The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-27

"AAVAAoNS 0AH WHO PIoSIoSSASlS, VIII dIo tuo
strongest parties might, united, give Spain a
strong and efficient government; but neither
the unionists nor the progressists are singly,
equal to the situation. The presumption
therefore is that this new Cabinet will soon
give place to another.
Tho Two-Third Rule I'm the Democratic
ConvcntiOn-Much Ado About Nothing.
The politicians at Washington and else
where are making their calculations upon the
probable action of the Democratic National
Convention, and the chances of its endorse
While it seems to be conceded that Greeley
will find many advocates among the unterrifed
and unreconstructed, it is supposed that the
''two-third rule" as it is called, which re-
quires two-third vote to nominate candi-
date, and which has generally prevailed in the
party, will be fatal to his chances The two
third rule was first adopted by the
democracy in 1882. It was adhered
to in the Convention Of 1886, but
was dropped in 1910. In 1914 Martin Van
Buren, had q majority Of the delegates pledged
to him, although some of them were supposed
to be secretly not unwilling to defeat his nomi-
nation. When the Convention assembled his
opponents, Of whom Lewis Cass was the most
powerful, succeeded in carrying the adoption
Of the rule Of the Conventions Of 1882 and
1886, making two-thirds Of the votes cast ne
70 tha ohnio cf %J,o
first ballot Van Buren, was far ahead of all
others, and lacked only twenty votes
Of the requisite number. Cass was the
next highest but much behind Van
Buren,. On the succeeding five ballots
Van Buren, continued to lead, but with a grad
ually decreasing majority, Cass gradually
creeping up to him and balance power
party Of delegates scattering their votes. On
the seventh ballot the respective positions of
the highest candidates were reversed, Cass lead
ing Van Buren, at its close by twenty-four or
twenty-five votes. The eighth ballot was taken
amidst much excitement, with nearly similar
result, when the Van Buren, men became
alarmed, and, resolved to defeat Cass at any
hazard, withdrew their candidate and concen-
trated on James X. Polk, who was nominated
on the ninth ballot.
Four years afterwards, in 184S, a great
struggle again took place for the nomination
between Van Buren, and Cass, but the latter
distanced his competitor, who had been CO.
quoting with the Wilmot Proviso party, and
was nominated on the fourth ballot, receiving
the necessary two-third vote. The two-third
rule was adopted mainly through the efforts of
the Van Burenites, who, believing that Cass
could not control the requisite number
of votes although he clearly had a
majority from the start, resolved to
use against him the same policy he had sue
cessfully employed against Van Buren, four
years previously. Finding their hopes disap-
pointed, the Van Buren, delegates withdrew
from the Convention and refused TO support its
candidate. Van Buren, accepted the Wiimot
Proviso or Free Soil nomination, and the re-
suits were the election of General Taylor, the
subsequent accession of Fillmore, the tempo
rary disruption of the democratic party and the
final dissolution Of the wing organization.
The question as to the vote requisite to
abrogate the two-third rule has before now
been argued among the democracy. Some
hold that it has grown into standing rule by
it's general use in the nominating conventions
of the party and that 1t requires two-third
vote to set it aside Others argue that each
national nominating convention is On entirely
new and Independent body authorized to
adopt its own rules, which require only ma
jority vote, and that they can do as they
please with regard to the insertion of
two-third rule. The latter have undoubt-
edly the right of the argument. But
in the case Of the proposed endorse
ment Of Greeley, the two-third rule would
under no circumstances be operative He
would not receive the nomination of the Balti-
more Convention, as he is already in the field;
and resolution to make ne nomination or to
endorse the action of the Cincinnati Conven-
ton would, like any other resolution, require
only majority vote for it's adoption. SO that
the calculations of the wise Washington poll
tcians, who are employing their time in cam
wasting States and grouping together figures
in order to show that Greeley cannot obtain
two-third vote in the Baltimore Convention
and hence cannot be made its candidate, aro
wholly erroneous.
II matters very little, however, what the
Baltimore Convention may do. The rank and