Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-14
Undue Influence of South

The Republic sheds crocodile tears over tie undue
influence that a federal primary law would give the
South in nominating a Republican candidate for Pres
ident and proposes a modification TO overcome such
disparity. While, Us We have remarked before, Con-
gress will pass no federal primary law of binding
force, since the constitution forbids it and the Demo-
Gratis of the South would oppose it under all circum-
stances, We wonder why the Republican party's sym
pathetic friend does not go further and insist that
constitutional provisions be enforced and that the
Congressional representation of the South be reduced.
1t would appear worse for the South TO have dispro-
portionate representation in Congress and in the
electoral college than 10 exercise a powe. out of pro
portion TO its voting strength in a mere nominating
convention. The people of tile country have a second
chance at party nominees. but when amy section is
given undue representation in the electoral college
and in Congress there is no remedy.
The Republic uses the 1905 vote in South Caro-
lima to illustrate. The census of 1910 gave South
Carolina a population of 1%.515,v04. In 1908 the COM
bined Republican and Democratic vote for President
was 66,251. Connecticut, with 100000 smaller popu-
latiOn and with only five members of Congress to the
seven allowed South Carolina, gave the Republican
and Democratic tickets 1S1, 40. Mr.. Bryan was given
u larger vote in Connecticut than all candidates re-
cei,@l in South Carolina. This anomaly is explained
wnen VIC consult the census and discover that the
population Of South Carolina consists Of G79,161 white
persons and S3J.s43 negroes. That the negroes do
not vote and that voting is not even popular with
white people is evident. The result Of this is that the
few white men who take charge of the politics in
that state, under direction of such men as Cole
Bleasc, have a voting power in Congress and in the
electoral college three or more times as great as that
Of voters in sections of tho United States where the
constitution is observed. Reduction Of Southern rep
resentation to conform 10 the constitution would not
interfere with white control locally, but it would
prevent one man from doing the voting for two and
having it counted in Congress and the electoral col
ton than it was entitled TO-, for under the constitution
as it originally stood lis property was given repre-
sentation.
The charge that the Republican party is sectional
is a patent %a5surdity. 1t has received no electoral
votes from states having % per cent or more negro
population, but it has carried every other state in the
Union during the last twenty years except the three
recently admitted. Under Republican policies the
South has been made prosperous over its protest,
Judging from its vote. The statement that Southern
Republican party takes no account of history. The
revision Of Republican representation to correspond
to the vote, applied to every Congressional district
in the United States, affecting both New York and
Illinois in the reduction, would have been accom-
plished i'll the 1903 national convention but for 1:e
opposition Of the individual most clamorous for the
reduction in 1912. 49,. re.