Connecticut western news., 1880-06-30
THE RULE IN CONVENTIONS.
The "Unit" and "Two-Thirds" Rules as Carried out by Our Leading
 Party Conventions.

as Carried out by Our Leading
 Party Conventions.
 No more interesting political question has been considered this year than that which was decided, probably forever, Says the Youth's Companion, by the Republican National Convention at Chi cago, touching the "unit rule.' The meaning of the phrase is very simple. A State Convention instructs the dele gates from that State to vote Gas a unit" s-
 To illustrate Kentucky is entitled to twenty-four delegates, and, of course, to twenty-four votes in this Convention, These delegates are instructed to vote as a unit on all questions that may arise. On the first question that comes up to be decided in the Convention, twenty of these delegates, if allowed to vote in accordance with their individual opin- ions, would be on one side, and four on the other. ',
 Now if the unit rule was respected, the vote of Kentucky would be twenty four in favor of the motion, and not against it. If it was disregarded, there would be twenty in the affirmative and four in the negative. ..... .. .-.e.-
 The question, then, is whether each delegate is entitled to his own opinion and his own vote, or whether he is mere ly member of State Delegation, every member of which must vote as the ma- jority direct. Put in another way, it is whether the Convention is made up of individual members, or of State Delega- tions. This question was raised both in 1868 and 1876, and on both occasions it was decided in favor of individual rights. But on neither former occasion was the contest over it 50 heated, nor were the consequences of decision so important, as they have been this year.
 On the decision of the late Convention rested the votes of more than sixty dele gates, from the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and others. The result would have been completely changed on the very first test vote if the delegations from New York, Pennsyl- vania and Kentucky had each voted as a unit. That is to say, a minority of the delegates in the Convention would have ruled the majority.
 Individual rights were first secured by the action of the President of the Con- vention Senator Hoar who directed the votes of four Kentucky delegates to be received; and afterwards by the for nal adoption by the Convention of a rule which secured to all the delegates the privilege of voting for themselves when their votes had not been announced by tine Chairman of a Delegation. 7,
 The Democrats also have their pecu- liar rules in their National Convention. Whereas, majority of the delegates to a Republican National Convention is sufficient to make nomination, candi- date for the Presidential Chair must receive two-thirds of all the votes in 8 Democratic Convention.
 But for this rule, MT. Van Buren W ould have been candidate for sec- ond term in 1S44, when MT. Polk was nominated and elected; and MT. Doug las would have been elected as the sole Democratic candidate in 1860.
 The question was put to the Demo cratic voters of the country this year whether they desired the two-thirds rule to be adhered to or abandoned. The State and District Conventions through out the country have been expressing themselves upon this subject, and so far as we have seen, the judgment of the party is unanimously in favor of main taining the rule.
 It has its advantages and its disad- vantages. On the one hand, it prevents 8 bare majority of the Convention from imposing 8 candidate upon the party, but on the other, it gives great oppor- tunity to the enemies of the leading can- didate, if he is strong and able man, for such public man can hardly fail to have made enemies. ...
 It thus encourages the practice of nominating obscure men, who are able to get the required two-thirds votes be- cause nobody can say anything against them.