The Washington herald., 1908-03-08
CONVENTIONS OF 1908
HOW THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES
WILL BE SELECTED

tional convention. to be held in Denver.
Colo. on July Z has been reduced 10 2
minimum by the fact that there Is 50 far
no organized opposition to the nomination
/ or W. J. Bryan for President and no
avowed candidate against him. Because
! OF the great distance from the East and
| the expense involved. IL is expected that
the attendance al the convention from
Eastern states VIII be very light Il Is
/ practically admitted that Mr. Bryan and
/ his friends viii control the convention
\ almost without effort unless some con-
servatiye Democrat comes forward as a
candidate in a short time
/ 1000 at st. Louis i'm 1901.
The Democratic national convention OF
1894 met in the city Of St Louis with 900
voting delegates present adopted a party
platform that did not satisfy any element
OF the party. nominated for President
man whose public record had in no way
distinguished him above thousands Of his
fellow partisans. man unknown TO nine
tenths Of the delegates who voted for his
nomination, and nominated for Vice Pres
ident a man who was the choice of a few
party managers who helped 10 bring
about the selection OF Judge Parker FOR
first place on the ticket
The St Louis convention did not at any
time during its sessions In any way re-
semble a delibeTatiTe body. Few OF the
delegates could hear the proceedings The
spectators ran riot. A score OF orators.
some OF Them men Of national reputation.
/ were Jeered into silence and hOOted from
the platform. The presiding officers were
al times pelted with wads OF paper. and
their attempts to keep order served only
TO amUse the crowd
Judge Parker was nominated for Presi-
dent not because Of his record or any
real personal preference for him by
majority OF the convention, but for the
reason that his friends had by practical
politics obtained for him the votes OF al
most tEo-thirds Of the delegates. and the
opposition 70 him was hOpelessly divided.
Convention of 1892.
The first national convention OF polit-
ical party in this country was brought
about by two OF the greatest practical
politicians Of the last century. Andrew
Jackson and Martin Van Buren. That
1 convention. held in iSS2 was for two pur-
lposes-to nominate Jackson for President
fand TO 50 0ISanize the Democratic party
that 1t could be controlled by the prac-
teal politicians OF the organization. Both
purposes We're accomplished The result
Of one Of the Inconsistencies Of the con-
stitutional method Of electing a President
caused a tightening and strengthening OF
party lines, led up 10 the FIRST national
convention. and brought about the system
Of practical or machine politics.
( IN 1924 Andrew Jackson and John Quincy
Adams were the leading candidates before
the country for President Jackson re-
ceived a plurality OF The popular vote.
carried a majority OF the States and had
d plurality in the electoral college. but
ne could not ob-ain a majority over all in
the latter, and the election was thrown
into the House of Represen There
the vote. as provided by the Constitution
was by States, and after a long and Bit
ter contest, Adams was elected President.
jackson Was Practical.
That is one striking case in the history
Of the republic when q majority Of the
people did not rule in Presidential elec-
ti0n. Jackson Was a practical politician
and believed in organization With the
,aid Of Van Buren and other followers he
had the Democratic party 50 well organ
lied by 1S2S that candidates OF the two
parties were formally nominated by the
legislatures OF the several States The
voting was on party lines and Jackson
was elected To defeat opposition in his
: own party ne used Federal patronage to
strengthen himself, and tour years later
he had perfected his organization and
was unanimously renominateG by the first
national convention, which was held in
Baltimore in May. 1SS2
The convention that had been brought
about by Jackson and Van Buren adopted
the famous twO-thiTdS rule. which 10 This
day remains an unwritten and unviolated
law Of the Democratic party. That rule
has twice resulted in the nomination CT
Presidents who we're not candidates fJr
the nomination before the conventions
that named them The successful acci-
dents were James X Polk and Franklin
Pierce.
l. No System of Elections.
The idea that national conventions are
composed Of delegates representing the
wishes Of a majority OF the voters Of
party cannot be long entertained by any
one who viii devote a little thought and
study 10 the methods that prevail in mod
ern politics. There is no uniform svs-
TEN Of electing delegates. From the
States there are two delegates from every
Congressional district, and four from the
State at large. IN some States all the
deiegatcs Of Gle party are elected by The
State convention, while IN the same state
the other party reverses this plan and
elects district delegates by district con-
venuons and those at large by a State
convention Different methods also pre-
vail in The matter Of instructing delegates
how they are 10 vote But these COR
ficting methods are mere details of the