New-York tribune., 1908-05-28
CONTESTS At CHICAGO.

Estimates vary as 70 the number Of con
! tests for seats in the Republican National Con
vention which the national committee viii have
II pass on in preparing temporary convention
roll Il * possible that claims involving as
many as tUo hundred seats will he submitted
Yet more than half Of these may he CLASSIFIED
/ in advance as essentially frivolous and arrii-
ciaI. and probably two-thirds Of them are
brought with no other intention than 70 estab-
lish 4 right 70 recognition IN the distribution
~ honors and Offices Il has long been lam
entable scandal a. Republican national con
ventions thai representatives of states in which
the Republican vote 81 the polls * negligible
come n national gathering intent much less on
helping u strengthen tie party by nominating
acceptable candidates and adopting a rational
platform tha1 N making an internal fight for
2 few scraps q political patronage. What
ara We haze fc- except for the Offices" inquired
the immortal Web Flanagan, once dele
za-e from Texas That Is unhappily the atti-
rude which Iaads 70 50 much factionalism in
th- lower Southern states. and which prompts
-he Republicans II those states 10 elect so many
rt-aI claimants % seats in a national Conven-
rtoc-
We -r71st that Tia national committee will set
t-s fsce against these frivolous exhibitions Of
selfsh competition. There are in states like
Texas Louisiana. Mississippi and Alabama,
where only a beggaTly Republican vote was
cast n 1e0S for Congressman, two separate Re
publican organizations each existing. appar-
entity. only for the purpose Of fighting the other
a. national conventions. II IS absurd to expect
the convention TO treat their factional dissen-
sions seriously. If they had any sense of party
duty they would vote and act together and let
rhe ma jority in each state and district elect IN
contested delegations. Their continual divisions
are menace to the welfare Of the national
organization. for they set at naught the prin-
ciple Of majority rule and open the door to
all sorts Of corrupt manipulation. 1t would save
a great deal Of trouble and scandal If in those
states the present irresponsible system OF
choosing delegates should be abandoned and
delegates should be named at primaries in
which only qualified Republican voters were
allowed 10 participate.
As The Tribune has more than once said ii is
unfair 10 reproach all the Southern states
equally with a lack Of responsible party govern
ment. The party in Missouri Arkansas, Okla
homa. Virginia. Tennessee and North Carolina
is intelligentlv and effectively organized, and
its procedure IN electing delegates is as regular
as In the average Northern or Western state.
In South Carolina and Georgia this year there
has been q smaller display of factionalisln than
usual. In Florida. however. and in the other
Gulf states there has been apparently no ma
chinery available fer declaring decsively the
real will Of majority Of the Republican
electors. The results reached represent roughly.
no doubt. the preferences Of those electors. But
some means should be provided for protecting
the will Of the majority from being challenged
by means Of arbitrary and INSCRIPTIONS con
tests.
Probably not more than ninety-eight or one
hundred of the contests made at Chicago in
vove Presidential preferences, and their set
tlement Will not greatly prejudice the chances
Of any Presidential candidate. The national
committee can insure substantial justice by fol-
lowing certain rules for establishing prmG fdcie
regularity. The convention itself will event
ually have 10 approve all disputed titles, and it
will doubtless be quite as fair in adjudicating
rival claims as its predecessors have been. But
Republican national conventions should not be
hindered longer with these demOralizing dis
putes. Some means should be devised of or
ganizng the party in the Gulf states on re
sponsible, self governing basis