St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-08-07
STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.

A correspondent writing in to-day's
GLOBE suggests change in the plan
for selecting the Democratic state cen
trail committee, and proposes that in
stead of leaving the naming of the COM
mittee TO the chairman of the conven-
ton, as is now the rule, the chairman of
the committee be elected by the con-
vention itself, and that the naming of
the other members of the committee be
left to the chairmen of the respective
congressional committees. While the
GLOBE admits that any sort of change
from the plan now in existence would
be beneficial, it is still inclined to think
that better method than the one pro-
posed by our correspondent could be
adopted. Anything that savors of
one-man power is undemocratic, and
any proposition that looks to the taking
away from the body of the people of the
management of their own affairs CRATES
harShly OIL Democratic ears. Still, it is
impossible for the great body of the
people to remain in continuous session
during an entire political campaign;
therefore, it has become party law to
whom the duty of conducting a cam
paign shall devolye, and who shall be
clothed with authority to act for the
party during the recesseS between con-
vention periods. There is so much
power temporarily concentrated in this
body, and its responsibilities are so
great, that it becomes absolutely i'm
pOrtant that the committee itself
shall be a representative one, and
shall be brought in as close proximity to
the body of the people as it is possible
to be done. The almost universal DEM
ocratic rule is the one adopted by the
national party when in conventiOn-that
of allowing the delegates from each
locality entitled to a committeeman to
name him. The way it is done in ma
tional convention is to have a member
of the national committee from each
state, and to concede to the delegates
from each state the right to elect their
own committeeman. Then these COM
mitteemen, when they get together for
the purpose of organizing, elect their
own chairman.
We see no reason why the method
adopted by Democratic national conven-
tons should not be adopted by Demo-
cratic state conventions. 1t is done so
in almost every state except Minnesota,
aud why the rule has been varied from
acre is beyond our comprehension. The
central or executive committee is con-
structed upon the idea of geographical
divisions, and for that reason it is usual
to name member as the representative
of some ct-congreSSional, sena-
toral or judicial-as best suits the pur-
poses of the organization. In this state
one member from each congressional
district would make the committee too
small for effective work, and member
from each senatorial district would
make it too large. Consequently, the
plan of selecting one from each judicial
district is preferred.
Why, then. should not the next state
convention adopt the plan pursued by
the national Democratic party, and also
practiced by almost every state in the
Union, of allowing the delegates to the
convention to select the committeeman?
Let the delegates from each judicial
district name the member of the central
committee from that district, and when
the committeeman have all been chosen,
Jet them elect their own chairman and
secretary. The two urgent reasons in
favor of this proposition are the facts
that 1t is fair and it is democratic.