Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-03
THE PEOPLE. NOW NOMINATE
THEIR OWN PRESIDENTS
But a Hundred Years Ago They
Neither Nominated Nor Voted
fon Than,

| WE ARE 50 close TO what is going on
| w that we do not realize the historical
significance Of the pre- convention can
vass for the presidential nominations.
II jefferson or John Adams or James
Madison could be summoned from the
tomb, or from whatever plane he may
be- occupying con the other side. - and
could be induced to submit to an inter
view with II we'll informed political re e
porter on the modern methods of select =
ing candidates for the presidency. the
result would be intensely Interesting.
Much has been said about the rule
of the people being set up in this COun-
try with the adoption of the conStitu
tiun. But there was little democracy
aS We know democracy in the early his
tory of the nation. The country was
ruled by an oligarchy of revolutionary
heroes for long period of years.
Every schoolboy knows that the fran
crS of the constitution did not think the
people knew enough about government
to be trusted to select tn" President
and that they. created II body of electors
who should do the selecting for the
people. Every woman. whether she be
suffragist or not. knows that the
electors do not elect. They simply rat
ify what the people have done
according to their lights. the fathers
Of the republic were right. The nation
covered large area. There were no
railroads and no electric telegraph lines.
The people of Massachusetts, knew little
"a hn nf
Virginia and New York were separated
by II long and tedious journey. The
electors We're provided in order that they
might act for the people. Istt as they
were tu vote in their respective states.
there was no certainty that they would
agree on any one. 1t therefore became
necessary for some self constituted au-
thority to suggest candidates for the
presidential electors to vote for. The
suggestion was first made by Caucuscs
of the members Of Congress representing
III" different parties.
Thus. although the constitutional con-
vcntion rejected the proposition that
Congress should elect the President. we
had Congress actually performing that
function by indrcCtion. And the people
took little interest in the matter. They
did not even take the trouble to vote in
very large numbers.
So late as 1924. when the electors in
eighteen states with total population
of 500 600 were chosen by popular
vote, the total vote polled in Whose
states was only $50 900. PENNSYLVANIA
in 1916. with population of only
,OOO.OOO more than those eighteen
states. east total vote for the prpsi-
Dental candidates of 300 900. And
yet pesSimistS are saying that the pco-
pie are Indifferent and that unless they
b"Stir themselves the republic is doomed
The congressional caucus as a nomi-
mating device wore itself out and in
1894 its candidate. William II. Craw-
ford. secretary of the treasury. the
favoritp Of President Madison. was third
in tho race when the votes were counted.
Other candidates had Decn nominated BY
resolution of the Stute Legislatures or
by local conventions. but there was no
unanimous agreement in the parties on
any one. The system broke down and
Congress had to elect the President.
lH'h lI'NlNcnl JACKSON, VINO wanted
Martin Van Buren, 70 succeed him,
called national convention in $50 to
make the nomination. Van Buren, had
been previously nominated for the vice
in convention controlled
by JacksOn--a convention called because
jackson could not control the action Of
III" state Legislatures.
Indeed, So little respect was shown
for n" popular will in those days that
il was commonly believed that Jackson
mad arranged II program early u his
first term to cover the next twenty four
years 1t included eight years in the
presidency for himself. to be followed
by eight years for Van Buren, and eight
years more for Thomas II. Benton. But
events over which he had no control
upset this interesting plan, And the
convention system introduced to nut
Martin Van Buren, over in the first
pIac" was largely responsible for its
failure
The conventions which Will meet next
month are very different from the orig
. l.. ..ra.. Il.f.=