Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-02-11
CONVENTIONS IN
iowa THIS YEAR
Iowa Politicians Will be Kept L s.
This Year. Each Party viii
Have Three State Con- y
claves.
TWICE AS MANY
COUNTY CONVENTIONS
And These County Conventions VIII
Have All Kinds of Delegates to
Choose to Represent County -.
State Conventions

this spring and summer, will be just
one convention after another. For
the last eight or ten years one state
convention each election year for
each political party, has sufficed
This year there will be three state
conventions for each party, and
twice the usual number of county
conventions, and a few dozen new
judicial district conventions thrown
in for good measure.
The presidential preference pri-
mary law and the non-partisan judi
ciary law both have been repealed
since the last elections they con-
trolled, and the method of nominal
lions in Iowa thus has been COM
pletely changed.
Each of the major political parties
will hold in Iowa, in the course of
the next few months:
l. Precinct caueuses, leading to
county conventions, leading to state
convention, which will name dele
gates to the party's national conveu-
ton.
2. Another and later set of coun-
ty conventions, formed by delegates
elected at the June z primary, will
name delegates to:
(a) The regular party state con-
yention, which will draft the party
platform and nominate state candi-
dates not determined in the primary.
tb) A state indicial convention.
held later than the regular state con-
vention to name candidates for
Justices of the supreme court.
(c) Judicial district conventions
which will nominate party candidat-
es for judges of the district courts.
It's all clear as mud. State Of
ficials and party leaders agree to this.
Most of it is all new procedure, and
some of it controlled by state law.
and some of it is controlled by party
machinery.
There are furrowed brows in high
places these days, as officials consult
codes. Walter Ramsey, secretary OF
state, plans to issue statement max
irg it clear, as soon as he is sure
he himself knows what it's all about.
Pending the issuance of this state
r.ent here is a stab at explanation.
Within a short time precinct eau
cuses for each party will be held TO
name delegates to count party
convention. 1t will name delegates "a
state party conventions, and adjourn
without exercising any other func'
ton.
The state convention will have
only one purpose: To name and in
Struct the twenty-six men and wo
men and women thru whom Iows
will voice its preference for tht
Presidential nomination at the ma
tional party convention.
All this procedure is outside the
Jaw. II is a matter purely of part!
machinery. The republican nationa
committee already has issued ii
call for the national convention
This call is addressed to the lows
state republican committee. The low
committees party is to transmit tn
call down to the county. with in
srructions for the holding OF count,
conventions, and at the same time Il
set date for the state meeting. Al
this has been done by the democrati
leaders; the convention will be he'll
February 25. The republicans still
have it to do.
After all this agony the state ha
nnly registered it's choice for presi
don't All else remains to be done.
on June the statewide primar
wjll nominate party candidates 70
state. legislative and county Offices
Al the same time the voters will de
agnate delegates to a second bate
5f county conventions, to be hel
after the primary.
These county conventions VII
have all kinds OF delegates to choose
l7'rst. they will pick the men who wil
represent the county at the resula
STATE conventions, where candidate
II be named for state Offices o
,ich tho primary missed fire. The
pey L'it pick entirely different set
81 drlesates to state judicial conyer
sons. ard, last, they win name dc
ssrtss to attend district judicial cor
e,,ions. In Polk county's case thi
sdleiai convention will compos