The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-03
THE TWo-THIRDs RULE.

A writer in the June number of the
American Review of Reviews gives the
history of the two.thirds rule which
has always been in effect in the Demo
cratic party's National conventions. 1t
was the two-thirds rule which deprived
Douglas of his nomination by the Ma
tlonal Democratic convention in
Charleston in 1860, and 1T has been
used from time to time to kill off prom
inent Democrats who were obnoxious
to other leaders of the party.
AS reclted, the first National Demo
cratic convention ever held, which was
IN Baltimore in 1882, adopted this rule
without thinking much about it. The
convention was held chiefly TO nomi-
nate candidate for Vice President,
the nomination Of Jackson for Presi-
dent being universally conceded. Jack.
son s influence was sufficient to give
Van Buren the nomination for the Vice
Presidency. But four years later there
was a strenuous fight against the
adoption of the two-thirds rule, and
on the first test it was defeated, 23l
to 2lO votes. The next day, however.
motion to reconsider prevailed. and
the two thirds rule was again adopted
The argument in favor Of the adoption
or the rule was that the nomination
by a two-thirds vote "wouId give a
more imposing effect" than 8 nomiua
ton By mere majority, and inasmuch
as ut was TO be presumed that no
one had the most remote design to
Illustrate the proceedings and provided
majority should on the first or second
ballot FIX upon the individual, it was
reasonably to be expected that the mi.
nority would be disposed to yield and
unite with the majority so as to pro
ducc the effect contemplated. ;,
So far from this assumption proving
to be true in the long run, however.
the two-thirds rule was used TO kill
off the most popular candidate in sew.
erai of the conventions. Calhoun at
tackled the whole convention system
but not on account of the difficulty of
nomination under the two-thirds rule,
and Thomas H. Benton, in his "Thirty
Years View" argued thus:
One other objection to these degenerate
conventions Dir. Calhoun did not mon
ton, but II has become since he made
MS address prominent one. and an
abuse in itself. which insures success
10 the train band mercenaries vbosn
Protligate practices he so we'll describee
This is the two-thirds rule as ,t is
tS5ef twof6,rds {he IF rule that re9Hres vote OF
nm,,,inn,S Oh e Iie convention 10 make a
i'oi.ihatlon W Ihis puts II in the power |
OF The minority to govern the majority.
and enables few veteran intriguers 10 |
manage as they please
How well Benton s forecast that the
two-thirds rule ''puts il in the power
OF the minority To govern the major
lty was proved iu practice. one needs |
but to read the history OF the Demo |
cratic convention of 1860 TO prove.
This two'thirds rule will, of course, |
be adopted again by the coming Demo. |
cratic National Convention 10 lie held |
In Baltimore on June 25th. That il |!
Will be used to kill of the most popu-
lar candidate. instead OF inducing the
minority TO yield. as General Saunders |
Of North Carolina suggested when he /
presumed that lit was reasonably TO |
be expected that the minority would |,
be disposed 10 yield' Is foregone /
conclusion even before the convention
meets. The minority, SO far from be.
ing disposed to Weld under such cir.
cumstances. becomes ell the more reso-
lutte TO defeat the candidate who has
merely majority and lacks the neces
sary two.thirds,
SO that, while il is certain that the
opens IN Chicago 3 fortnight from to-
morrow, VIII be contentious and Will
show immense strenuosity. it is equally
certain that the Democratic convention
winch meets in Baltimore week later
VIII show its own bitter contentious, 1