e recorded against it, and the
President of the Convention so ordered. This decision broke at the
outset any attempt to enforce the Unit Rule and affirmed the absolute
right of the individual delegate to cast his vote at his own pleasure
and upon his own responsibility. It was accepted without appeal, and
thus the law of Republican Conventions was established. The substitute
being defeated, the original motion was laid upon the table, and the
Convention adjourned until the next day.

At the opening of the third day Mr. Conkling offered a resolution that
"as the sense of the Convention every member is bound in honor to
support its nominee, whoever the nominee may be; and that no man should
hold a seat here who is not ready to so agree." On a call of the roll
the resolution was adopted with but three dissenting votes, which came
from West Virginia. Thereupon Mr. Conkling offered a resolution,
declaring in effect that the delegates who voted that they would not
obey the action of the majority "have forfeited their votes in the
Convention." Mr. Campbell, editor of the _Wheeling Intelligencer_, the
most prominent of the three who had voted no, defended their action.
He expected to support the nominee of the Convention, but would not
agree in advance that whatever it might do should have his endorsement.
The discussion was becoming very animated, when General Garfield, in
an unimpassioned speech, recalled the Convention to the real question
and warned delegates against committing an error. He said that those
who voted in the negative had indicated their purpose to support the
candidates, but did not think it wise to pass the resolution. "Are
they," he asked, "to be disfranchised because they thought it was not
the time to make such an expression? That is the question and that is
the whole question. We come here as Republicans and we are entitled
to take part in the proceedings of this Convention; and as one of our
rights we can vote on every resolution, _aye_ or _no_. We are
responsible for those votes to our constituents, and to them alone.
There never was a convention, there never can be a convention, of
which I am one delegate, equal in rights to every other delegate, that
shall bind my vote against my will on any question whatever." General
Garfield insisted that the delegates had acted within their rights, and
appealed to Mr. Conkling to withdraw his resolution, which he finally
consented to do. This brief a