The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-21
A REGULATING CONVENTION.

We think that the leaders of the Re-
publican party are on the right track
when they urge the holding of Ma
tional convention next year in order
to reorganize the party and change
the basis Of representation in its
National nominating convention. There
will be nothing next year for
such convention to do except
to change this basis on the two
points covered in the dispatches.
First, by way OF regulating the repre-"
sentation upon the Republican vote
that is cast; second, in allowing every
State to send its delegates through such
means as the State by law or the party
in that State by convention may de-
ter1nine.
For a good many years past there
have been efforts in successive Repub-
lican National conventions to change
the basis Of representation as Indicated,
The great trouble was the over-repre-
sentation of the Southern States, which
cast but few Republican votes, and
those votes representing no strength
whatever to the party, since the South
ern States do not choose Republican
electors and are absolutely negligible
for the most part in Republican party
strength.
With respect to the yielding Of the
| right of every State or the party in
each State to send delegates to the Re.
publican National convention in such
way as the State or the party in
that State may determine, there must
clearly be some reserve limit under
control of the Republican National con-
vention itself. The National Commit
tee Of the party calls tho convention,
That call designates the number Of dele
State. 1t would not do for State to
determine for itself the number of
delegates it would send. The National
party authorities must determine that
Again, if there are contested delega-
tions, the National Committee, accord
ing to usages, will hear the claims Of
each delegation and will make up the
temporary roll of the convention ac-
cording to its Judgment as to which
is the delegation entitled to the seats
The convention itself will, whenever
any contest is brought before it, de.
eide that contest by convention vote
as has been done heretofore This is
the necessary procedure; otherwise the
h.
The alternate proposition, to have
primaries in every State and at the
conclusion Of those primaries to add
up the number Of votes cast for every
candidate, and if any candidate has
majority. declare him the party nomi-
nee without holding a convention, is
the progressive idea. This, however,
is too uncertain and indeterminate Il
proposition on which to rest a Presi-
Dental nomination, for the election
machinery in the different States might
be entirely unsatisfactory, and the
Southern States, for instance, might
send up enormous Republican primary
votes giving the nomination to some
Republican candidate whom the Demo
Gratis might think the easiest candidate
to beat.
We ourselves have suggested hereto
fore the idea that every State might
choose electors who would represent
the strongest Republican candidacy in
that State. Every State in that way
would be at liberty to poll its greatest
Republican strength. After the cleo
tion, and prior to the time set for the
electors to cast their vote for Presi-
dent and Vice President, they could
meet in general convention and nom.
nate the party candidate. The CON
vention in that case would be held after
the election and not before, and by
electors already chosen; and in case
the Republicans had carried the ma
jority of the electors of the different
States, each State voting for its IA
vorite candidate, the convention of elec.
tors would thresh out the differences
and make the nominations. The
nominees thus chosen would be voted
for by the electors in their different
States on the day set for casting their
ballots for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and the result would be certified
to Congress, as now.
This would allow of each party rally
ing in every State to the support