The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-31
CONVENTION REPRESENTATION

we nave TCtclNcu from tlc "N'i'-
quarters of the National Progressive
Republican League in Washington a
| circular protesting against the present
| method OF representation i'll the M
! tional Republican Conventions. Gestcr'
dav morning dispatches had the call
| The present method Is, to allow TWO
delegates for each Senator and two Tor
each Representative in Congress IRON
the several States. This gives TO the
South u rcprcs cntntion in the Kcpnp'
| licau Conventions out of all proper
| ton to the vote 1T casts for the candi'
dates when named. and an influence
| in naming them out Of all reason
| There is scarcely the possibility OF any
electoral votes from the South being
east for Republican nominee for the
| Presidency. And yet the Southern delc-
gates may force upon the North, which
| has tho burden Of clccting the candl'
dates, nominees that the North does
not favor.
This condition Of affairs has caused
reslivcncss in the Republican party for
great many years. Mr.. Crumpacker
| of Indiana has been earnest IN trying
To have the method changed, 50 that
the delegates in the National Repub.
licau Convention Will represent Repub.
lean votes cast and not merely States
without any reference 10 the party 5
I strength. AS it is now. the deleSa'
| tons from the Southern States are
| enormously padded. and 4 Republican
in any one of those States has voice
IN the party convention from five &c
| ten or twelve times as powerful as the
voice of q Republican in Republican
! State. This. of course. is all wrong
it is not good party politics. either
| Ii is, in fact liable to destroy the
party, and might at any time weaker
| il by forcing nominations that the
great mass of the Republicans do not
approve,
1t appears that the Progressive Re
publican League has taken UP tho
| Crumpackcr idea and made it fca
turc of its campaign. The circular!
from that league propose the making
up of the convention by allowing cacl
Of the forty-six States four delegate.
at large. the other representation tc
| be made up on basis of one delegate
for each $500 votes. or major Fraction
| thereof. cast four wears ago for Pres
ident Taft The total number of dele
gates remains tho same rs before nm
| der this plan rs worked out; but the
| Southern States are allowed but from
onc.half to one.fifth the delegates they
now receive: and the delegates whicl
| they lose are apportioned TO those
States which have Republican voter:
| i'll them. Thus Alabama. which has
now twcuty-four delegates. will be al
lowed seven; Mississippi. which ha.
! twenty votes. will have five; Soutl
Carolina. which has eighteen votes. vii
| he allowed four: and so oil through tn,
| list; the representation being. save foI
the four delegates at large from Gael
State, apportioncd on the Rcpublical
| vote.
There is no doubt but some sucl
form ought To be adopted by the Re
publican party: bur a straight appor
tioument OH votes would he best. witt
no lump allowance TO States as such
In every convention under the prcsou
system the party itself is in peril. Tn
delegates from the South arc ofteI
vcnaI in one form or another. holdinl
their votes for terms. either III poll,
ica] patronage or for q money consid
Grafton,
The Democrats avoid this peril II
their conventions by the two-third
rule. This requires a candidate to hav
two-thirds Of all the delegates in orde
TO secure nomination. In the Rcpul
lean convention however. maiorit
nominates. SO that The peril is yer,
real. If the Progressive Republican
should cut no greater figure in III
next National convention than TO sc
cure reform III this matter. the organ
ization would have done excellent wor
for the party
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