The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-09-22

amendment Of 1904 providing that the
Vtce--President should be Of the same
party as the President. Thus the party
system became imbedded in the con-
stitutional government.
Under this early system the voters
We're the supreme power, for one por-
ton of the governmental machinery
enabled the voters to instruct repre-
sentatives by direct vote. The mere
existence Of this power was usually
effeetive.1 Few! instructions were given.
Furthermore, the issues to. which can
dldates were pledged were framed by
the voters In each district and not by
state and national conventions, which
came in later years. The manner
whereby the voters We're authorized
to instruct by direct vote was at town
meetings in the north, and elsewhere
at mass meetings. Additional proof
as"to the peoples sovereignty till the
rise or the convention system is the
Bill Of Rights in the first state con-
vent1on in Massachusetts. and in North
Carolina. The legislature was express
~ prohibited from interfering with the
peoples right to assemble to instruct
representatives. In later years there
were seventeen states In which this
provision was expressly stated, and it
was implied in all the others.
Under the party system at the start
the basis Of the Government, then, was
majority rule, as had been the case
from the Declaration OF Independence
except when the autocratic Federalists
were In power, who refused to obey in
structions. In his Inaugural address
JEFFERSON declared allegiance to the
majority rule doctrine, and so success
full was the Jeffersonian party that the
opposition party disintegrated and
died nationally in 1917.
From 1917 until after 1924 there was
but one national party-the Republic
can party. All organized opposition to
the Peoples Rule had been overcome
In 1920, President Monroe was re-
elected without opposition. But four
years later, when a new choice for
President had to be made there were
four candidates in the field with no
nominating system except the Con-
gressional Caucus, which broke down.
The result was that in November the
vote for Presidential electors was so
evenly divided between the four can
didates for the Presidency that when
the electors voted in February none Of
the candidates received a majority Of
their votes, which threw the election
into the House of Representatives.
Adams was elected, though Jackson
was more popular with the people.
Defeat of Direct Note System, 1924 -26.
Before and after the: campaign, Ben
ton, Duffie and others worked in Con-
gress to secure a constitutional amend
ment for a system of direct nominal
tions and direct election of President
and Vice-President
The next Presidential campaign,
1928, Jackson was Nominated by the
Legislature of his State, Tennessee,
and. by mass meetings throughout the
country. Adams ran for reelection
without formal nomination. jackson
was elected. s.'
: Rise of@CUnuention System.
In the meantime the convention
system had gra:duRl1y arisen. In Penn
sylvania in 1S21s7 delegates directly
elected by the ~mHi1norityy:: party assem-!
bled in state convention to nominate
state officers, thus casting aside the
legislative caucus-King" Caucus, it
was derisively termed. So successful
was the new system that the minority
party in New York state used it four
years. later. and soon afterwards the
system spread into all the close states.
In 1880, a national convention was
held by third party. The party held
another. national convention in 1892,
as also did the Democratic and Wing
parties. e.,
Thus the convention system had its
rise. It's use for nomination Of can
didates for state and national officers
was a great improvement over the
legislative and congressional caucus.
The delegates to the state and national
conventions were fresh. from the peo-
pie and they obeyed instructions.
Debasement Of Convention System.
But the convention. system was
quickly debased. Each convention
promised the voters; what it's condi-
dates would do for them If elected,
and the voters in each party ceased
to instruct by direct vote, relying upon
the state and national conventions to
demand the needed legislation. In
other. words, the voters relinquished
the right to instruct and thereby the
successful party machine became a
ruler. 1t might be a. good ruler, but
it was a ruler nevertheless.
The result was that seekers after
legislation endeavored to control the
conventions Of one or both parties, and
the seekers after special privileges
for they outdid all the
others in contributing, campaign funds
and employing lawyers and politicians
One Of the methods used by the art
full campaign managers was to debase
the convention system. They changed