The Calumet news., 1914-04-08
Plan to Decrease Representation
in National Convention in
1916 Made Public
UP TO STATES FOR APPROVAL
II Ratified II Will Reduce the Votes
Of the Southern States by
eighty.Nine

New YORK, April S.-CharlcS D.
Hilles, chairman of the Republican
National committee, last night made
public the proposed plan 20 decrease
the percentage Of the southern and
territorial representation in the Re-
publican National convention i'm 1916.
ana thereafter from approximately 35
per cent Of the total voting strength
20 less than IS per cent. as provided
In resolutions adopted by the commit
tee at it's meeting last December
The plan is addressed TO the Repub-
lican conventions Of the several states.
which are asked 10 ratify the action =
the national body before January l.,
1915. \ special committee composed
of Charles b. Warren of Michigan.
Senator William f.. Borah Of Idaho,
and former governor Henry ID. Hat
field of West Virginia, drafted the re-
port Of the action taken in December
which embodies other resolutions
adopted by the National committee
These guarantee:
Recognition, in the call to be issued
for the next national convention. of
the right OF any state to provide for
the election of delegates i'm direct pri-
maries.
The right of any state To elect all
delegates from the state at large, or
part from the state at large, and parJ
from congressional districts.
These provisions were adopted with
view to eliminating contests before
the national body such as in the past
have produced discord and dissention
New Basis of Representation.
The special committee Of three says:
The plan adopted and recommend
ed for ratification provides that the
Republican voters i'm each state shall
hereafter be represented in a National
convention of the party by four dele
gates-at-large; two delegates for each
representativc-at-l large I'm Congress;
one delegate from each Congressional
district. and an additional delegate
from each Congressional district i'm
which the vote of 1908 for any Repub-
lican cleCtor or for the Republican
nominee for Congress in 1914 shall not
have been less than seven thousand
five hundred G.5oo),
Alaska and the District of Column
hia under the plan presented will each
he entitled to two voting delegates,
while Hawaii, Porto Rico and the
Philippine Islands will each be entitled
to two delegates without the right 20
vote"
The result Of this change in the bas-
is of representation, if ratified by the
majority of the state conventions, will
be decrease Of 80 votes as follows:
Alabama will lose ), Arkansas 3, Flori-
da A. Georgia H. Louisiana, S., Mssis-
sippi s. New York >, North Carolina,
3, South Carolina :, Tennessee, 3. Tex
as l6, Virginia 5. Hawaii, {, Porto Rico,
,, and Philippine Islands >.
Under the plan presented a congress
sional district not entitled to two dele
gates on the vote cast in the presiden-
tial election i'm 1908 will qualify for
two if $500 or more votes are east for
the Republican nominee in the con-
EItSSlplldl election llllS IAN.
Criticism Anticipated.
Anticipating criticism from those
who believed that a still greater de-
crease should have been provided in
southern representation, the special
committee in it's recital says it Is
within the province of majority of
the convention of 1916; if it So desires.
To- establish another new basis for fu-
ture conventions.
The plan can be ratified by any Re-
publican convention for the purpose
of nominating candidates for state Of
fees. or fer the purpose Of adopting a
party platform, or by any convention
called by the Republican state com
mittee and held before January 1, 1915.
The statement Of the special commit
tee that drafted the plan for presenta-
tion To the several Republican state
conventions concludes with the fol-
lowing.
The committee appointed To pre-
Conttnued an 9Th Pana ltk Cntur,p