Arizona republican., 1904-07-02
Should Territories Have Representa- t1on in National Conventions

10 vote in national conventions? ?'
 asks the New York Sun. which pre-.
 ceeds to demonstrate, in an interesting
 editorial, that the system of giving
 a voice to the territories in presiden. tial conventions is wrong. It attacks
 the proposition on two grounds: First
 that in view of the sparse population tory is too much in any event; second that justly the territories should have no vote in nominating a candidate foI president. It does concede, however that it is eminently proper that spokesmen of territories, federal dis tricts and colonial dependencies should be allowed to sit and speak in national conventions; and, inferentially, to ap- pear before the committee on resolu- tions and explain how certain contem- plated features of a platform under consideration would affect their constit- uents." The Sun as a rule discusses with such marked intelligence and fairness all questions which interest the west that we cannot attribute it's opposition to territorial representa- ton in national conventions to east ern provincialism CT sectional preju- dice Nevertheless it's arguments on this subject will not hold water.
 There is room for two opinions, of course, as to the number of votes which a territory should have in na- tional conventions. In late years this number has been six and the citizens of the territories are unanimous in the opinion that this Representation is not too large. But there may be force in the objection that this proportion ately large representation can give a territory too much power.
 Two recent examples are readily re. called. When MT. Cleveland was nom mated in 1892, he secured the necessary two-thirds vote in the convention through a deal between the late Will liam C. Whitney and the delegates from Arizona and New Mexico. In exchange for the vote of New Mexico for NIT. Cleveland, MT. Whiteny prom ised that New Mexico should be ad- rnittea as a state in tl.e union early ia Cleveland's administration. Tor Ari- zona's vote MT. Whitney promised that the several delegates from Art- zona should have the federal offices they had staked out-this delegate to 5e governor, that delegate to be United States marshal, and so on. Inciden- tally, the promises made to the Arizo- The patriots from this territory got the jobs they were after. In later years when bitterly upbraide1 by gen. tlemen from New Mexico and charged with having acted in bad faith as to that territory, MT. Whitney protested that he had been unable to carry out the statehood bargain. It has always been believed that if the votes of these two territories had no. gone to Mr. Cleveland on that ballot his fol- lowing would have disintegrated on the next ballot and somebody else would have been nominated eventually.
 In 1900, at the democratic national convention at Kansas City, it is wei! remembered that MT. Bryan only sue ceeded in forcing his platform on the convention by the vote of Hawaii.
 But that the territories should have at least some votes in nominating can didates for president and vice-p presi- dent there can be no question, when the equities of the proposition are an- alyzed. The Sun says:
 "The truth is that territories, fed- cral districts and colonial dependencies of the type of Porto Rico or of the Philippines should be treated in na- tioRal conventions precisely as, under the constitution of the United States and under federal statutes, they are treated in Congress. Under the cOnsti- tuition only the inhabitant of a state can be a senator or a representative; and, although by a federal law dele gate from a territory Organized as such by law) may sit and speak in the house of representatives, he is not per mitted to vote.
 For obvious reasons, they should not b> suffered to vote in national conven- tions. On the one hand, they have no electoral votes behind them, for their constituents are unable to sup port at the ballot box the conventions nominees and declaration of principles. On the other hand. it may happen. as 1t has happened. that by their votes they may determine the selection of nominees and the formulation of a platform"
 The Sun also points out that the in- huence of the national administration SO predominates in the territories that invariably the president, if he is a candidate tc succeed himself, has the support of the territorial delegates n