nd earnest speech made a deep impression
upon the Convention.

The report on contested States was now presented by Senator Conger, and
led to a debate and a struggle lasting through the larger part of two
days. The Committee had examined cases involving the seats of fifty
delegates and alternates. After eliminating those about which there
could be no reasonable dispute and upon which a unanimous conclusion
was reached, the final issue involved three delegates from Alabama,
eighteen from Illinois, two from West Virginia, and four from Kansas.
In all of these cases the decision rested upon the principle of
district representation. The majority of the committee accepted that
principle as the established law of Republican Conventions, and
reported in favor of the delegates chosen under it. The minority of
the Committee, representing fourteen States and led by Mr. Tracy of
New York, reported against the delegates elected on the district plan,
and sustained the authority of the State Conventions to overrule the
choice of the district representatives. The issue of district
representation was thus clearly and sharply presented. The first case
in order was that of Alabama, and after full debate a motion to
substitute the report of the minority for that of the majority was
defeated, the _ayes_ being 306, the _noes_ 449. The Convention thus
re-affirmed the cardinal doctrine of district representation. The
case of Illinois, which had excited more interest than all others, next
came up. The discussion was prolonged and animated, and the result
was not reached until nearly two o'clock in the morning. Nine
districts were at stake, but the vote was taken on each separately,
and the delegates chosen in the districts were admitted by a vote of
387 to 353. In the cases of West Virginia and Kansas there was some
dispute as to the facts, but they were decided upon the same principle
according to the best understanding of the Convention.

The report of the Committee on Rules, which had already been submitted
by General Garfield, was now taken up. The proposed rules embraced
simply verbal changes from those of 1876, and only one change of
substance. This was an addition to rule eight, relating to cases where
the vote of a State is divided. The old rule prescribed that where the
vote was divided the chairman of the delegation should announce the
number of votes cast for any candidate or for or against any
proposition. The Comm