The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-03
THE TWO-THIRDg RULE.

The opinion that the twc-thirds rule Ia the
common law In National Democratic Conven-
tions will not be doubted by one who will OBJ
ser We the course OF previous conventions. MS
Civ en- In the DEMOCRAT Of March 20. That
view Of the case Is also sustained by the
language Of the following resolution OF tho
st Louis convention of 1876:
Resoirfd That the States he requested TO In
struct their delegates to the National Demo,
ha desirable to continue the 'ro- Wnds rule longer
IN force I'm the national conventions. ana tha,
tho committee Insert such request IN tho call
for The next convention.
The language of the resolution Ia indca~
tive Of the view of tho question held by
m embers of the st. Louis convention; 1t Ia
not whether that rule shall be ndopted, but
whet her II shall be continued longer IN force.
The two-thlrdR rulo has been as much the
com mon law in National Democratic Conven-
tions as the selection OF temporary chair
man, unless we except tho convention Of
1879. which merely indorsed the platform Of
the Liberal Republicans and nominated their
candl dates for President and Vice President.
Only on one occasion lS4D was any deter
mined effort made to set IL aside, and then IL
was done more through too much zeal In be-
half of prominent candidate for the Presl-
denoy than from n settled conviction that II
was wrong In principle. The rule then was
vigorously sustained by Mr.. Romulus M
Saunders. of North Carolina, and Hon. Robert
J. Walker Senator from Mississippi, and af-
terwards Secretary OF the Treasury. In is48
there was some opposition to the rule. but tho
evident sentiment of the convention was such
that the opposition yielded to the inevitable.
after an animated discussion. The rule In
tB4s was Sustained by the solid delegations OF
seventeen States and n majority OF each dele
gation I'm four other States-only four giving
solid vote against 1t,
As german to the subject matter under
consideration we copy from the Weekly Delta
of June 6, 1869 before full reports OF tho con-
vention's proceedings had been received In
New Orleans>, the following editorial con-
oerning the two-tbirds rule:
It Ia probable that the Democratic National
Convention will adopt tho two thirds rue IT
has been the rule Of Every Democratic eonven
ton since 1892, when II was fret aduped In
the convention of is4s the States which favored
the nomination of Gen. Oass for The Presidency
voted for the two thirds rule. The
origin and history, of this rnle Ia as Col,
The On etor' rules ct l' ~
cotton In making its nominations. In |
this convention the question was raised aud
WIN VI zs9fE as 10 Tbs
he confined to the majority ntes which had
voted for Gen. Jackson IN 1925 or wb' ther
him. should also be entitled to their full
electoral vote-When n member FROG Penn |
sylvauia. now deoeaeed,. proposed II . two
% and reported by Col. King as cbairtnan Of
hs committee. This rule was intended to go
sure the majority States from nominati ions
apainat their Wishes, which might have been
Effected by combinations between n portion of
heir own strength and the minority States.
1t should be observed that In the convention
If 1856 no direct reference is made to the two
thirds rule, but that II was the prevailing
.uIe In 1859 Is n historical fact, and whether
I was meant to be lnoInded when the oonven-
ion unanimously adopted the report Of the
,om mittee on organization is not matter
eft to conjecture, for had simple majority
,ote been sufficient for that purpose, Mr.. Bu-
,hanan would have borne off the honors on
,he second ballot, when he received I5g OF
,he 2g7 votes, n majority of twenty-one over
III others On the sixth ballot. twenty three
over all; on thirteenth ballot.
5hree more than oil others; on fourteenth
1allOt. eigHb oVeE HH cbHHetltpS, ot III
leenth ballot, forty over the combined oppo-
sltion; on sixteenth ballot, thrty-nine more
Jhan majority. AT this stage Of the pro-
,eedings the name of President Pierce was
withdrawn by tho New Hampshire delega-
lion, and Mr. Richardson, of Illinois, with
irew tho name OF Judge Douglass. Mr., Bu-
,hanan was nominated on the eighteenth bal
ot. receiving unanimous vote.
At Charleston, In 1860, there seems TO have
,een no dissenting voice In regard to the
,wo thirds rule, and II the party had been as
on other questions, the Demoo-
'acy would have swept the field.
The facts which we have gathered on this
subject are submitted with view to proper
OF the rule. and with the
,arnest hope that the Louisiana delegation
will vote to favor It's continuance In force.
THE 0REVASSE.