The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-19
DEFECTS IN THE SYSTEM

Other defects in the party system of national conventions, manifested, yesterday. under the strain of the contest between Roosevelt and Taft. The matter in point came up on the motion of Governor Hadley of Mis- souri, who. sought to amend the tenn porary roll as prepared by the na tional committee.
 Victor Rosewater. chairman of the national committee, whose duty it was to call the convention to order, ruled that prior to organization there could be no convention, and that no business of any kind could be con ducted, not even an appeal from the chair to the body of delegates. Un- der his ruling. there could be no con vention. prior to organization, but merely a mass meeting.
 This ruling seems to be about the only one that could be properly made under the circumstances. The con trary would be to permit anybody and everybody claiming to be a del egate to vote.
 Nevertheless real wrong existed The body which passed upon the right of any delegate to participate in the temporary organization was the na- tional committee, and this committee was largely made up of men whose terms were about to expire and who were out of touch with the people in the sections which had formerly seat ed them.
 These men heard and decided con- tests from all parts of the United States, in many instances not accord ing to justice, but according to their arbitrary desire to accomplish a par ticular result the nomination of MT. Taft.
 Thus the way was. paved. and might again be paved. for that which Gov -ernor Hadley described as "a. fraudu- lent nomination" si,aa
 The fraudulent basis once estab- lfshed tends to continue. The dele gates fraudulently seated vote upon the acceptance of the. roll of the per- manent organization. and thus tend to control the entire deliberations of the tainted body.
 Two remedies present themselves. The first is for national federal pri- mary for the nomination of president, held under federal laws. The most feasible of these plans would submit the name of the presidential candi- dates direct. and he having the plu- rality vote should prevail. This sys- tenn might within brief time tear down party lines.
 But if the delegate system is to prevail and national conventions are to be held, there should be some, method of determining the right of delegate to his seat before he passes the borders of his own state
 It seems preposterous that vol- untary committee, without judicial powers of any kind. should be final authority in the performance of functions that have a direct and vital bearing upon the government of the nation.
 What better tribunal could there be for the trial of delegate disputes than the courts of the state within which the dispute occurs There the legality of any delegation might be decided according to rule, and the delegation finally sent from that state would be conclusively it's representative, un- seatable for partisan or other pur- poses by committee of gentlemen representing all the states.
 Even if it might sometimes happen that the decision of a state court proved unjust to a contesting dele gate. or delegates, this would be sell dom, and no condition within the bounds of human possibility would arise where so much injustice and so- cial injury would be done, as is now accomplished by the seating and un-
 
 seating of delegates en masse accord ing to the prevailing prejudice of national committee.
 The Chicago convention is probably the last national convention which will ever nominate for one of the old parties candidate for president of the United States
 The direct primary system will su- persede the convention system. The Chicago convention is hybrid. It's tail and most of it's body proceed from the direct primary. It's head and horns are a product of the boss system derived from state and dis trict conventions.