Las Vegas optic., 1912-06-19
BALTIMOREREADY
FOR DEMOCRATS
next week
CITY is BEAUTIFULLY DECOR
ATED AND HAS MADE CARE
FUL PREPARATIONS


Baltimore, Nd. June 19.-One thou
sand and seventyfour delegates viii
assemble in the Fifth Regiment ar
uory in this city next Tuesday to
name a candidate to run as the demo
kratic party's choice for president
of the United States.
These delegates represent the dem
ocratic voters of AS states, the Dis
trict of Columbia, the District OF
Alaska and the territorial possessions
Of Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines. The number of delegates
exclusive of the territories and insult
ar possessions is twice the number
of United States senators and mem
bers of the house of representatives.
Each delgate to the national con-
vention represents section of the
country peopled by approximately 81
972, ,266 people (according to the CEN
sus Of 1910, of whom at least ~
OaO, 900 are male adults of the voting
age.
The 1914 delegates meet to select
man who will represent the ideas
of the democratic voters as to neces-
sary qualifications for president OF
the United States and to voice their
ideas as to general policies which
should be followed by the chief exc
cutive for the four years succeeding
March 4, 1918. The delegates will
voice these policies in a series CT
resolutions, which, taken together, is
popularly called platform. They
are also to select candidate for vice
president to serve in case of the
death or inability of the president.
theoretically the chioce of the NOM
inees and the framing of the platform
are matters which the delegates take
up as quite fresh subjects, and upon
which they have varying opinions.
but practically, and as result OF
widespread discussion in the daily
press and elsewhere, there are al
ways of late years some well settled
ideas on the subject of candidates
and issues, and a certain unanimity
on many matters from the outset.
In the present instance, however, con
siderably more doubt surrounds the
actions and decisions of the conven-
tion than has been the case for many
years. 1t is generally admitted that
the choice of candidates and the
framing Of the platform will depend
in a great measure upon the results
of the republican national conven-
tion now in session in Chicago.
The democratic convention nomin-
ates presidential candidate by a
two-thirds vote, therefore the winner
in the convention must secure 716l
votes. No candidate in the race has
anywhere near enough instructed
votes to secure the nomination on
first ballot In the order of their
as indicated by the number
of delegates pledged to support them,
the leading candidates are Champ
Clark of Missouri, Woodrow Wilson
Of New Jersey, Oscar w. Under
wood of Alabama and Judson Harmon
Of Ohio.
The standing of these four candi-
1ates indicates their relative strength
IN the first ballot in the convention
next week Their actual strength
will not be known, however, until af-
.er the first ballot, when about 270
delegates and a scatter
ng vote of 80 delegates for Cover
lors Foss of Massachusetts, Baldwin
If Connecticut, Marshall of Indiana
md Burke of North Dakota will be
,ast. These four favorite sons are
to drop out of the contest
Ifter the first ballot, leaving the fight
o the remaining four candidates,
speaker Clark. Governor Wilson, Gov
'rnor Harmon and Representative IN
lerwood. While the second ballot
will probably disclose the actual
strength of these four candidates, it
viii probably require a number of
'allots before the leading candidate
'btains the two-thirds vote necessary
0 nominate. In the event that the
onvenion is unable to make choice
rom among the leading candidates
1