The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-05

| presidency. and Richard M Johnson for the vice presidency. the former unani- l mousy, the latter receiving four votes l more than the required two-thirds.
 In the convention of 1s40 the two-thlrds rule was invoked. Van Buren was nom mated for reelection unanimously. No candidate was selected for vice president, the selection being left to the members of the several electoral colleges The dem ooratic candidates were defeated
 Van Buren Lacked Two-tFirds in 1s44.
 In the convention of ls44 Mir B. F. But Ter of New York, vigorously opposed the adoption Of the two-thirds rule, and pre- dieted that 1t would result in the defeat of the democratic candidate and in the dis memberment and breaking up of the dem oeratie party. The rule was agreed to by 1 i4S to 1lS. Van Buren has a large ma Jority of the delegates. but failed to re- eeive the vote of two-thirds. Polk and elected.
 The two-thirds rule again met opposi- ilon in the convention of 1s4s. but was carried by a vote of 175 to IS. The dem oeratic nominees were defeated In 1852 the two-thirds rule was adopted without division. A motion to reconsider this action was tabled by a majority of 273 to 13
 At the Cincinnati convention of 1856 and at each subsequent convention the rule was adopted without opposition by res 1 olaion readopting the rules of the last ational convention"
 At Charleston and Baltimore in 1860.
 At the Charleston convention, held in isoo' the full convention consisted of 3O3 uelesates After a number of delegates, including several entire delegations had "iehofawn, the membership was reduced to zli. On motion of Mr Howard of I ba .esoll Hon was adopted that no person shos - be declared nominated who did not fe1 eive two-thirds of all the votes the lull convention was entitled to cast. The poihl or order had been made and over ruieo by Chairman Gushing that the reso- l lutlon was not in order being a. change oi the rules. The chair held the resolu- ii9n H. order as being construction and Hot charge of the rules Douglas re- SsiVed a large majority, but failed of two- :. lnlfas. No nomination was effected and ehe e.nvention (. adjourned to Baltimore 9opeehihs less than two-thirds of the oeiegates participated at Baltimore DO. slas received 1SlIa votes against IS scattering. A resolution was moved that, naNhs received more than two-thirds of 1 the votes cast, he should be declared the nominee. The point was made that such aeii m would be change of the rule; to which 1t was answered that the previous
 
 direction to the chairman, which the i convention might annul by a majority vote. The resolution was adopted by ac- l sanation, and Douglas became the nom- l iaee 1 The seeding convention. consisting of apout one third of the delegates, also adopted a. two-thirds rule, but the nomina- 'aon of Breckinridge was unanimous.
 From 1860 to 1900. | Ina ,.,.1a.
 and 1868. Governor Seymour, chairrnan n in 1868, was careful early in the proceed | ings that the two-thirds rule should be clearly understood. After reviewing the proceedings at Charleston and Baltimore he announced that until otherwise re- solved the chairman would declare no can didate to be nominated who should not have received two-thirds of the vote of | the full convention
 In the convention held at Chicago in 1896 the chair announced that under the rule adopted in 1852. and since continued as the rule of succeeding conventions. "in the opinion of the chair, two thirds of the vote given will nominate candidate for President and Vice President of the Unit ed States. In so far as the chair may have intended by this announcement to hold that two-thirds of the full conven- ton would not in accordance with the preeedents be required to nominate. he obviously overlooked the resolution of the Charleston convention in 1860, construing the rule, as also the carefully considered decision of Governor Seymour in 1868 As a matter of fact, this announcement by the chairman in 1896 was an unnecessary dietum, for the nominees for both the | presidency and the vice presidency re- ceived large,y more than two-t thirds of the vote of the full convention, and no occa- sion arose requiring the convention to adopt construction of the rule different from that 1t had formerly received. l In the Kansas City convention of 1900 | the nominees for both offices received the unanimous vote of the full convention. and the two thirds rule was not called in question.
 | This rule is, of course, a rule of policy, and the fact that a majority can, if it choose, amend or rescind 1t at any time is a sufficient answer to the charge that 1t menaces the will of the majority.
 Origin of the Unit Rule.
 The unit rule. as it is termed, recognizes the right of state conventions to instruct their delegations to vote soldly as ma jority of the delegates may decide. In the first democratic convention, in 1882. 1t was resolved that each state should select from it's number a delegate by whom the vote of the delegation should be cast, each state being given by another resolution
 
 electoral college. This rule was success sively re-adopted at the democratic con- ventions of 1885, 1S40 and is44. In 1SiS, how ever, the first unit rule proper was incor- ! porated in the democratic code of pro oedure At the national convention held in May of that year the following resolution was adopted.
 Resolved, That on voting upon any ques- ton which may arise in the proceedings of this convention the vote shall be taken by states at the request of any one state, | each state to be entitled Co the number of votes to which such state is entitled in the electoral college. without regard to the number of delegates m attendance, the manner in which said vote is to be 1 cast to be decided by the delegation of each state for itself
 This rule was adopted at the conven- ton of 1852 in the same form, and again at the Cincinnati convention of 1856, by the customary resolution that the rules of the last convention be adopted as the | rules of this convention
 At the Charleston convention the rules , | of the preceding convention, including, of