Omaha daily bee., 1911-03-05
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n ~ 0euA OF AuH LmMnu states with
out an opposing candidate SO
was his successor In office.
John Adams. In the language
ui the street. the presidency was. in the
1ase OF these distinguished uatriots.
hanoed 70 him on silver platter" The
presidency went. ~ # were by common
consent 10 the founders OF the republic 10
Nh"n grateful people looked for con
tlnueo service and guidance.
In the early DAYS OF president -rbo,-ir,.
Aoooruing 70 the primitive wuy was ne
simple compared 10 modern methods as
kindergarten exercise beside a cours, IN
four-dimensiun mathematics Since then
the changes. although gradual bsv. bs.r
marked ana have led ND 10 our p-eueut
complicated convention nomination. tbpt
make the Electoral college but rpecbpui-
ca device FOR registerinE the popular DE-
claion as between rival party organizations
II was the fluks that almost installed
aaron Burr as president instead OF
Ihomas Jefferson. that forced the initial
nominations Of the plan Of the president
choosing agreed upon by the trainers Of the
constitution
OriEin Of National ConvsHtions.
Originally. members OF the Electoral coi-
lege were 10 vote FOR two persons. the ons
receiving the highest number OF votes Ia no
president and the next highest 10 be vice
president. The danger OF a succession thar
would pull the political lever each time
from one sloe 10 the other made Imperative
Ihe cnanEe by which the electors should
vote for only one person for president and
Tor another for vice president. Tvo M
three object leBsonH too Of frresponsjbl.
nd nff
teEe, throwing the choice Of president 10
the house or OF vice president 10 the sen
aye because no one had q majority OF the
votes cast. showed the necessity OF center
ING the efforts Of the newly aligned poIifI-
cal parties each on a single presidential
ticket and OF imposing on the members OF
the Electoral college q moral obligation 10
cast their ballots uniformly for the nom
inees OF the party which had elected them
Inc 1orerunner OF our national nominal
ING convention OF the caucus or conference
OF members OF congress OF the same polftl-
CA 1aith who got together on their own
initiative and without any mandate from
their constituents assumed TO advise ss IN
who. In their judgment was entitled 10 n.
recognized as the party standard bearer
This caucus must necessarily have proveo
to be too crude and unsatisfa Glory to serve
long as the president choosing machinery
In such an RssemblREe. only those states
and districts represented in congress by
members Of one and the same politicsl
party had voice and all the others wer.
left without representation. II was to rem
edy these defects and 10 enable the rank
and file % the parties wherever they
might be. TO exercise ut least a nominal
control Of the presidential nomination that
the national convention. meeting every
-four years. came 10 evolved as we know f.
lH the COnventIOH 9 FaIIureF
The first OF these nominating oonvsn-
tons, made up OF Delegates commissioned
for that purpose met in 1892 more than
forty wears Rfter the first presidential cleo
ton. To he sure, the credentials of mem
bership were not too critically scrutinized.
nor were there full delegations from each
state in the union in the early conven-
tons; Yet they we're really representative
and their nominations were. as q rule. Ac-
cepted as the Official DEGREES OF their re-
Hpective parties. In time national com
mittees were appointed TO carr on the
work OF the campaign and 10 az for the
party in arranging the preliminaries OF the
next convention. A form OF party orEani-
zation, with 8 fundamental law OF party
government and rules TO be observed by
conventions and committees came into sx-
istencs, was perfected and modified 10 meet
new conditions, and became the established
custom and constitution OF the political
parties.
The PRONUNCIATION OF presidential tickets
by national nominating conventions com
posed OF delegates chosen IN convention to
represent state and congressional districts
In the same number Oater in double the
number) OF senators and Representatives in
congress has prevailed for more than sew
enty-five years All our presidents since
Andrew jackson have come TO us by this
way and 10 say that president choosing
by convention IL an utter failure and Is q
denial OF popular government is an indiot-
meHt OF almost the whole political history
of our country.
That there are no defects in the existing
convention system calling for remedy. /
would be the last 10 assert The greatest
weakness is the arbitrary apportiunment
without relation TO party strength In the
various states. The persistence with which
those already In official place force them
selves into the conventions and as dele
gates seek 10 make and unmRke the exc
cutive. who in theory forms a coordinate
and independent branch OF the government
rs another, The opportunities FOR special in
tereEts 10 exert their influence under cover
through these and other agencies consti-
tute still another fault, although they
would doubtless also be eXerted 10 greater
or less degree In any form OF president
choosing
shall We Adopt tbe Primary
II is now declared by some that the ma
tiunRl nominating convention has quite
outlived It's usefulness and must soon give
way 90 . nationwide primary for direct
choice OF presidential candidates. Presi-
dent choosing by direct primary is pro
claimed the closest approximation TO true
democracy. % must be admitted that the
.den thus advanced is In itself attractive
that Theoretically q presidential primary
for nominating candidates is the logical
outgrOWth OF the direct primary for
dominating candidates for local and
state arsiees. The propaganda Tor q new
way OF presidsnt-oh0osing. apparently
revolutionary. warrants an inquiry ar 10
what assurance n offers OF curing ex-
listing evils, how far IL is feasible. nnd II
feasible how such change would have
10 be brought about Discussion Of this
subject Is, ] believe. timely because Ore
son NJ the last election adopted an act