The sun., 1898-01-23
THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
Effect or tho State Constitution Upon tn,
Appointment OF Delegates.

Effect or tho State Constitution Upon the
Appointment OF Delegates.
A Governor of New York Is to be elected this
year, and, along with Governor, q Lieutenant
Governor and other State officers arc 10 be
chosen. The representation at the Republican
Nominating Convention is fixed by tho total
vote cast for the Republican ticket at the last
State election, and, therefore, the delegate may
be said to take political title from the voters
directly, whereas in the Democratic Convcn-
tion q different rulo prcvails-the basis of
representation is the Assembly districts as es-
tablished by the Constitutional Convention of
1894. The Constitutional Convention con-
tinued the arrangement previously in force
whereby each county. except Hamilton, was
entitled to at least one member of Assembly,
and the basis of representation in Democratic
State Conventions is three delegates for each
Assembly district.
The practical working of this arrangement
is of very great benefit to the influence of rural
Democrats" so called in party councis-a dis
parity not found among Republicans. For In
stance, the Democratic vote in Putnam county
at the election in November last was 916; in
Wyoming GSn i twas was 1852 In franklin It was
l.24s. In these five Republican counties the
total Democratic vote was 5.7O6. and under
to ffteen delegates in the next State Convention.
while the 9, 700 Democrats who voted for Judge
Parker in the Thirty-fifth Assembly district Of
New York county are entitled to three only.
Judge Parkcrs vote in the entire State was
b55.ooo. approximately. and to this total the
four counties of New York. Kings, Queens, and
Richmond contributed 27s,OOO. or more than
half OF the total. Yet these counties will have
collectively in this years Democratic State
Convention only l74 out of the total of 45O
delegates. leaving for the other counties 276
delegates. In other words, tho upstate dis
trcts. 80 called, will have 100 more delegates in
the Democratic State Convention than the met
ropolitan counties. or as II may be expressed
mathematically:
-Four counties gave Judge Parker 27s,oOO votes
l74 delegates,
Flftysi1 counties gave Judge Parker 277 900 votes
-278 delegates.
1t is this popularity of representation, dis
tinctly favorable to Democrats in Republican
counties and decidedly unfavorable to the
Democrats in Democratic counties, that gives
Democrats OF the interior and tho Democrats of
the territory included within New York. The
latter furnish tho bulk OF tho Democratic vote,
and, pract ically, the only Democratic majorities
that are given. The former control the bulk Of
the delegates. and are in q position to dictate.
policy Of the party. Tho Legislature to be
Edward Murphy. chosen United States Senator
In 1893, and, In addition to legislators. n Gov.
ernor and LieutenantGovernOr, n Secretary of
State. Comptroller. State Engineer. Treasurer.
and Attorney yGeneral, are to he voted for. A
lively fight between the metropolitan and the
cratic State Convention has already been out
lined. In the last Democratic State Convention
in Buffalo, In September, 1896, the total vote
cast was 443. There were seven absentees.