Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-12-17

today recommitted to a subcommit-
tee, which will report late today, the
question of plan ror a reducrlcu IN
representation at national couven.
tions.
An agreement ON plan is looked
for tonight. National Committeeman
Howell Of Nebraska led the fight for
radical reduction of southern rep
resentation.
National Committeeman Remmell
of Arkansas violently opposed such
a plan He said that the history Of
republican conventions showed con
clusively that the southern contin-
gent always had followed the lead
OF northern majority in support of
presidential candidates.
Are you going to kick us out and
make the republican party a sec
tional party?" he asked, shaking his
fist at Mr. Howell. "Treat us fairly
Encourage us as we deserve to be
encouraged, and don't try to throttle
us"
Restriction on Primaries
The plan of the subcommittee to
recognize primary laws and change
the rules governing conventions was
amended by the national committee
by a unanimous vote. On a point
raised by Committeeman Chubb Of
Florida it was announced that the
resolution would be changed so that
in states where it is optional wheth-
er a party shall hold primaries for
the election of delegates, they shall
be selected in the old manner and
the primary plan shall be observed
only in states where the law pro
vides specifically for such action.
With the resolution for reappoint-
ment of delegates, an amendment
was accepted providing that the basis
for the selection of delegates from
each congressional district, in addi-
ton to one, should be based on the
republican vote for republican presi.
Dental electors in 1908, or for the
republican candidate for congress in
1914, whichever is the higher.
r. B, Howell of Nebraska sub
mitted a minority report. He con
CURED in everything except the ap-
portionment scheme and declared
that he believed the proposal of the
majority would be subversive Of the
object Of the meeting and result in
future embarrassment to the repub-
lican party. He contended that the
principal purpose of the meeting was
to reduce southern representation in
conventions, and said that he did not
believe that the reapportionment
scheme as proposed would remedy
the difficulty. The elimination of
only 81 delegates from all the south
ern states, Mr.. Howell asserted,
would not, in his opinion, be advan-
tageous to the republicans of the
country. Mr.. Howell suggested as
an alternative plan of the repub-
lican congressional committee for
four delegates-at-large for each state
and one delegate in addition for each
10000 votes or major fraction there
of cast for the republican candidate
in 1908. That plan would reduce the
total number of delegates in the
convention 1876. The south, which
had 272 delegates in convention in
1912, would have only 119 if that
plan were adopted.
Congressional Districts Are Units
William Barnes, Jr, of New York
proposed, as a. substitute for the How
ell amendment that the report Of the
special committee be adopted with
a provision that no congressional
district should get the benefit Of
an additional delegate unless that
district had cast at least 1900 re-
publican votes for presidential cleo
tors, or in 1912 for candidate for
congress. He said that it would be
a fundamental mistake to adopt any
scheme of reapportionment which
would eliminate the congressional
district as a unit The proposal Of
Mr. Howell, he said, would absolute
Iy shut out 12 states from the con-
gressional district delegate plan. Mr..
Barnes substitute proposal, he said,
would reduce the southern represen-
tation by II votes in the convention,
and the northern states by eight, Of
which New York would lose four.
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