Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-13
Mr.. Stephens Nomination and the
TwO-Thirds Rule.


TWO-Thirds Rule.
It seems now to be pretty clearly es-
tablished that when the Democratic State
Convention assemblies in Atlanta next
Wednesday, Mr.. Stephens will come
before that body certainly with an over
whelming majority of the delegates, if
not with sufficient strength to secure a
two-thirds vote on the first ballot. In
view of the fact, however, that he may
not control at the start fully two-thirds, a
good many of his friends are advocating
the adoption of the majority rule, in favor
of which there also seems to be a decided
majority in the convention. OF course,
if this IS true, and that majority decide
to abandon what is now a time honoreo
Democratic practice, and determine TO
discard the two-thirds rule, the matter
will be settled. We think, though, that
before this very serious step is taken the
convention should pause and reflect.
The great question to be considered is,
will the adoption of the majority in
preference to the twO.thirds rule be wiser
We think not. In the first place, such
a step would be of no advantage to Mr..
Stephens He will, we believe, undoubt-
edly receive the nomination under any
circumstances, for there is a very de
cided spirit manifested among the
Democracy of the State to avoid
ANYTHING like the unhappy expe-
rience of two years ago, when the
party was so bitterly divided as to be
threatened with permanent disruption.
/ It is to this spirit, and the belief that his
nomination will harmonic all disturb
ing elements, strengthen and unity the
party, and crush out Independenusm,
that the favor with which Mr.. Stephens
name has been received by the Democ
racy of the State is mainly due. If,
however, the majority rule should be
adopted, and, on account thereof. Mr..
Stephens should receive the nomination
on the first ballot, the tendency of such
step will be both to iniure him and the
party. A large proportion OF the
minority, who would probably vote for
him on the second or third ballot, would
feel that they had been gagged, and this
would naturally SOW the seed of d ssen-
sion and dissatisfaction, which might take
root, and prove disastrous to the party
hereafter, and which would certainly in
crease whatever hostility already exists
towards Mr. Stephens.
In the next place, the discardal OF the
two thirds rule would, We fear, prove to
be bad precedent, for if abandoned
now it must be abandoned in all our
future State Conventions. 1t cannot be
banded about to suit the whims and
caprices of future candidates, for TO
adopt it at one convention and discaI d
it at another will certainly, in the end,
split the party hopelessly. 1t is easy to
see how, under such circumstances,
schemers and skillful maneuverers can
readily manipulate matters so as to con
/ troll the action of any convention,
and the legitimate consequence would
be that defeated candidates and their
friends would always attribute their de-
feat to crooked practices, and so at every
convention dissatisfaction would be TO
mented, until finally it would break out
in open rebellion. For this reason some
rule should be adopted as the irrevOcable
organic law of our nominating cOnven-
ton, and when the increased difficulties
of throttling minOrities, packing con
ventions, and forcing candidates upon a
large proportion of unwilling voters are
considered, it seems to us that wisdom
would dictate that the two.thiTds rule
should be settled upon as the guiding
principle of those bodies.
of course the minority should never
take advantage Of this rule to defeat the
manifest will of the party when, as was
the case two years ago, the adoption of
the rule places it in their power to do
so. Should Mr.. Stephens, for instance,
lack but paltry half dozen votes to Sc
cure the needed twO.thirds, it would be
unjust. unreasonable and unpatriotic for
the meagre minority opposed to him to
expect so large a majority to yield to
their wishes, and refuse him the nomi-
nation. 1t was indeed only because in
the last State Convention a minority of
but a fraction over one-third of the en-
tire body took this position that the
eminently safe two thirds rule is now ieo
pardized. Under such circumstances
the minority should make up their
minds to acquiesce in what is the unrnis
taxable wish of the party, and preserve
Democratic customs, proven by expert
ence to be wise, and the harmony of tie
party at the same time.
We do not believe there is any danger
of a repetition of the scenes of two years
ago, however, in the approaching con
vention, and therefore we believe that it
will be wiser to avoid what may prove
the entering wedge to future discord
and disruption. In word, the
spirit which should actuate the APP
preaching Atlanta Convention should
be to maintain Democratic
precedent, but to avoid dissensiOn and
the exciting of bad blood through a
mere technicality. 1t should be remem-
bered that the two-thirds rule is a pro-
lection accorded for prudential rea-
sons by the majority to the minority.
This protection should never be abused by
making it the means of attempting the
coercion of the majority when the latter
plainly represents overwhelmingly the
wishes of the party.
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