New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-28
pRESLDENrMAKING ~ ORDER.

The indifference which seems To pervade the
masses of both parties regarding Presidential
nominees cannot continue long. In some re-
spects this state of things rcscmbles-and per-
hans grows out of-the political apathy which
has been so marked during the past year.
There arc few signs that any considerable num-
Der of voters in either party care at all, so lar
as persons are concerned, who is to be Prcsl-
dent The candidates, too, are scarce, and the
men who are most talked about are the men
who seem to be taking no steps toward pro-
curing nominations. In neither party Is there
any circumstance that points strongly to the
nomination of any particular candidate. This
is a peculiar situation. One result OF 1t is
likely to be that larger proportion than usual
of the delegates making up the National Con-
yentions will be unplcdged men.
Yet the President making must begin soon.
If the Republican party is to be first in the field,
as it always is, the district conventions will be
meeting all over the country i'll about four
months The National Conventions have
usually been held early i'll June. The call is
sued bv the National Committee last winter
provides that the delegates at large shall be
| chosen bv State Conventions held "nOt more
| than sixty days before the time fixed for the
meeting of the National Convention" The
purpose of this was to prevent snap judgments
like the early Grant State Conventions of 1880.
If the National Convention meets during the
first week in June, the State Conventions can
not therefore be held before the first week in
April They can be held, of course, later than
that time, but the interval named will doubt
less seem a convenient one, and be adopted in
nfi, L..
given of the State Convention. The district
conventions to chose the district dele
gates to the National Convention must be
held "withn the fifteen days preceding the
State Convention which elects the dclcgates-at-
large Surprising that the State Conventions
meet early in April the district conventions
will be meeting in March, or a little less than
four months from to-day. The fact that the
district conventions are to elect the bulk of the
delegates to the National Convention will not
! only give an importance to them which the
local conventions have entirely lacked in pre-
vous Presidential years, but will tend to prccip-
tate the general contest, because whereas the
great struggle has been formerly to get control
of the State Convention, now it must be to get
control of each district convention throughout
the State The result will doubtless be that
the managing politicians will not control dele
gates to the extent or in the numbers seen in
the past.
The Republican National Committee meets at
Washington in a few days. 1t has been ru-
morcd that an attempt will be made to pass a
resolution authorizing each State Convention to
elect the delegates at-large, and then to divide
into district conventions for the election of the
district delegates. There is no good reason fol
any such action. The call already adopted by
the National Committee permits this in cases
where the districts have failed to elect theil
delegates at home conventions. But the great
desire of the convention of 1880 was to estab-
lish district representation on a firm basis. Its
opponents acquiesced in the decision of the con
veution, and the call was so framed as to en-
courage the holding of home conventions. FhC
situation is just what it should BIZ in this partc