New-York tribune., 1914-10-27
Checking the Scandal of Unequal
Republican Representation.


sentation in national conventions VIII neip N'0
teriallv TO revitalize the Republican national OF
sanitation. The reform effected does not cut as
dAen as II should have cut 1t leaves great deal
- ,,,,rst,sabe inequality in the distribution OF
voting power and gives too much encouragement
p. tho sort Of Republicsnism which in certain parts
Of the country exists only for the purpose OF pro
ducine national convention delegates
Yet It will do a good deal to lessen the seaman
of rotten borough" control Of the machinery OF
the national party The delegations from the states
IN which the Republican party is only stalking
horse for capturing federal patronage under Re
nblican national administrations will exercise
much less OF a balance Of power than formerly
and Republican policies will not be shaped by the
oor+ron,n0 Influence Of merely nominaly Republi-
can constituencies
Under the plan Just approved representation IN
the national convention will be reduced by 90 votes
Hawaii will lose votes and Porto Rico and the
pbnnn,nes 4 apiece since their delegations will
hereafter have the right TO sit in the convention,
hut nolrght TO vote OF the other lOsses-s9 in all
-16 will fall on Texas, II on Georgia on Ala
hama. on Mississippi, on Louisiana, on South
Carolina and on Florida. These are the states
which have furnished the bulk Of the trumped up
contests with which national conventions have
been plagued. In settling these disputes which
have had no basis in any real divisions among Re
publican voters, both the national committee and
the convention have had to act with an arbitrari-
ness which involved injustice. In most cases
neither set Of claimants represented anything sub
stantial and the interest Of the party would have
been best served by throwing both sets out,
Unfortunately the vicious habit fastened itself
on the party Of using these irresponsible votes for
the benefit Of the faction controlling the outgoing
national committee. Such use bound to lead
TO party disruption and 1t was only a question Of
time when the abuses arising out of the manipus-
tion Of the rotten borough" delegations would drive
u defeated faction to revolt AS Chairman Hies
Justly says, "the system Of unequal numerical rep
resentation against which many states constantly
contenoed was the legacy of years and of political
custom" 1t is not fair, therefore, to charge the
majority faction In the convention OF 1912 with
having taken unheardof advantage Of 1t. The re-
sponsibity for the secession at Chicago two years
ago rested Just clearly the national conven-
tlon Of 1905 which, though aware Of the danger
Of continuing the old basis Of representation re-
fused to alter 1t. But the unfortunate experiences
at Chicago in 1912 must have convinced Republi-
cans for good and all that the only means Of main
tanning a vire. self-govening national organiza-
ton Is to put control Of national conventions in the
hands Of the actual Republican voters and to give
each state representation fairly prOpOrtionate to
it's Republican vote.
The national committees plan does not do this
since It retains to certain extent the geographical
basis of representation. Each Congress district is
TO have one delegate, no matter how many real
voters he can speak for In the election Of 1905
the Republican electoral ticket in South Carolina
polled 3,695 votes; In 1912 1t poed 536 votes
There are seven Congress districts in South Caro-
lna so that the basis Of 1908 each district dele
gate in the next national convention will represent
52s voters. On the 1912 basis ne will represent 76
voters. Yet under the amended rule, which allows
an extra delegate to every Congress district with
a Republican vote Of 1900 or over districts which
in 1908 cast more than 10000 Republican votes
(and there are many of these) will have only two
delegates.
It would be much more equitable TO allow dis
tricts representation In proportion to the number
of votes cast and to fix minimum Of 5000, below
which representation should cease. The state or
ganzation in rotten borough states is well enough
cared for In the allotment Of four delegates-at-
large Beyond that each district should pay its
own way If South Carolina should have only four
delegates in ALL that would still give the party
there misrepresentation -Four delegates would
represent 924 voters apiece on the 1908 basis ana
134 on the 1912 basis. But New York will have
So delegates In the next convention, and each of