The Washington times., 1913-12-05
EXPERTS RULE ON
CONVENTION RATIO
G. 0. P. National Committee
Cannot Change Basis of
Voting in Meetings.

DETROIT. Dec. 5.-The Republican
National Committee has no authority
to change the basis of representation
and voting liz national conventions.
The national committee has authority
to change the manner and method o.
choosing delegates to future national
conventions. SO as to provide that dele
gates be chosen in such manner as the
laws of the several States from time to
time may provide. Delegates shall be
chosen according to the laws of the
State they represent. instead of accord
ing to the discretion of the committee
itself
The national committee has the au-
thoritY to call a special national con-
Vention of the party, the legal form OF
which call Is provided by the legal COM
mittee.
These conclusions are reached in an
opinion made public here by Charles
b. Warren of Detroit, chairman of the
legal committee, appointed by the ex-
ecutive committee of the Republican
National Committee.
The executive committee in Washing
ton. May "a last. adopted q resolution
requesting the chairman to call a meet
ing OF the national committee. to be
held within sixty days after the ex-
piration of the special session of Con-
gress convened in March, 1913. The
national committee will consider among
other things proposed plans for party
reorganizatiop. The legal committee
was named to make detailed examina-
ton of the questions that would arise.
Mr.. Warren. who wrote the opinion
now submitted, is q new member of the
national committee. He was one of the
lawyers for the United States in the
arbitration with Great Britain before
The Hague tribunal of the North At
lantic fisheries controversy. The opin-
ion Is concurred in by the other men,
bers of the legal committee. who are
unitei States Senator Wesley l.. Jones
OF Washington. Congressman James r.
Mann. Illinois: James A. Fowler of
Tennessee. former Assistant Attorney
General; William Marshall BuIlitt of
New York. former Solicitor General:
Roy o. West nf Illinois, and Sherman
Granger of Ohio
The committee, in outlining a legal
cali for special national convention.
says such a call should state:
l.. The time, place, and purpose of
such convention.
2. That such conve lion shall consist
of four Observation-Disclosures from each
State: two es-at-large for each
representative-at-larg in Congress
from each State, two delegates from each
Congressional district: six delegates
each from Hawaii and Alaska: two
delegates each from the District of
Columbia. Porto REQ. and the Philip
pine Islands: that for each delegate
chosen an alternate delegate shall be
chosen in the same manner and, at the
same time to act in the absence of the
delegate.
That delegates-at-large. and Congress
sional district delegates, shall be chosen
in each State in such manner as the
Republican state committee of the State
in which the election occurs shall direct
provided, however. that II in any state
which has provided by law for the
election of all delegates to a national
convention from the State at large all
delegates shall be elected in accordance
with such law, or shall be chosen from
the State at large. the national COM
mittee will place the names of such