Salt River Journal

For the Journal.

MR. EDITOR:—It now seems to be rendered certain that a Democratic State Convention will be held in this State, some time next spring, for the purpose of nominating a number of Candidates for congress, equal to the number of Representatives to which the State may be entitled under the Census of 1840. In high party times like the present the convention system, to nominate candidates for office, is sometimes resorted to as a kind of "necessary evil" to prevent two or more Candidates of the same political party, from running for the same office. But it too often occurs that the public will, or the public good, is wholly disregarded under the convention system, and every thing is made to yield to the will of a few ambitious, self-constituted aspirants to office. In other words, political Conventions, are sometimes held simply for the purpose of confirming "arrangements" previously entered into by the high contracting parties. It is the knowledge of these facts, that have caused many honest men, to set their faces against the convention system,

If the people wish to preserve their rights inviolate, let them take matters into their own hands—let them bring out candidates for all offices, of their own choice, at a period sufficiently early to afford an opportunity to fully discuss the question of superior merit of the Candidates thus brought before the public; and if their names ultimately be presented to a Convention for confirmation or rejection, let the people be careful to select delegates to a Convention, who are known to be honest, and who will carry with them into the Convention, the will of the people whom they represent, and not their own will, or the will of any particular aspirant to office. Delegates composing Conventions to nominate Candidates for office to be supported by the people, have a highly respectable duty to perform, and should be extremely careful in the exercise of their delegated powers, not to be led from the path of duty, to serve the views or to gratify the wishes of any self-constituted political aspirants.

One of the People.