Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-27
GARDNER TELLS
Of PSYCHOLOGY
OF CONVENTION
Sometimes Thousand Delegates
Are Merely Scenery for
Great Battle.
PUBLIC SENTIMENT
OFTEN TURNS TRICK
Republican Pow Wow Liable to
Resemble Famous Blaine and
a Garfield Sessions.
BY gibson GARDNER.

Washington. u. c., May "a thou
sand delegates-one delegate for ev-
cry 100000 peOple-gO to make mp a
national political convention. These
delegates meet, deliberate, and by bal
lot choose some man to stand as the
Carty's candidate for president and for
vice president.
Such is the theory
practice, about $50 delegates are
present to- furnish lis setting, while
the other ten do the deliberatng and
choosing.
Sometimes the whole thousand are
mere scenery, he choice havins been
made by public sentiment before the
convention meets. An example of
this was the convention at PhiIadef-
pha which nominated Mckinley for
his second term and chose Roosevelt
as vice presidential candidate. The
only uncertainty in that convention
VS. the choice of the vice president,
ana quite good deal of dramatic in,
Ieest was devclrLed over the fight
Of Tom Plat to foist Roosevelt or, the
convention against the latter's wishes.
AnOher example Of this kind of con.
vention was the one which nominated
Roosevelt for his second term. This
fight started months before tie con-
vention met when Roosevelt mnounc'
ed that those not for him We're against
him and by the time the convention
assembled there were enough "declar.
ed delegates to make his renOmina-
ton certainty.
This is the kind of convention
Woodrow Wilson will have at St.
Louis June IA. It has all been de-
eided that he is to be nominated, and
the only ,Slncertainty is that which
will surround the particular wording
of the platform declarations, with a
bare possibility that Tom Marshall
will not be the unanimous choice for
vice president, in which case Senator
Robert l.. Owen of Oklahoma may con-
test for that honor.
Quite different from this kind of
convention is the one which will meet
in Chicago under republican auspices.
The latter resembles in some ways
several historic conventions, like
those which nominated Blaine, Gar
field and gave Cleveland his second
nomination. These were protracted
and uncertain, and the nomination
when finally made was news to all
the country. -.=
In this so-caled "Old-fashi0ned"
conyention the outcome is the result
of back:rOOm conferences between
political leaders, the delegates being
puppets. Often these conferences are
accompanied by secret agreements
worked out later in the distribution OF
spells, the foreign diplomatic appoint
ments and big federal offices at the
disposal of the chief executive,
In the uncertain convention, Oratory
comes to play larger part. The
DELEGATES. are open to persuasion. In
this connection is recalled the famous
speech of Col. Robert G. lngersoll.
nominating James G. Blaine; and VIII
liam J. Bryan's famous "crown of
thorns and cross of gold' speech,
which resulted in his own nomination.
Under any system-primary or with
delegates hand-picked-the favorite
son candidate plays a part, but more
so in the uncertain, bOss-cOntrolled
convention Many Of the favorite sons,
so-called, are merely men who receive
the complimentary vote of the state
delegation with perhaps few others
thrown in. They pay their ante and
sit in on the game with 46-tO-1 shot
chance to get the nomination.
The dark horse is some compare
lively unknown person brought out by
the leaders at the eleventh hour Of
deadlock and presented to the dele
gates in some way which makes them
think the. ychoice will be popular with
the country and will insure party vic
tory. James A. Garfield was such a
dark horse candidate.