Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-04-08
puEs.pENrIAL NOMINATIONS.

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATIONS.
Oliver T. Morton has IN article in the
new number of the Atlantic Monthly
entitled Presidential Nominations, in
which he reviews the present methods
OF nominating candidates for the Presi-
depcy. as we'll as the methods OF select
ing delegates to the conventions. de
offers some amendments to the present
system which, he says, seldom places
before the country the ablest and best
known statesmen. He condemns the
ancient methods by q caucus of Con-
gressmen, in the words of an editor, as
~'iacobinical c~onclaves," but he claims
that they almost uniformly named the
leading statesmen of the Republic. Mr..
Morton's amendment in effect is to have
the candidates balloted for in Congress
sional Districts, where the representa-
ton is strictly proportional. All these
district conventions to meet on the same
day, and the National Convention to be
held not more than two weeks later, and
it to proceed to count the votes OF the
Congressional Districts. In case OF no
majority for either candidate, the lowest
of five to be dropped until a selection
is made.
Unlike most Of the theories pro-
pounded upon such subjects, Mr.. Nor
toms proposition strikes us as a very wise
suggestion. 1t would unquestionably
tend to a higher choice of men, because
each Congressional district. while doubt
less having a local favorite, would seek
to name some one who would be pretty
sure to come within the limit of five, for
otherwise their efforts would be thrown
away. The dark horse and the compro-
mise candidate would each be substan-
tally eliminated, and the chances Of
packing delegations and wire-pulling
would be reduced to an almost utter i'm
possibility. The leading anne would
be sure to be the only ones proposed, and
even the pledges now SO frequently ex.
torted from possible candidates. could
not very we'll be made a part Of
the Undoubtedly, the nomi-
nation of comparatively unknown men,
such as Pierce and Lincoln, would have
been impossible under such q system,
and a compromise upon Garfield in a con-
vention where Grant and John Sherman
were leading candidates, would have
never been. That these accidental NOM
nations proved to be very good ones,
was a matter largely of luck, especially
in the case of Lincoln, where, consider
ing the terrible crisis then threatening
the country, nothing but the blindest
faulty could have induced any conven-
ton to put up a nan almost absolutely
unknown and inexperienced in national
affairs. The Republican Conventions
have uniformly been less careful in such
cases than the Democrats. In every in.
stance since the Pierce Convention, the
Democrats have nominated not only q
leading statesman, but he has generally
been largely designated beforehand by
the Democratic press. Buchanan, Doug
lass, Breckenridge, Mcclellan, Seymour
Greeley, Tilden and Hancock were mer
of whom the whole country knew.
But the one weak point in Mr.. Nor
toms paper is the fact that the conven
tion itself must adopt his plan to have il
become a method at all, and few conven
tions will be willing to reduce their OWL
powers to such an extent. At present
also, the newspapers pretty generally d.
the nominating.