The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-07-01

For sixty-four years it has been the
lions, in an unbroken chain of prece-
dents, that it should require two-thirds
of all the votes in the convention to
name the candidates of the party for
president and vice president 1t was
adopted in the first convention the
Democratic party ever held, and it re-
mains to be seen whether it will be an
nulled in the last. The free silver del
egates make no secret of their inten-
tion to ignore it if necessary, and, as
each convention is law unto ITSELF
this can be done simply by the commit
tee on rules failing to report this rule
Customarily, for many years and after
the two-thirds rule was firmly seated,
it has been the practice for this COM
mittee to merely recommend the adop-
ton Of the rules governing the preced-
ing convention. 1t Is competent for
the coming one to except from it's re-
port the two-thirds rule
The rule had it's origin in several
defeat the nomination Of Martin Van
Buren, for the vice presidency In 1882,
thereby gratifying the Calhoun oppo-
sition to both Jackson and Van Buren,
1.-The tariff of abomination" of 1928 had
started notification in South Carolina
and Jackson had given the toast, "The
Federal Union, it must and shall be
preserved at the banquet on Jeffer-
sons birthday. Calhoun accepted the
challenge, and resigned the vice presi-
dency to enter the senate Jackson
had discovered that Calhoun, III Mon
roe's cabinet, had urged censure of his
conduct Of the Seminole war, ard the
rupture between the two became COM
plete. Calhoun suspected Van Buren,
of tanning the flame. Here was one
of the sources of the rule. Another
was in Jackson's opposition to the re-
chartering of the bank of the United
States. Pennsylvania, the home of Bid
die, Its president, was deeply con-
cerned in it's maintenance. New York's
legislature had adopted a resolution
banks charter, and, as Van Buren,
came from New York, and as he was
charged in those days with being the
Machiavelu of the administration.
Pennsylvania visited her wrath on him
and instructed her presidential electors
under no circumstances, to vote for
1.-THE little fox" So, though their vote
was cast in the electoral college for
jackson, 1t was given to William Will
kinS for vice president.
Another source was in the opposition
OF the protectionists to Van Buren,.
Jacksons ideas of the tariff and its
use and abuse We're nebulous. but Var
BUren's were Jeffersonian: and the
change noticeable in Jackson's position
after his association with Van Buren,.
Arst as secretary Of state and later
as vice president, was due to Van Bu-
-en's. clearer and sounder ideas of
Democratic doctrine. Notification was
threatening the policy OF protection
from the South and Van Buren, was
developing hostility to It from the
North, and its Interests rallied to de-
feat him. They Joined the Calhoun
wing to secure his rejection by the
senate as minister 20 England in 1881.
an act whose effect Benton reports
Calhoun as saying would be: ut viii
kill him, sir, kill him dead. He will
never kick. sir, never kick" 1t made
Van Buren, flrEt vice president end then
president. Still another source Of the
rule was. in the growing suspicion of
Southern men that Van Buren, was
not sound on the slavery question. a
suspicion that was verified "a subse-
quent years when Ven Buren, became
the presidential candidate Of the Free
SON party il. 1s<s. It was the cause cs
the iRclstence, by proslavery delegates
in the national eonven.:sz CT 1874. or