the Republicans were now in a majority in But the Democrats may have, as Mr. Hayes suggests, other uses for Mormonism than to correct its crying evils. The president’s remedy certainly would go to the root of the matter, because a polygamist who could'not vole would not,be A polygamist long—that is if he wanted to wield any power.

With three projects on foot to carry ships through or over thenarrow isthmus connecting North and South America, commerce is reasonably sure of receiving some benefit Admiral Ammen and M. de Lesseps are urging rival canal schemes to save the trip around Cape Horn in the trade circulating by ships between the two great oceans, while captain James B. Eads, the builder of the great jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi, has come back from Europe more in favor of a railroad to carry the vessels from ocean to ocean thap ever. lie is confirmed in his opinion, as stated to the public about nine months that a railroad consisting of eight or nine parallel j rails, to whichfthe ships would b e raised at eithel* end by locks, will transport the largest merchant ship al a speed of some four or five miles cn hour, and the cost of construction will be cheaper than that for either of the canals on tho routes proposed. • Every,man who pursues .a regular calling is said to incur the dan-, ger of some disease peculiar to that calling, and this is held to be true of both mental ans physical effort in all its branches. The ailment that afflicts the average Democratic editor by reason of his occupation is a habit of obscuring the exact truth' where falsehood or prevarication can possibly be substituted; and in any issue," where tho square facts are accessible to be boldly faced, this disease of the Democratic journalists is so truculent that it compels its victim to prefer thecover of some qualified denial or endorsement. This is a malady of the mind for which a water cure is uncharitable and happy suggestion, for making which we shall be satisfied with avery moderate portion of gratitude. Where thia chronic distortion of -the truth cannot be reached by a water cure the case is entirely hopeless, because its origin and permanence must be ascribed to constitutional malice, envy and uncharitableness.

More or less clamor has arisen against allowing George Q. Cannon Io sit in congress as a delegate from Utah, because he is well known to have four wiveT and is suspected of cherishing a fifth and even a sixth. This is an old complaint against Cannon, and one that has been thoroughly discussed before. The principle by which Cannon isprotected is that the voters of Utah have a perfect right to choose for the representative in»congress any kind of a man they please; and as they elected Cannon with the full knowledge of his polygamous guilt,j Qoogrcss as a body has no right to Interfere with that choice or to dictate to his constituents what morals their representative shall have. If Cannon’s polygamy had been an after discovery, congress could justly expel him, because under ordinary circumstances it. is supposed that a congressman is not a criminal, and when it is discovered that he is, his fellow-numbers have a right to deal with him on the theory that he had deceived bis constituents. But when the facts are open and a man’ is elected because of his con-tempt-for the laws against polygamy, the voters who elected him and the authorities where the polygamy was committed alone can call him to account. This seems to be a singular situation into-whicb the function of- oongresr ’does not extend,' when apparently it is a matter over which congress should have control, But the moment it is admitted that congress can dictate who and what manner of men shall sit in it, after they have been elected with all their objectionable chirseteristies prominently advertised to their ceostituents, the right of

free representation h interfered with. It would be perfectly consistent to regulate the representation in congress by passing a law that hereafter no man known to violate habitually the laws of his district shall he entitled to a seat; then on conviction of polygamy Cannon could be expelled. But without any snch law be is clearly the kind of representative the polygamists of Utah want and the kind they are clearly entitled to.

I In our last issue we suggested holding the congressional convention of this district at an early date and named Tuesday the Bth of June, and Rensselaer the place. After a more mature deliberation we are not so particular about the place but fully convinced that the time should be much earlier, say about the 20th of May. The following ‘are eur reasons-in brief: Through this convention is the only way provided whereby we ballot directly for a National officer, and the people should be allowed to choose their representatives in congress in an untrammelcd manner. The nominating convention should be held before the State convention so that the State platform may be made consistent with the Congressional platform. A Congressman is a National of ficer and nd*, a Slate embassador. The Congressional should precede the State convention and there are reasons why it should be held prior to the National convention. The people in their first general convention are more apt to choose wisely and harmoniously. The State and National conventions are usually attended by politicians scheming for district nominations aqd the people suppose the results are “cut and dried” by a conference of self-assumed wheelhorses of the party. ThcCongressional nominee should attend the National and Stale conventions to minister to his political educations and party news. The nominee ought to have time after his selection as a candidate to visit the different parts of his district before the National and State conventions are held, so that he may not be without direct knowledge of tikesubject matter in charge. When the National, State, legislative, judicial and county nominations are made the congressional nominee is ready for effective missionary work. , This is our most important convention and election, for in it the .people and the Nation hold palpable communion. Next we<»k we may present still other* reasons for making the congressional nominations first. These suggestions are made alone in the interest of the people and for the good of the party.