The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1913-12-25
National Committee Adopts Progress
sive Rules


sive Rules
Washington, D. c., Dec. 23.-The
plan to hold special national col.
vention next spring for the purpose of
revising party machinery and with
view to bringing back into the Re
publican fold those of the party who
strayed away into the bull moose
movement last year, was rejected by
the Republican national committee at
its meeting in Washington this week.
The vote on the proposal was de-
cisivc, being IS against and IA for o
convention.
In taking this action the committee
,, virtually held that the committee it.
self was clothed with ample power
to readjust the composition of the
party's national conventions and had
authority to make reforms in conven-
ton rules and procedure that have
been demanded by many elements
since the Chicago convention in 1912,
and the Democratic victory at tho
polls last November.
Chief Credit To Idaho Senator
To Senator Borah Of Idaho is gen.
orally accorded the chief credit for
the position taken by the Committee
Although Senator Cumins, Governor
Hadley, and other friends Of the Idaho
Senator had favored the convention
plan, Senator Borah deemed it neither
the most expedient nor the fairest
procedure under which to adjust the
party's differences.
In an interview few days before
the meeting of the committee, Sena-
tor Borah announced unequivocably
that the committee had responsible
ity in the matter which it ought not
to evade. or to pass on to 3 converi-
ton organized under the old objection
able rules But to the full extent of
its powers, which he thought were
ample for the purpose, it ought to
rectify its mistakes of the past, with
out waiting for convention to do
it. The result was the Idaho Sena-
tor had his way in practically every
particular. The committee decided
that in national Republican conven-
tons of the future the state primary
election laws shall be recognized as
controlling in the election of dele
gates, thus reversing itself upon It's
position at Chicago in 1912 when this
question was particular bone OF
contention; adopted a new basis of
representation from Southern states
where the representation heretofore
has been out of all proportion to the
Republican vote cast, which as will
he remembered was another one OF
the principal bones of contention at
the Chicago meeting, and generally
speaking readjusted the entire party
machinery to the progressive spirit
which Senator Borah has from the
first contended is possessed by the
rank and file of the party
With these reforms In effect, the
Idaho senator has been of the opin-
ion there would be no need of
special convention in 1914 but that
the progressive rank and file would
grasp the opportunity given them
and reorganize the party along pro-
gressive lines SO as to be in posi-
ton to write the platform and name
the candidate, II the latter function
should be left to the convention by
that time, when the regular national
convention should be held in 1916
Principal Discussion On One Point
The Washington Post said of the
meeting:
Debate during the day practically
was limited to discussion of the
need of a special national convention.
Senator Borah doomed out as the
dominant figure among the committee
men who opposed a special convcn-
ton, while former Gov. Hadley, Of
Missouri. and William Barnes, Jr., OF
New York, led the forces allied in