Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-13
Republican Ptinau Plan

Senator Sherman of Illinois, addressing the Sen.
ate in support of his federal presidential primary bill,
draws a, line Of division between the two great par
ties in Congress which will be made clearer as the
debate proceeds. The Illinois senator does not draw
the line In any spirit of partisanship. His address
is remarkably free of such a spirit. So far as 1t
touches the practices and presidents OF. political par
ties, it deals wholly with his own party, without
criticism Of the methods Of the opposition. His
strong intellect goes at once to the core of the ques.
ton of delegate representation in national nominal
ing conventions, by a grouping of fortytwo congress,
aional districts in seven Southern states in which,
at the last presidential election, not a Republican
vote was cast ut Is not far,' he said, TO give to
such states the same representation as to states
where the Republican party has behind i strong Vol.
ing power" He severely criticises the methods fol
lowed in tho National Republican Convention OF 1912.
hut calls attention again to the fact that these were
the methods employed by the ruling forces of the
convention Of 1908. He sums up the case for his
own party by saying: "These methods can be justi-
fed by an appeal neither TO fairness nor justice.
Neither can those who seek to make this a basis
for the destruction of the Republican party justify
that course"
The Sherman presidential primary bill is in agree,
ment with that of the Democrats, as now Tentatively
proposed, in reserving to each state, the right to
IUuKc IS W SoluOHSAN u th'naJ ~" sS SorU
accredited by its constituted, canvassing authorities.
TO be recognized in the temporary organization by
force of such credentials. But the Sherman bill goes
farther than Democrats will be willing to go, in NIX
ing the basis of ~delegacy of any party, in any state,
on it's shown voting strength in the state. That Us
where the line of party division against the sher'
man bin win appear. Should such an emlneaty
just and fair provision get into the law, Southern
representation in the next National Democratic
Convention would be materially reduced. Six OF
the seven Southern states named by the Illinois SEN
ator, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, MIS-
sissippi and South Carolina, were represented In the
Baltimore convention by 1928 delegates, while the
State Of Illinois was represented but by 81 delegates.
Yet al the ensuing election Illinois alone gave Mt
Wilson $4,000 votes, while the half dozen Southern
states named gave him but 100000. IN other Woras,
any Democrat in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Lou
isiana. Mississippi or South Carolina, had twice the
representation in the Baltimore convention that any
Democrat in Illinois had. ~
This is hut a single evidence of disparity between
Northern and Southern representation in national
Democratic conventions. The patent fact seems to
have been overlooked in the cutlery over such as
parities in national Republican conventions. Demo
Gratis in Congress will not accept the Sherman plan
Of representation, and if it were possible to, put into
a federal primary law something to fix ana tasteh
the present ratio of delegate representation prevail.
INK In ar the states, and make it mandatory on
parties, We Should look to see it done. through force
Of caucus. The Sherman plan, which is the RepnOf'
can party plan, will commend itself to all parAeas
in the North, but in the South it Will be opposed
by Republicans and Democrats alike, since It womb e"V
deprive both, in tie next national conventions, OF an
undue preponderance in party power they nave ions
enioyed-St. Louis Gl~obe.Democrat.