Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-01-03
REPUBLICANS
CUT The SOUTH
Section Will Have Is Less
Delegates in National
Convention
IGNORE 1912 RESULTS
Apportionment Based on 1905 and
1914 Elections to Prevent Big
Slumpmin Numbers
Big

Washington. Jan. 3--The call fol
the Forthcoming Republican National
Convention. to be held in Chicago or
June I. was formally issued yeSter'
dav by the Republican National Com
mittee headquarters in this city. And
nv the same act the committee put
into effect the new apportlonment
plan accepted at the recent commit,
tee meeting in this city.
In issuing the plan. however, the
Republican managers reveal for the
first time the expedient to which they
found il necessary TO resort TO pro-
tect their next convention from pain
full decimation.
This is how they have managed 1t:
It is announced that each state shall
De represented by four delegates-at-
large for each .CongresSman-at-large
which it may have. Also. each state Is
to be represented by one delegate
for each Congressional district and
bv two delegates from each district
that in 1908 or in 1914 polled 7,3oO
or more Republican votes.
Not a word is said about the vote
in 1912. Ordinarily. apportionment Is
based upon the latest returns, but not
So with the Republicans. They have
passed -up the last Presidential cor,
test as though it never occurred. They
gi"e it TO place in party history and
no consideration in party calculations.
And the answer, of co,:rst., is obvious
If their present rule had been applied
to the last election when the Bull
Moose outpollcd them. the next con-
vention would be so small that keo-
kuk or Switchback or Ducktown could
easily entertain it. Far more than
half or the Republican district, to
say nothing Of the ordinarily Demo
cratic districts, failed to record 7.oOG
votes.
The fashion in which the national
committee passed up the 1912 cleo
tion is indicated by the following en-
tract from the call:
"Said National Convention shall
consist of four delegates-at-large
from each state, and two delegates
at-large for each Representatives,
large in Congressional district; an
additional delegate for each Con-
gressional district in which the vote
for any Republican elector in 1908
or for the Republican nominee for
Congress in 1914, shall have been
not less than 1900. two delegates
each from the District of Columbia.
Alaska. Hawaii. Porto Rico and the
Philippine Islands"
All delegates and alternates shall!
be elected not earlier than 80 days
after the date of this call and not
later than 30 days before the date Of
the meeting of the convention. The
national committee makes exceptions
to this rule in the cases of those
States in which the laws are at vari-
ance with it. The call also indicates
how delegates may be chosen. This
is summed up in the following extract
from the official document:
':Delegates-at-large anti their al
ternates. and delegates from Congress
sional districts and their aternates.
shall be elected in the following man.
ner:
81. By primary elections. in ac-
cordance with the laws of the state
in which the election occurs, in such
states as require by law the election
of delegates to national conventions
of political parties by direct prima-
ries: provided. that in any state in
which Republican representation upon
the board of judges or inspectors Of
elections for such primary elections
is denied by law, delegates and al
ternates shall be elected as herein
after provided.
go. BY Congressional, territory or
state conventions, as the case may be,
to be called by the Congressional, ter.
ritorial or state committees respec-
tively. Notice of the call for such
shall be published in a