Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-06
SOUTHERN STATES
UNDER c. 0. P.F|RE
Contests Over Delegates
Brings Plan to Reduce
Representations.

CHICAGO, June 5.-Representation
of the southern states in future re-
publican national conventions would
further be reduced under plans to be
urged upon the national committee.
Many of the northern committee
men feel convinced that the last re-
duction did not reach the mark at
which the committee was aiming and
they cite the crop of delegate con-
tests brought to the national COM
mittee from the southern states with
cooked up evidence
packed or secret conventions and
stacks of affidavits which some dele
gates before the committee charged
had been obtained at "$5 a throw"
Must Stop Present Practices.
In practically every contest before
the committee speakers have declared
that the republican party would meet
little success in the southern states
unless it took steps to check the alleged
pra ctices. AS the first STEP the COM
, mittee. by unanimous resolution.
gave warning that no local or district
conventions for the next national
which were not accessible to all. re-
CARELESS of color. The same commit
teemen who proposed that resolution
have now, after further study of the
subject, prepared to submit plans to
slash the delegate representation of
the southern states down to a mini
mum in harmony with the number of
republican votes they bring out at the
polls.
Would Limit Delegates.
The plan is to give the states rep
resentation by limited number of
delegates at large and to put the re-
quired number of republican votes in
the congressional Districts at mark
| which will much reduce the district
delegates representation: The south
Carolina case centered the attention
of committeeman on that feature, as 1t
presented an instance of a state cast
ing 1900 republican votes being rep
resented in the national convention
with eleven delegates. The under
standing now is that the committee-
men framing the plan are going to
present 1t to the present committee
before it goes out of existence and
use the proceedings Of the contest
hearings to argue the reason for the
change they demand.
Color Line Causes Contest.
Many of the committee from the
northern states particularly are dis
turbed over the problem of the negro
contest hearings. Some of the con-
tests were straight out-and-out black
and white issues, and in some Of
them the negroes brought prima facie
evidence of being in control of the
party machinery. In some Of the cases
this argument was used by the ap-
pealing delegation in entreating the
committee to recognize their dele
gates on the ground that negro
domination" as some speakers ex-
pressed 1T, would prevent the break
ing Of the solid south.
hU MOI
mitteeman jackson of Maryland had
the support Of southern committee
men 1t says:
Whereas it is increasingly ap-
parent that the so-called solid south
is in fact an economic issue strongly
inclined to the principles of the re-
publican party. and,
Whereas it is obvious from re-
peated contests before the national
committee and other facts no less
noteworthy that republican votes in
many of these states are not increas-
ing in proportion to the increasing
belief in republican principles,
Resolved, That the chairman Of
the national committe appoint .spe-
cial committee Of three of its mem
south, who shall very carefully and
limpartialiy study the whole political
situation in the south and also it's re-
lation to that in the north. with a
view of reporting at the next meet
ing of the national committee. or as
| soon as the special committee thus
| appointed shall be ready. how the
| republican party in states of the south
shall be reorganized or constituted to
| make 1t more effective agent for
the spreading and recording of repub-
lical principles and Of election of re-
publican electors"
Chairman Hays Of the national COM
| mittee will be an ex officio member OF
| the subcommittee.