Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-04-08
About National Conventions.

When IL 10 stated in o general way tnat
che solid South casts only 100 electoral
votes in the presidential election. we are
very apt to conclude that that is the num-
Der of votes which will be cast by this sec
ton in the Democratic National Conven-
ton. But national convention contains
two delegates to every presidential elector.
For example, Virginia can cast only tweive
votes in the presidential election, but Will
cast twenty-four IN the national conven-
ton. The whole number OF electoral votes
in ALI the States will be just half the num-
her cast in the Democratic National Con-
vention.
For reasons which do not appear salts
factory 20 us. the District:of Columbia
and the organized Territories are allowed
10 send each two delegates to the Demo-
cratic National Convention. But neither
the District of Columbia nor any organ
lied Territory elects an electoral college
in the presidential election. Each State
elects such a college, and the candidate
who receives o majority Of the electoral
votes of all the States is declared elected
President Of the United States by the two
houses of Congress in joint convention
assembled-not by Congress.
The two-thirds' rule has for fifty years
or more been accepted by each succeeding
Democratic National Convention. The
nominee has ell this time been required to
receive the support of two thirds OF the
members. The rule was adopted in the
interest of slavery, 1t being impossible un-
der its operation to nominate any man for
President Of the United States who was
regarded as Objectionable by the southern
delegates. The Wing National Conven-
tions in their day required, and subse-
ouently the Republican National Conven-
tions have required, only majority nomina-
tons. The two-thirds' rule is q great pro-
lection to the best interests of the Demo-
cratic party.
We do not know that any attempt will
be made to dispense with the two-thirds
rule in the approaching Democratic Ma
tional Convention. II does not require
affirmative action TO dispense with It,
Each national convention adopts rules for
;ts own government, and so il the Commit
tee on Organization or Rules fails to re-
port and the convention fails to adopt a
tvo-thirds rule, there will be no such rule
In force. However. q wonderful change
will have to come over the Democratic
leaders before they consent to shelve
D rule which has served their pur-
poses so we'll for fifty years. The
feeling in national conventions in favor of
such rule has generally been overwhelm-
ing. The members have seemed to be un-
willing even to hear such proposition dis
cussed. And if the next national conven-
ton should lose its head, and. dispensing
with the two-thirds rule. proceed to nomi-
nate q candidate by majority vote, the
result would probably prove that the
trainers of that rule were wiser than the
destroyers Of it. The dark horses" and
their real friends are very apt to be In
favor of the two thirds rule.
The whole number OF electoral votes
this year will be IA, but the Democratic
National Convention will have 800 mem.
bers without counting the vote of Alaska.
Under the operation of the two-thirds rule
Il will require 600 votes to nominate.
Each State, we say. will have an electoral
college OF its own, and each such college
will meet at ITS own State capital to cas-
its vote for President and Vice-President
Nevertheless, it is common practice tc
speak of all these colleges together as the
electoral college. But there is no such
body as this last. All the electors never
meet together.