The weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Craig County, Okla.) 1905-1913, 1912-03-08
NO DEADLOCK AND
NO DARK HORSES


tually admit the New Jersey governor
VII go into the Baltimore convention
with a plurality. if not majority. of
the votes is proved by the fact that
their agents are industriously spread
ing the report that even if Wilson gets
a majority he cannot get the neces-
sary two-thirds vote required by dem
ocratic traditions and rules. Some of
these agents point out that Bland was
defeated in 1896 by Bryan, although
the Missourian had majority on the
first ballot. The best answer to this
statement, say friends of Governor
Wilson, is that it isn't true. There
We're 76S votes in the Chicago conven-
tion OF 1896. On the first ballot Mr..
Bland led with 235, less than one-third
of the whole, and the next highest
man was Mr.. Bryan with 119 votes.
Bland's highest vote was in the third
ballot when he received POI to Bryan's
219 No other candidate mustered
more than a hundred votes On the
fifth ballot Bryan was nominated.
Further analysis of the history of
political conventions shows that the
bugaboo about the two-thirds rule and
its deadlocks and dark horses is un-
founded. In the present instance the
wish is apparently father to the
thought, since the most earnest talk
ers about the dangers of the two-thirds
rule are the very men who would like
to see a dark horse named.
No man who ever received a major
ity of the votes in democratic ma
tional convention ever failed to get
the necessary two-thirds with the one
exception of Martin Van Buren, in
1874. Dark horses have been nomi-
mated by democratic conventions only
three times-Pollk in 1914 Pierce in
1852 and Seymour in 1868 In the other
seventeen of the twenty conventions
held by the democrats since 1882 the
man with the plurality ct the first has
been nominated. OF course exception
must be made In the case of 1860 when
Douglas nomination was made only
after bolt
The republican party has held only
fourteen conventions and from the first
it has made nominations by majority
vote Yet this system has produced
three dark horses, Hayes, Garfield and
Harrison, and four times has defeated
the candidate who led on the first
ballot with plurality
In 1860 Seward had the plurality and
was defeated by Lincoln; in 1875
Blaine had the plurality and was de-
feated by Hayes; in 1880 Grant had
the plurality in his fight for third
term and was defeated by Garfield,
while in 1885 Sherma nhad the lead
and was beaten by Harrison.
The effort to weaken the faith of
the Wilson following by asserting that
even if he gets a majority he cannot
win the nomination is reduced to an
absurdity when examined in the light
of history.
Representative Daniel j. McGilli-
cuddy of Maine denied today that he
had endorsed the candidacy of Speak
er Clark as claimed in a statement
given out from the Clark headquarters
last night. Two weeks ago the Maine
Congressman gave out an interview in
which he came out strong for Cover
nor Wilson and declared that the New
Jersey executive could carry Maine In
both the democratic primaries and In
the November elections, If nominated.
y am for Governor Wilson said
Mr. Gillicuddy today, 'sand have never
wayered In my determination to sup
lport his candidacy am for him as
strongly as was week ago and
have never made statement to a
newspaper man or anyone else that
could be construed into an endorse
ment of Speaker Clark's candidacy,
Il have received an invitation to
Speaker Clark's birthday dinner to be
given March 7. which took to be a
purely social invitation. 1t may be
that someone jumped at the conclusion
that l was a Clark man because re-
ceived this invitation.
Il am for Governor Wilson and
have no second choice"
That Governor Wilson will be the
choice Of the democrats at the Balti
more convention is regretfully admit
ted by republican leaders Two in.
teresting u4+eranees indicating as
much have been carried in press dis
patches of the past few days.
An Associated Press dispatch from
{ San Antonio quoted Col, Cecil Lyon
: republican national committeeman
t from Texas as saying IF Mr.. Roose
velt is not nominated-that is if Mr.
Taft is nominated-we might as vel
bepin addressing Woodr w Wilson as