Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-09
THE NEXT REPUBLICAN CON-
VENTION.
"A Sentiment Growing in Favor of
Large Convention.

"A sentiment Growing in Favor of a
Large Convention.
A special dispatch from Washington
says: The recent visit of John NJ, Forbes.
of Boston, member of the subcommittee
on the plan of calling the next National
Republican Convention, stimulated dis
cussiOn among many prominent Republi-
cans here, with important results. The
first of these will probably be the aban-
dOnment of the Forbes plan, even by its
author. Its distinctive feature was that
each State should be given only two dele
gates-at-large, equal to the number of
Senators, and one delegate for each Con-
gressional district, with additional repre-
sentation for Republican districts, of
course. 1t seems to be generally believed
now that this reduction of the size of del
egatlons would cause so much dissatisfac-
tion that the plan must be abandoned.
1t is more important to note that Mr..
Chandler seems about ready to abandon
some OF the leading features Of what has
been known as the Chandler-McPherson
plan. One of these was that the addition
al representation of the Republican dis
tricts should be based upon either the ex-
listing or the preceding Congress. This
seems to have been entirely misunderstood
by some of the leading Republican papers.
What 1t contemplated was that if a Con-
resentatiye in the Forty-seventh Congress.
orifit had one in the FOrty-eighth Congress,
or if it had one in both Congresses, it
should have one additional delegate intthe
National Convention. The plan seemed
to come as near to uniformity and Justice
as any that could be devised.
But Mr.. Chandler and Mr.. Forbes and
others outside of the committee who have
joined in the discussion seem tohaYe come
70 fho aIr Aba% - =
practicable. One reason probably is that
the new convention must necessarily be
based on the new Congressional appor-
tionment, and inasmuch as the Forty
seventh Congress is based on the old an
portionment, some confusing questions
might arise, The plan towards which
Messrs, Chandler and Forbes are
now tending is to give each State
four delegates-at-large and two dele
gates for each Congressional dis
trict, as now; then to give three additional
delegates-at-large for each Republican
Senator in the then existing Congress, and
three additional district delegates Or
each Republican Representative in the
then existing Congress-thc delegates-at-
large to be chosen at a State convention
to be called on not less than fifteen days
notice, and from month to six weeks
before the National Convention; the dis
Lf1cIS 10 nave Iue OpllOu vi cHUOSlHS JuelT
delegates at a home convention or at the
State Convention, provided that if, by the
time the State Convention meets the Re-
publicans of a district shall not have
elected delegates, the delegates to the
State Convention from that district shall
do it; the Territories and the District. of
Columbia to have two delegates each, as
now.
This plan would result in a large con-
vention, though the fact that the Republi-
can representation will be diminished in
the Forty-Eighth Congress will make it
smaller than might be supposed at a first
glance. 1t would stand as follows: Dele
gates at large-double the whole number
BILE the whole number of representatives.
$50; three additional delegates at large
for each Republican Senator in the Forty
Eighth Congress, ia; three additional
district delegates for each Republican
Representative, $50; Territories and the
District of Columbia, 18. Total, !, 1,294, or
53S more than the Chicago Convention.
New York State would have ia delegates.
1t has never been proposed heretofore to
give States or districts additional repre-
sentation in a greater ratio than one
delegate for each Republican Senator or
Representative. The proposed increase of
the ratio from. one to three is explained
upon the idea that the only way in which
Republican President can be elected in
1884 is by allowing the States which must
elect him to nominate him, and that the
States which will have electoral votes to
give must, therefore, have a clear pre-
pOnderance of strength in the convention.
The subject is becoming of pressing i'm
portaiice, as the National Committee
meets in two weeks.