Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-06
TO Do AWAY WITH SATI0NAL
CONVENTIONS.

| 1t is already suggested and the id6
seems to be taking root and growing,
hat the existing presidential primary
,vstem give way to one that, even
more than it, throws the power di-
-ectly into the hands of the people OF
selecting presidential candidates.
The suggestion is made, and the
'Progressives" are more than apt lgto
AXE it up with a vim after the pres
ent battle is over, that the selection OF
the party candidates be dependent on
the popular vote of the party in the
entire country, the prefer ence being
depressed in primary elections held il
every state on the same day, the man
SECURING the majority vote becoming
by virtue of that fact the accredited
lEominee of his panty, doing away with
national conventions entirely
1t is pointed out that this will put
an end to the dickering that marks
national conventions and that it will
cntrust the people in the mass with
the power that should belong 20
them. of having the man they really
want as the candidate.
One of the chief virtues of this
arrangement would be the placing OF
power where it belongs in each party,
and not permitting the sentiments of
the majority to be overriden by the
use of delegates representing little
save themselves. The new system
would relieve the Republican party
North of the incubus of the Republi-
can party South, and the Democratic
party, strong in so many states, would
not be dominated, as it all too fire.
Quently is, by the delegates from states
that have never gone Democratic and
where the party is in hopeless min
ority, such as Pennsylvania, for in
stance
} The system of selecting presidential
: candidates has seen several changes
during the course of the country's his
tory, and another and most radical of
all changes seems to be now in pros
pect. The change could hardly be
: for the worse. 1t would really enable
} the people to express their personal
preference with the assurance that
, they would prevail, whereas, as I
: now is, state conventions are manipu-
) lated and the national convention be-
! comes hall for barter.
The Saturday Evening Post has this
= to say about one phase of the PROPOSE
: tion that dealing with that unique
character in politics, the Republican
delegate from the South, holding Fed
: eral Office or out for office, and reD-
: resenting nothing save himself and 4
few others of the same stripe:
= "A number of states in the Soutr
! will send at least two delegations tC
| the Republican national convention
= Consequently, with only trifing add
Z tional expense and trouble, the Repub
? lican party of the South might be as
0 sembled en- masse in Chicago il
lune-to get a personal view of the
pie wagon and to receive at the hands
of the party leaders that distinguishes
consideration to which it's tremendou,
strategic importance entities it. Il
= the momentous matter of choosing 4;
|, candidate and platform, as every
a body knows, Louisiana Republican
y counts for as much as a whole villag,
population of Iowa Republicans. /,
o doesn't sem fitting that a person o
: this relatively enormous weight SHOULD
= be a thousand miles away-probabl,
engaged in very humdrum labor
: when the party is holding it's quad
: iennial national convention! H,
ought to be at hand, where his prefer
= ences could be consulted. We urg!
@ the point now, because four year!
hence, in all probability, presidential
: candidates will be chosen by the vot
: ers of the party and Southern Re.
y publican will count for no more thar
d g Northern one"
:. The next step, of course, would be
the election of presidents by populal
t vote, instead of the present electoral
d system. 1t may be years before that
o is brought about but the trend seems
e decidedly in that direction.