The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-13
FOR SMALLER CONVENTIONS.

The Brooklyn Eagle, which is one of
the ablest and most thoughtful expo
nents of true Democracy in the coun-
try has raised the question whether
national conventions might not be
made much smaller than at present
with gain to party and to the public
Taking for its text the burning of the
Coliseum at Chicago, which was built
for the meeting of the last national
Democratic convention, it asks whether
such enormous structures are neces-
saIy for the future to accommodate the
delegates Of the people; and whether
the great crowds that now attend the
nomination Of presidential candidates
as delectable shows do not tend to
lower the tone of politics. These crowds,
says the Eagle truly and expressively,
are the terror of statesmen, the bur-
den of managers, the hOtbed of cranks.
the harvest of GemagOgues and the op-
portunity of cOrruptionlsts. The idea
that only by bigness and enthusiasm
can representative results be assured
is error National committees are him
oered by the folly consequent on the
unruliness of these big bodies-hinder-
ed before and after they meet" Start
ing from this premise, the Eagle recon-
mends that both parties should adopt
a rule limiting the representation
from each state in national conven-
tons to the same number as it has
senators and representatives. in con-
gress, instead OF doubling the number
as now. This would reduce the size of
national conventions one-half and by
just so much would add to the dignity
and Importance of the delegates. 1t
would cut in two the unwieldy conven-
tons that now assemble, and assist an
orderly and expeditions transaction of
their proceedings.
What the Eagle says is true, but it
is scarcely more than half the entire
truth. The great trouble with national
conventions is not the size of their
membership, but the habit of indis-
criminate admission granted to the fol-
lowers of the leading candidates. This
assembly Of packed galleries, to raise
pandemonium whenever the names of
particular candidates are named, this
attempt to win by yelling and Internal
din, this idea of sweeping delegates off
their feet and out of their senses by
placing them in the center of a bowling
mob of madmcn, is Il graver evil than
the size of the convention itself. We
could very well afford to have a con-
yention of 800 delegates or more, but
the difficulty and the disgrace come in
when there are from 10000 to $4,000
spectators admitted. If this practice
IS to be continued, it matters little
whether the delegates are a few more
or a few less. They are lost sight of
IN the vast whirl of the mob that sur
rounds them, led in partly by curiosity
and partly by self-interest, frequently
hired blythe managers of various can
didates TO create q semblance of en-
thusiasm. and always a hindrance
and menace to sound reason and the
sober transaction of the peoples bust
ness
The first point of attack in the way
of reform, it seems to us, is the ad-
mission of spectators by ticket, as at
present, to the full limits of the audi
forum provided. The national con-
vention should choose for their place
Of meeting some hall which would Just
accommodate their delegates and the
members Of the press. All others should
be excluded. If national conventions
are to become once more deliberatiye
bodies-bodies having judgment and q
will Of their own, met to determine
upon the best policy and the best men
to lead their parties before the peo-
ple-they will have to put a stop to
the present practice Of turning them
selves into a national circus and at
tempting to bring about or defeat NOM
intaions by the mere power of noise.
We agree entirely with the Eagles
idea as to the size of conventions. A
delegation equal to the states repre-
sentation in congress would be amply
sufficient, although such a change will
probably be difficult to bring about.
This is not because the advantage Of
1t will not be appreciated, but because
of the singular hunger that there is