The San Francisco call., 1896-06-21
PARTY CONVENTIONS.
New Y ork Sun.


The Democratic and Republican National
conventions are participated in by substan-
TALLY the same number of delegates, whose Sc
lection is based on the same method of repre-
sentation-two delegates for each electoral
vote to which each State is entitled The eiec-
toral vote of each State is fixed with equal
simplicity-one elector for each member of
Congress. There are forty-five States, and
therefore ninety Senators, and this ninety
multiplied by two gives total of $50 dele
gates at large in each party convention.
There are 357 Representative in Congress,
equivalent to total of 714 delegates in Ma
tional conventions, TO correspond with the
number of Representatives. grand total of
S94. To this total, the same in both Demo-
cratic and Republican conventions, there are
added by courtesy q number of delegates to
represent the Territories, which have no cleo
toral votes. The same complimentary repre-
sentation extends even to the District of
Columbia, the voters cf which are not per-
mitted by law to participate in Presidential
elections.
The basis OF representation in Democratic
and Republican conventions is, therefore, sub
stantially the same; but here the similarity
between the two ends and the radical points
OF difference begin. The first of these points
of difference is what is called the unit rule.
Under Democratic theory the unit of repre-
sentation in all American political affairs is
the stare, and d State convention meeting to
elect delegates at large has the right instruct
all the delegates from that State to vote as
unit, subject to the will of the ma ajority. For
instance, the State of Ohio has in a Demo-
cratic National Convention forty-six votes.
-Four OF these are chosen in the State of Ohio
at large double the number of United States
senators) and forty-two are chosen in the
several Congress districts, two in EACH 1t
might happon, perhaps, that twenty-five of
the delegates from Ohio would favor the nom
ination of one candidate for the Presidency
and twenty-one that of another. Under Dem
ocratic usage the party at its State convention
in Ohio could instruct It's delegates to vote as
unit, and twenty-five would be able, there
fore, to cast the whole vote of the State-forty-
six votes-in favor of the candidate whom the
twenty supported. The most t1agrant and
conspicuous illustration of the working of this
rule occurred in the Democratic National Con-
vention in Chicago in 1884, when the seventy
two delegates of New York were polled solid
for the nomination of Mr.. Cleveland, though
the strongest opposition to his nomination
came from New York City Democrats. Even
those who denounced the nomination of Mr..
extract from the minutes OF that convention
shows the exact state of the case:
Daniel Manning of New York-New York
votes eventy-two.
Mr.. Grady of New York; hold in my hand
the official tally of the vote OF New York, 10 to
40, and absent.
The Chair-The chair is unable to recognize
as valid the challenge from the gentleman
from New York because New York votes under
the instruction of her convention as a unit
upon all questions.
The paraooxical result of the matter, in this
case, was that the Democrats who opposed Mr..
Cleveland were recorded as voting In favor of
him, and under the unit rule this proceeding
was regular and parliamentary. The Republi-