The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-04-17
dldates for President and vice presl

I1ent.
The action Of the National Commit:
tee as set forth in these resolutions
not only guarantees the recognition.
IN the call to be issued for the next
National Convention, OF the right OF
any state to provide for the elections
ofIdelegatesiin direct primaries and of
the right Of any state TO elect all del.
egates from the state at large, yor part
from the state at large and part from
Congressional districts, bnt also elm
mates the considerat ion or many con:
tests by the National Committee which
in the past have produced discord and
dissension. W f:s
While the National Committee was
granted by National Conventions OF
the party the 5authority to make these
changes in the rules governing the
choosing d delegates and the organ
lzation OF the convention. the commit
tee did not believe that It possessed
the power TO alter the basis Of repre-.
sentation inSfuture conventions with.
out submitting its action for ratifica:
ton to National Convention, or to
conventions convened in the several
states. Sys; aas si1Ilg,
This question OF changing the basis
Of representation in National conven:
tions has attyarious times tnlthe past
been presented to conventions con.
yened for the purpose OF nominating
candidates for President aud { Vice
President. The existing method OF
,basfng the number OF delegates to a
National Convention on, the population
Of a state, without regard to the vote
east for the nominee Of the party, has
been in use from the foundation of
the party until now: The weakness
In the method has long been Sfecog,
.nized. But no change has been made
because the contest for the nomina:
stion for the great office Of President.
has oyershadowed in National conyeh.
tons all other questions and prevent.
ed the unprejudlced consideration OF
this important question. u
Some members of the committee and
numerous Republican voters believe
3that'it would be wise to convene spe.i
clal National Convention for the pur.
pose OF considering and adopting a,
new basis Of representation In future
conventions. Undoubtedly a special
convention uninauenced, as 1t would
be. blythe passions ordinarily aroused
by contest for the Presidency, and
undisturbed, as it'>would be, BY the
complications always presentlIn a nom.
mating convention; would have pro.
duced a solution Just to the Repub.
lican voters of all the states, II the del.
egates chosen to such convention
were representative OF the rank and
fileio the party. s.'5f
Other members of the committee
and numerous other Republican vo-
tiers maintained that lnasmuch as
there were no methods provided by the
existing laws OF the various states for
the electionso Of delegates to a special
National Convention In direct primary
elections, a convention held at this
time might not represent the senti.
ments and desires OF a majority Of the
party. e ~ y s'ffr.-fs;s
The National Committee resolved 10
consider the question, formulate Its
conclusions, and submit the result OF
Its deliberations for ratification to
State Conventions assembled in the
several states. ~ 4f,Fs z,
The committee believed that should
conventions Of delegated represents.
tives Of the party. convened in the
number oflstates entitled to cast'a mas
jcrity. of the votes in a National Con-
vention, ratify the action taken by the
National Committee in this respect, its
action should be assumed to fairly'}ex-
press the sentiment OF the great ma.
jority of the party, for obviously such
State Conventions when taken togeth:
ed would consist OF more representa-.
tires of the party than would be as.
sembled in a National Convention.
The plan adopted and recommended
for ratification provides that the Re-
publican voters in each state shan
hereafterTbe represented In National
Convention Of the party, by four deies
sates.at.large; two delegates foft EACH
representative-at.large In congress. i
one delegate from each congressional
district, and an additional delegate
from each congressional district in
which the vote in 1908 for any Repub.
llcan elector or for the Republican
nominee for congress in 1914 shall not
have been less than seven thousand
five hundred (7,5Oo).
9 The plan proposed further provides
that the Republican voters III any
state may elect all delegates from the
state at large, or part from the state
at large and part from cons ressional
districts, and that IN the case Of any
state electing an Representatives III
congress from the state at large, such
state shall be entitled to the number
Of delegates as though the state were
divided into separate congressional
districts. siss.- Y tl'S4s $50,
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