Rensselaer Republican, Volume 26, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1894 — The Congressional Situation. [ARTICLE]

The Congressional Situation.

The calling of the Johnston delegates convention, for July 9th» may eventually make matters_a good deal better in this district, i and again it may make them a good deal worse. It all depends on whether the two principal parties to this unfortunate affair, and their more en thusiastic i rivnds, have clear enough judgement to see the situation as it is, and patriotism and self-sacrifice enough to do what they then must see is the necessary thing to do.

If the nomination of Mr. Johnston By Tlie July HTB”convention helps- to bring both himself and Mr, Landis to a fuller realization of the fact, now so evident to every unprejudiced mind, that there is, ui der existing conditions, no hope of electing either of them to Congress this year; and to realize, further, the fact, mure evident even than the previous one, that the remaining of either or both of these most able and excellent gen tiemen in the field as congressional candiates will practically disrupt the Republican party in the Tenth district, not only for this year, but for many years to come; if this second proposed convention has" the effect to bring these gentlemen and their more earnest partisans to more dearly realize these facts, and, realizing them, they act accordingly to what they

must then see that the best interests of the party require,, and both voluntarily retir6 and give way to a new convention, and a new nomination then, we can truly sny, the convention of July 9th resulted in great good. If, bn the other hand, these gentlemen and their friends fail to realize the situation as it is, or refuse to retire from the field, and both remain as more or less recognized regular Republican nominees Lr Congress, the result will

be much worse than if this second convention had not been called. Not only will the canvasses of the two rival candidates through the district, revive all the old bitterness, and create new; but there will be a heated contest in many counties over the question of which of their names shall appear upon the official ballots as the regular Republican candidate. In several counties this question will be decided by Democrats, who will take pains, in every case, to decide it in the manner best calculated to most injure Republican prospects and to most increase the dissensions in the ranks of the Republican party. While in counties whe e a majority of the Board jof election commissioners will be Republicans, the fight of the respective candidates for recognition as the regular nominee will be * be more demoralizing to the party than in counties .where the decision is in the hands of Democrats.