The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-03-04
raE rwo-Tn1RDs RULE.


ocratlc party for President Of the United
States to get two-thirds of the members
In tho nominating convention, is creating
considerable comment In Democratic
circles, opinion being pretty evenly di.
vided, both as to numbers and as to posi-
Sion of the individuals upon each side.
This rule has been the law of the Demo-
cratic party since the meeting of tie first
Democratic Convention, which succeeded
tile old plan of nominating candidates
for the Presidency by q caucus of the
members of Congress belonging to the
party making the nomination. 1t Is,
therefore, an ancient landmark of the
Democracy, and has done service for the
party in many eyentfui contests. Those
who advocate its abolition do 30 ON the
ground that it handicapE the party, and
tends TO defeat the choice of the maio. ity,
resulting frequently in the overthrow of
tho strcnger men of the party, and
forcing the nomination of less positive
or less prominent candidates. Thus, in
@ Convention If 1856 members, 1t is ne.
cessary for the nominee 10 obtain 257
votes, so that I29 men who oppose any
particular candidate can force the 256 to
give up their first choice, and vote foy
some candidate for whom some perscns
of the minority are willing to vote. they
also argue that any prominent man is
likely to have 129 members opposed TO
him, end hence that the chances are
against such a mans obtaining the nom.
ination. There is much show of reason
In shis presentation Of the opposition 70
the rule, but we think there Is anoth or
side 81 the question which is stronger in
the 2easons it presents fo- the continu.
ance of the rule. 1t is not the object of
any political party to elect any particular
man president It is the aim OF each
party to enforce certain principles, and
to control the administration of the gov.
ernmont in the interest of those princi-
Piles. It may, and frequently is, very
desirable to elect certain man presi.
dent, but is never desirable to nominate
candidate who is likely to - .leGaated.
il one can be found who can probably
be elected. The object of political con-
ventions, therefore, Is to nominate the
beat men from the party that can be
elected by the people; and if o particu.
lar candidate, however strong and good,
cannot carry the election, some other
moro available man Of good character
AID qualification ahould be selected,
Now, 1t may frequently happen that q
candidate might get 1913 votes of the 1856,
and yet be bitterly opposed oy the re-
manning 1872, and his nomination cause
the defeat of the party in consequence
Of the disaffection. For instance, some
man might get tho Western and South.
ern delegates to the convention, which
would nominate him, while he would bo
bitterly opposed in the Northern States,
so that when the election comes ON he
would lose New York, New jersey, Con-
neotieut, and all che Northern States,
which would ensure his defeat. Now,
by the two.thirds rule, candidate will
have to get q portion of the representa-.
tives from every section of the Union,
and no man IAN be selected who is par.
ticularly distasteful to any section. It
may defeat particular candidates, but 1t
will certainly ensure the nomination of a
man whose record cannot DO assailed in
any section, for it requires the co.opera-
tion of every section to give him the
nomination. Again, Democrats who
have two.thirds of the party against
them are more likely to aequiesce in the
result than If the parsy is about equally
divided.
The rule viii make it moro diff.cult TO
nominate, but the result will be moro
satisfactory to the whole mass of the
people, and the candidate nominated
will be moro cheerfnlly supported.-.
THen, again, it 10 replied with considera.
bic force to the objections to the rule,
that it does not always, nor even gener-
Hiiy, defeat the strongest candidate, for if
he is not Objectionable and his friends
stink 1i 20 him, tha minority is mere than
likely 70 como to his support. II is only
where there 10 atrong personal opposition
to the strongeat candidate that the two,
thirds rule defeats him. In fact, tho
Denaocratic party with the two-thirda
Fnlo has nominated Gen. jackson and