Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-06-13

Cept minority report or the committee
on credentials, If one Is presented. thus
possibly undoing the action Of both the
national am credentials committees
AS delegates on the temporary roll
vote on the question Of temporary organ
ization and later on the question of the
permanent roll-the only exception being
that contested delegates may not vote on
their own qualihcations-it IL easy to see
that the action Of the national committee,
although not necessarily final, must have
an extraordinary influence on the result.
PROCEDURE IN CONVENTION.
The procedure Is similar in all conven-
tons. After the temporary organization
Is effected. the committees are chosen
and an ad journment Is taken to allow
them to prepare their reports OF these
committees the most important are the
cred entails committee. the duties of which
have already been outlined, and the reso-
lutiOns committee. which prepares the
platform. Several readymade platforms
are generally brought to the convention.
Sometimes one of these is accepted al
| most as It stands. In other cases. there
| is a good deal of amendment In COM
mittee, and on several occasions there
have been amendments to the platform
presented on the floor and accepted after
the resolutions committee had refused
to include them In their draft. Accept
ance Of the platform. which follows the
permanent organization of the conven-
tion. and precedes the nominations. fire.
quently gives rise to prolonged debate.
After the platform has been adopted.
the nomination Of candidates for presi-
dent is In order, and the roll OF States is
| called. Usually, some State at the head
OF the roll gives way to another lower
down the list, in order that selected
speaker may present a candidates name
Ordinarily candidate picks the dele
gate who Is to make the nominating
speech for him.
| It is in the balotinC on candidates that
the differences mentioned in the demo
cratic and republican convention become
a matter OF importance. The two-third:
rule which democratic conventions follow
was adopted in the days when there
was great irreg,larity in regard to tn,
basis of represt ntation in the severa
States, and when some such rule seem
ed advisable. Although contrary to al
generally accepted ideas OF a1ortty rule
IL has been retained by democratic con
Ventions in spite of severe criticism. Tn
unit rule. under which the votes of an,
state are cast as a unit. thereby nullify
Ing any opposition that may have foun
expression In the choice of district dele
gates, is also of early origin. 1t ha
never been accepted regularly by republi
can convention. although in 1850, an
earlier attempts were made to have
adopted.
Historically. the democratic nationa
convention is older than the republican
Just as the party itself is Of earle
orr gin. The Baltimore meeting will be III
twenty-tirst national nominating conven
ton Of the Democratic party. The Chi
cago convention will he tho fifteenth tina
has gathered under the name OF repuh
lican. The first national democratic gath
ering was in 1882, when Jacksonville un
animous choice OF his party for re.elec
; t!on-inspred his kitchen cabinet" to Sc
under way a national assembly for tn
nomination of Martin Van Buren,. whor
he had chosen to be his running mat
as Vice President.
JACKSON MEN IN CONTROL.
, This catherine which. like most Of tn
, democratic conventions prior TO the CIV
War. met at Baltimore, was strangel
1 called ana strangely constituted. TIL
initiative was taken by the jackson me
in the New Hampshire Legislature. VIII
I adopted resolutions endorsing Jackso
for reelection and recommended the cal
. ing of "a national cory ention for the pul
nose of naming y candidate for Vice
President only. The suggestion" thu
put forth was taken up by the Jackso
press, and the delegate we're elected.
Tn, number Of DELEGATES was suppose
+ 10 ne equal to the electoral vote OF eac
state, although this rule was not strict
, ~ adhered to. Every state but Missouri
a was represented in the convention whic
approved Jacllsons plan. and name
: Van buren, for vice-president. reese
luton adopted at this gathering provic
I'd the requirement of two-thirds' ma
Jority for nomination, the beginning {
the historic but undemocratic two-third
y rule. which has prevailed in every Demo
1 cratic convention down to the presen
5 Jackson's Administration WAS endorse
, by resolution, but no platform was adop,
Z ed although a special committee was en-
e nowered to draw up an address to I'll
= people
= From 1926 on. the convention syStei
I has been firmly established by all natior
j al parties as the means OF placing car
y didates for the presidency ana Vlce-pres