New-York tribune., 1920-06-23
Says Delegate
Power of South
5 Faces Big Cut
Republican National Com
mitteeman Howell, of
Nebraska, Predicts Re
duction of 81 Votes
Will End s'Scandals''
conyention's Action to
Curtail Representation Is
Declared Most Important
Rv Charles T. White

OKLAHOMA CITY, June OR. B.
Howell. OF Omaha, Republican Ma
tonel Committeeman from Nebraska
end member of the executive COM
njttee of the national committee, says
that the action of the Chicago conven-
,;on in its closing hours in authorizing
.hs national committee to change the
hssis Of representation in national con-
ventions, especially the number of
delegates from the Southern states, is
the most important action the coNven-
ton has ever taken, from a strictly
organization point of view
at means said Mr.. Howell to-day
70 The Tribune spondent. "that in
future national conventions there will
be no secret dickering for or tying up
Of delegates from Southern states in
the interest of any aspirant with large
financial resources. I am casting no re-
Fiction on any persons for past per-
formances. merely wish to outline
the probable action of future national
conventions after known disability
las been eliminated. And it is going
10 be eliminated.
Too Much Power in South
Republican national conventions
hitherto never have been truly repre-
sentative. The Democratic states of
the Solid South have had an absurdly
high quota of delegates, giving to about
ten or eleven states a power entirely
disproportonate to their real impor-
tsnce in the Republican party.
Instead OF ten or eleven Southern
states in the future casting in the
aggregate 145 to 165 in a national con-
yention, there IS strong probability
that they will cast not much more than
one-half Of that number. The tenta-
tive plan OF the national committee is
to accord four delcgates-at large to
these states. and not to allow any dis
trict delegates-atlarge, unless there
are Republican votes, functoning as
they do in the Northern and Western
states, TO warrant representation.
In 1916 1880 votes we're cast in
South Carolina for Judge Hughes.
South Carolina had eleven delegates in
the Chicago convention ore, in fact,
than Oregon or Rhode Island.
Representation Out Of Proportion
"0f the forty-eight states. thirtv-
seven are honestly debatable by which
mean tha- either of the big parties
has chance to win after an appeal to
slbe electorate. South Carolina. with it's
sl55o votes for Hughes four years ago,
could ou-vote thirteen debatable states.
dexas had twenty-three delegates in
tte Chicago convention. In 1918 not a
sihgle Republican vote was cast for
sGengre Texas, with its present
quota OF delegates. could outvote twen-
.y-two OF the thirtyseven debatable
states
Every delegate from debatable
state represents an average of 10000
Republican ELECTORS. In eighty-four
congressional districts from eleven
Southern states not single Republican
vote was cast in the 1918 Congressional
election OF course. this is not repre-
sentative government.
IN the recent Chicago convention
for considerable number of ballots
sslghty-four Lowden delegates from
oouthern states ruled the convention.
In the proposed reorganization the
idea most generally favored is for each
state to have four delegates t-large
and one additional delegate for each
congressional district that casts 1900
votes. Personally, favor having two
delegates from each district The
eleven Solid South Democratic states
now have l67 delegates in a Republi-
can national convention. The plan
most generally favored would take
away eightyfour Of these.
We should begin the barrage action
ao"--before election. Let us show the
people the Republican party is in
earnest in this matter and get the job
cone before election. II we wait until
after election the newly elected Presi-
cent, who will control the Federal
patronage in those states, may not be
eathuslastic about surrendering poten-
GaI power and patronage involved in
Ne equitable readiustment."