The Cairo bulletin., 1908-05-05
TWO THIRDS RULE
MADE HISTORY
DOUGLAS WOULD HAVE BEEN
PRESIDENT INSTEAD or LIN
COLIN AND WAR AvERTED.
IT MAY DEFEAT BRYAN
AS II Did Douglas-Growing Dlsposi
ton in Party to Abrogate Rule
and Let Majority Name Can
didate at Denver.
Special to The Bulletin.

/ Special to The Bulletin.
Springfield, ILL.,. May 4.-lWhen the
Illinois delegates to the Democratic
national convention arrive at Denvcs
in July they will very likely be cen
4 fronted with a proposition to abolish
the twothirds rule This is the time
! honored rule OF the Democratic party
! for the nomination OF its candidates
| for president 1t was first applied Ia
1882, when Andrew Jackson dominated
the party and from that day to the
present time II has been religously
adhered TO as one OF the sacred ira
ditions of the party Efforts TO abro
gate the rule have been made and
then. but never any approach to sue
cess.
T. not hard to guess where the
: Illinois delegation will stand on the
proposition to abolish the two-thirds
rule. The two-thrds rule Is just now
the most portentions ohstfarle in the
way of Mr. Bryans nomination at Dan
yer Mr.. Bryan would like to have
II the rule set aside. for not only does
lit menace his personal success this
year. but he Is strongly supported In
the argument that on general prin
| ciples (apart from personal cpnsil
lerations) the rule Is wholly out of
harmony with the Democratic prin-
| lciple OF majority rule. The Illinois
delegates are nominally Bryan men,
because they are under instructions
to "use all honorable means 70 Sc
oure Bryans nomination; but. as =
lwell known, majority Of the dele
gates are. really against the Nebras
kan and II he seeks to have the two
thirds rule abolished that will .be
good reason why the Illinoisans should
uphold the two thirds rule may mean
the deafeat of Bryan-an end just nov
eagerly sought by large element In
| the party Gov. johnson and every
other presidential possibility that may
| develop between now and July Will
stand for the ancient rule of the party.
It Is curious coincidence that
| there was cnce upon time strenu-
Gus desire on the part OF the Illinois
delegates to a Democratic national con.
vention to relegate the two-thirds rule
| TO the political junk pile. That was IN
the celebrated convention at CahT
lesion. s. c., in 1860, when the two
thirds rule stood In the way Of the
nomination of Stephen A. Douglas of
| Illinois. The Illinois delegation and
| the Northern Democracy generally
went to Charleston enthusiastically for
the Little Giant" On the initial bal
lot Douglas received t43la votes to
Il0fh cast fer all other candidates
some of the states not being represent,
ed, through the adverse action of tho
credentials committee or through re-
fusal to participate. On many of the
subsequent ballots Douglas had a clear
majority OF full convention, but IL
Irequired 202 votes to nominate. 1t will
be recalled that after the Southern
delegates had seeded, and after fifty
seven ballots had failed to result in
nomination under the iron-clad two
thirds rule. the convention took an
adjournment to Baltimore and there
Douglas was nominated while the "sa
feeders, holding a separate eonven-
ton. nominated John C. Breckenridge
It seems clear enough now. in the
light Of history. that the two.thirds
rule was an extremely important fac
tor in determining the fate of the
Democracy in 1860 If the majority
rule had prevailed Douglas would have
been ominated at the outset and In all
probability there would have been no
"split' and no "seceders' convention"
The Southerners very likely would
have taken their medicine. and gone
home resigned to the acceDtance of
Douglas as the party's choice The
bitterness engendered in the Drotract
cd contest caused an inevitable divis
ion in the party. The seriousness Of
This schism was not as clear at that
moment as It became later In the
"amDaign. Even Horace Greeley. writ
ing in the New York Tribune predict
ed that the presidential ticket of the
Iseceders (Breckenride and Lanel
would not make such a showing on the
lpepuIar vote I'VE predict that Dong
las mad Fitzpatrick will beat It in the
Inopular vote In the slave states anil
run It ont of sight in the free states
In Douglas could rave been nominated
without a fight that extended over
several weeks. necessitating an adj
iournment to another citv It IS not inn
nossible that he instead Of lincoln.
IwonId have been elected nresident in
November of that vear-9n event that
would have changed the course II
history and the destiny of the Demo-
cratic marty.
II will be seen therefore. why inter
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