El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-29

] unique institution OF AlleE4-
] can political parties. typifies and en-
/ bodies those peculiar features of our
/ American political system that differ
/ entiate it from all others on earth
/ In every other country politics and
] government are indissOlubly mixed In
/ the United States politics and govern
/ ment are separable, and Of this fact the
/ national convention every four years
I il at once the symbol and the proof.
In England the affairs of the Liberal
I party. now dominant, are entrusted to
( the Liberal members Of parliament, Just
! as are the affairs Of government The
| control and direction of the COnserva-
/ tive party lies IN the hands or the Con-
I sentative members who constitute the
] minority in parliament. So it is IN
Z every other cOuntry-the men elected
/ TO office as the representatives Of po-
1 litical party are at the same time en-
/ trusted with the administration of the
! affairs of that party.
The American Plan.
! In the United States an entirely dif-
: ferent course is pursued. Men elected
| to office are agents and representatives
/ of political parties only to a limited
/ degree. Members Of congress, for in
/ stance by virtue of their constitutional
/ function are absolutely the represents
/ tives Of the people and of the states.
! They hold, however, their commissions
| as representatives OF the political
party with which they affiliate only
] upon condition that they and their acts
| are approved by the party in cOnven-
/ ton assembled. This, at any rate, has
I been the case for more than three score
years, and is still the case except as
/ the individual members of the party.
/ through a primary, have taken the
place of the party convention.
Foreigners always, ard Americans
I often, are amazed when they reflect
( that the American nation leaves the
! choice of its head to an always turbu-
| lent, often riOtOus, but never deliberate,
convention held under circumstances
that preclude the possibility of sober
counsel and calm GnIfhnra tim
such critical observers are apt to for
ger that this national convention, noisy
and passionate as it is. represents, at
ter all, the determination Of the Amer
lean people to rule themselves. Once
every four years members of a political
party send their representatives to .
national gathering which chooses the
candidate Of that party for the highest
office in the land, and which also pro-
muIgates the orthodox statement of the
party position upon the political is
sues Of the time. Such a national con
VentiOn has no standing before the
constitution, is not the creature Of any
ieSaI enactment, and cannot enforce
by judicial process the slightest Of us
mandates.
Commands Always Obeyed.
But yet, from the very beginning, tAe
command Of the national convention
has been more implicitly Obeyed than
the command OF congress itself. A
member of congress elected by that
party may with impunity defy the ma
Jority Of his party associates in con
greSs. and may, indeed, appeal TO the
higher authority OF the convention and
De vindicated- But no candidate dare /
pc olsioyal 10 convention, and even I
for voter publicly to disagree with /
the final act Of the convention Of his |
party was for decades considered an
act Of heresy but little less reprehensi- !
bic than open and overt treason to the I
rag Unless there had been an excel
lent reason, the national convention |
never could nave received this grant Of |
power; never could have exercised this I
absolute authority never could have /
endured the vicissitudes OF changed /
and changing political epOchs.
Since Andrew Jackson every presf-
cent OF the United States has been
CHOSEN by a national party convention. I
only now, in 1912 after 50 years OF \
terlngs against the system, do we be-
gin 10 hear predictions that il soon /
VIII follow its predecessor, the con-
SreSslOnaL caucus to the limbo Of things /
that were. This mUttering and this Drs-
ulctlon come, be il marked, not as the /
result Of a reaction, but Of a radical 4
disposition to progress. The people /
would not give back to the members OF
congress or to the heads OF the pO-
lltlcal parties in office the control OF ]
the parties, as II was IN the days be-
lore the conventions, but rather would
they eliminate even the convention, and
control for themselves, by direct action
taken IN primaries, the destinies Of l
llelr parties. choosing by plebiScite
their candidates, and even voting di-
rectly upon questions Of party policy. /
The Growing Power of the Primary.
II IS an open question whether or
not Jne national convention system or |
the British parliamentary system Of
party control is the more democratic,
out there can be no question that the
present primary movement is the re-
suit OF a demand for theefurther demo-
cratizatton Of the American system. In
the conventions OF 1912 for the first
time a considerable element viii repre-
sent the mower of the primary. dele Z
gates from many states having been
elected and instructed by primaries In
view Of this fact it IS important Tor
every American to consider not only
the present state Of party organizations
IN this country, but also TO review the
past and see through what stages TIE
ried.
The office Of president of the United
States is the highest TO which any man
can hope to be raised by reason OF I
merit and his own efforts unless in
deed, exception be made OF the papacy. /
The man TO fill this highest Offlce is Sc
body that has no legal existence. The
convention. in these times, is COM |
posed OF a thousand delegates who sit
on the floor OF a huge hall with a
thousand alternate delegates, their
dOings being retailed to the country
by a thousand newspaper men in front
OF them, and witnessed by 10000 Gu
rious spectators in the galleries.
The most particular business OF the
convention appears to be the manUfac-
ture and diffusion Of noise Bands are
provided in relays, so that il is posi-
sible at any moment to set off vocal
explosion by playing a popular or a
patriotic air. When the name Of a Ia
vOrite candidate is presented to the
convention his supporters indulge in
a very orgy Of yelling, carrying out
plans carefully laid for weeks in ad-
vance to break a record by continuing
the cheering for minutes or even hours.
More than twO-thirds of the time OF
q national convention is given over
and devoted exclusively to the one and
only business Of screaming. Every de- !
vice and artifice that ingenuity can
suggest is resOrted 10 in the effort to I
keen I'D the pandemOnium.
Many speak; Few Are Heard.
Many speeches are delivered in na- {
tionaI conventions. but few are heard .
Nine out of 10 addresses delivered in /
national conventions are unheard az {
any man save the official stenographe- I
prepared though they NAV
be. and each embalming the presiden-
tiaI aspirations Of the orator. 1t is 7
only when a great favorite or a pODu- ]
lar idol appears in the tribune that I
the convention and the spectators will