Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-02-03
DEMOCRATIC PARTY RULES
Points About the Convention
to Revise Them.
THE QUESTION or NOMINATIONS
Shall They be Made by Ballot
or Convention?
This is the Problem That Must be Settled
Also, the Allotment of Candidates Iie-
tween City and County-A Desire TO Act
for the Best Interests of the Party.


for the Best Interests of the Party.
To-day in Turn Hall, this city,
there will be held convention OF
Democrats OF New Castle county "to
take into consideration what alterations
and amendments, If any, should be made
in and TO the rules governing the
Democratic party of New Castle
county," The convention will be
composed of ono delegate from each
ward of this city, and five delegates
from each other hundred. or u dele-
gates for Wilmington and 80 for rural
New Castle county, total of 62.
On account Of changes made by the
new Constitution, the rules of the party
need to ho altered to conform to the
Fundamental law. Thus. as all the
county officers have become elective.
instead of part appointiye and part
elective. the convention must fix the
party rules 10 order TO cover the
changed conditions.
There appear to bs two possible ways
0f making the party nominations for
the various county Offices for which the
people will vote on election day. One
is by means of ballot primaries through
out the county, tho other by means Of
nominating convention. The latter
method is pursued in State conven
tions. whore Governor, Congressman
and Presidential electors are nominated: !:
the former method has been used of
late years in eelecting the nominee for
sheriff, coroner and receiver OF taxes.
When these two methods come be-
fore the convention Of to-day, each
will doubtless have ita supporters.
There promises. however, to be great
difficulty in arranging plan thnt will
Z prove satisfactory to all parts of the
county. Thus, il the nomination con-
vention is decided upon, it will give
the rural delegates in such Gonven-
tion, should they be named in the pro-
position as it exists to-day. the con-
trolling voice in the convention, 30
rural delegates to II Wilmington dele
gates. Should the primary system be
decided upon, on tho other hand, the
controlling voice would probably he in
the Wilmington hundred vote, because
fthis hundred has about 5000 Demo-
Z cratic votes 10 1000 in the rural dis
stricts.
While il would seem that from Che
x standpoint of votes the fairer way OF
AtAthe two would be the primary election
method. it is probable that lection will
"a bs made TO IL by tine rural representa-
" tives 10 tho coming convention. They
a are understood TO desire system where
s4by their hundreds shall he represented
n 4on the party ticket at each election.
Y While they may bs willing that Will.
N b ington shall have the candidates for
3 Two county Offices ut each election they
N deaire that the other hundreds, by rota-
finp shall have the others
II ia recogni2ad that tho power to Fix
the method OF naming the nominees is
* in the hands OF the delegates from the
Svery much, doubtless depends upon
their action as regards marty success 10
+ the future; for should any plan be
adopted that will prove displeasing tc
the majority Of the party, trouble may
follow. The delicacy of the problem
before the convention is the more
4 clearly seen az the subject is more
closely considered, and the wiaest coun
\ Bels of the delegates may well be de-
n voted TO the solution.
1t IL d matter of history that up tt
and including 1876 all this county can
didutes save those for sheriff anu coro
ner were nominated by conventions
and it is claimed that these convention!
we're frequently productive of trouble
and disorder, Delegates would com,
from a hundred pledged TO certain
man for nomination, tbs convention
would act Gortrary to the wishes o
that hundred. and dissatisfaction woult
ensue. Finally the party adopted th
plan of going direct to the paople 70
all county nominations.
In the matter of nominees for th
State Legislature, the party foun,
much difficulty in at last reaching th
present plan OF apportionment, whicI
in its earlier days met with opposition
A scheme of rotation ON similar line
for county offices is suggested, thos
who work for the welfare OF the part
expressing desiro that all parts OF th
county be satisfied. hut it is felt that
satisfactory plan ia very bard to devise