El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-18

W"z ASHINGTON, d. c., June IS
AA/ Each of the two principal 20
W liticaI parties has held three
national conventions since 1S96-the six
caImest and most uneventful conven-
tions in our history. During all that
time the Republican party has been
absolutely dominant in national affairs
and the Democrats have had nothing to
encourage them but that hope that
springs eternal in the breast Of every
follower Of Jefferson.
During the political period covered
by the three presidential campaigns Of
1900, 1904 and 1908, no radical change
in the constitution Of either party took
place; there was no division Of Opin-
ion that served to divide any cOnven-
ton along well marked lines; and
there was in both parties a manifest
disposition on the part Of the voters
TO submit unQueStlOnlngly to the declS-
ion Of the regular party authorities in.
all matters 1t is true that marked
schism took place in the Republican
ranks, succeeded by a similar, even If
less noisy division in Democratic ranks,
directly after the last presidential cam
paign; but it is left for the national
conventions this week in Chicago and
next week at Baltimore to determine
whether conservative or progressive
thought shall control in the respective
organizations.
No Convention Changes.
In no one OF the six national cOnven-
lions Of the big parties held during this
period has there been any change in
the organic law controlling party or
ganizatiOn- The three Democratic con-
VentiOns without a word of debate ac-
cepted and affirmed the tWO-thirds
rule and the unit rule that ire the dis
tinguishing characteristics Of Demo-
cratic conventions; and no voice was
raised TO suggest any change in the
scheme of appOrtiOnment except with
70 AnnwrfmU
a policy consistent with their anti-iEl-
perialistic views. the Democrats at
Kansas City in 1900 refused TO admit
delegates from the Philippine islands,
although FilipinOs had been admitted to
the Republican convention al Philadel-
phia a few weeks before. The Demo-
Gratis have adhered to this policy, al
though the Democratic national com
mittee, meeting last January, included
Philippine representation in the
call for the national convention OF
1912. Therefore FllpinOs viii be pres
ent at a Democratic convention for the
first time q L Baltimore next week.
in every Republican convention since
that Of 1884 there has been a sentiment
IN favor Of radical change in the ap-
pOrtiOnment of delegates Since 1854
the national convention OF both parties
have been made up Of twice as many
delegates as each state has electors in
the electoral colleges. This gives the
Democratic state of Mississippi. where
actly the same strength in the national
convention as Kansas, which is almost
always certainly Republican.
In Democratic conventions since 1892
the state has been universally recOg-
mixed as the unit-mOdeling the party
constitution exactly upon the consti-
tutional plan for the election of a pres
ident, with the exception that two
thirds is required 10 nominate, where
as only a majority of the presidential
electors choose president. The unit
rule, by which all of the delegates
from a state vote the entire voting
strength of the state in accordance with
the desires Of a majority Of tn dele
gates from that state, or in compliance
with the instructions of the state con-
Vention or primary that appointed the
delegates. therefore. has been a feature
or every Democratic convention.
IN the Republican conventions the I
congressional district and not the ]
state has been the unit. and therefore
the state unit rule has not been ap- /
piled This system was at first mere |
ly a result OF common consent. but 4
after the unit rule had been definitely 4
rejected by the national conventions !
Of 1876 and 1880, provision for election /
OF delegates by districts rather than 4
by state was explicitly made by the I
convention OF 1854 the first in which I
MI Roosevelt was factor. In that I
same convention Of 1884, IL was pro-
posed to base the appOrtionment OF del /
eSates on Republican votes cast and 7
not upon the number OF electors. This i
movement has been revived at every /
Republican convention since that time I
and four years ago the convention I
that nominated Mr.. Taft rejected the |
new scheme, as proposed by senator
Bourne, OF oregon, by margin Of only !
Sc votes
Growth Of the Primary Sentiment.
Since the last national conventions
were held strong movement for the 1
election and instruction of delegates in
primaries has sprung up in all parts Of !
the country and the RAPID growth Of |
this idea has LED many observers 10 |
predict that the national conventions
OF 1912, meeting this week and next !
week, viii be the last delegated ma
uonal political party conventions ever
held in the United States.
In 1900 the Republicans met at Phil
adelphia on June 25. They nominated
Roosevelt for vice president
Dy a unanimous vote. Mr.. Roosevelt,
who was a delegate from New York,
cast the only dissenting vote, not VOt-
ing for himself Indeed, for days Nj
roosevelt refused 10 accept the vice
presidency, which was popularity re-
garded as a mausOleum in which sena-
tor 7. c. Platt desired to embalm the
crushed and mutIlated ambition OF the
hen governor Of New York. No one
then could foresee McKinley's tragic
death, no one then would have believed
that in 1912 Roosevelt would be a for
nidable candidate for third presiden-
tial term.
When Bryan Was UnOpposed.
The Democrats met at Kansas City |
on July .. There was but one voice I
in the convention and that voice was
Tor Bryan. Even David 3. Hill, who
had stood out until the last in the /
Chicago convention Of 1896, came to |
kansas City to urge the nomination Of Z
the peerless leader Only three times
have the Democrats nominated a caudi- !
late fo- president by acclamation-
Van Buren, in 1870, Cleveland in 1888 1
Ind Bryan in 1900.
-Four years later the Republicans met /
lt Chicago on June 23. If there was !
any opposition 20 Theodore Roosevelt | ]
C was too timid to voice itself in that ,
lSsemblage. Mr.. Roosevelt was nOmi- /
mated by reclamation, an honor accord
I'd but to two other Republicans {
irant and Mckinley
The Democrats met in st. Louis on I
July Z. Mr.. Bryan was not a candidate I J
)ut he was a delegate, and although {
defeated in every vote taken i'm the {
he was its hero and its .
arling and he went out of it a bigger j
nan in his party than he was when he q