Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-06-07
|CUT IN SOUTHERN
| DELEGATES LIKELY
Determination to Reduce
Number From VoteIess Dis
tricts Taking Form.
ny 6. GOULD LINCOLN.

CHICAGO. H., June THE deter
mination Of the republican national
committee to reduce the number of dele
gates from southern states. who never
cast an electoral vote for the repub-
lican nominee for President Is already
taking form. Members Of the committee
are aroused over the situation as dis
closed by the contests which came be-
fore it from Florida. Georgia and others
of the southern states.
r. b. Howell, national committeeman
from Nebraska, is a prime mover In
the plan. 1t is his purpose to propose
an amendment to the rules and order
of business of the national convention
which would eliminate that provision
which says that one delegate shall be
seated from each congressional district
in each state. and one additional dele
gate for each congressional district
in each state. in which the vote for any
republican presidential elector has been
not less than 1880. or sJr the last re-
publican nominee for Congress. In its
place he would provide that each state
shall be allowed two delegates for each
congressional district where the repup-
lican vote has not been less Than 1900
for "A republican presidential elector or
for the last republican nominee for Con-
3reSS.
DELEGATIONS Much TOO Large.
Such plan, Mr.. Howell figures,
would bring about considerable re-
duction in the present representation
in the national convention from the
southern states. He contends that t
present the delegations from the
south are much too large in COMPARE
son to the number of republican
votes cast and that the delegates are
selected merely for the purpose of
placing in the hands of certain sma II
groups of men the control of federal
patronage in those states should a
republican administration be in power.
The republican national committee.
be fore its adjournment at the close
of the contested cases Saturday night.
adopted resolution providing for the
appointment of a subcommittee to
study the whole situation with regard
to the southern representation IN the
convention and what should be done
to advance the interests of the re-
publican party in the south Mr..
Howell believes that this is the time
to act, however. Some of the demo-
cratic states. where not more than
1880 votes are cast for republican
electors in presidential election, he
sa id. have nearly Is many votes in the
national convention as has Nebraska.
Mny Meet Opposition.
There are republicans from the
south, however who do not believe
that this is a way to go about putting
the republican party in that section
on a firm footing. They believe that
encouragement should be given the
republicans in the southern states
and that the time is ripe for breaking
into the solid south" column. The
world war has done much, they say,
to do away with the spirit of section
alism that has existed in the past in
this country. There are thousands
of men who would be glad to vote the
republican ticket in the south but
for the bugaboo of negro domination.
The southern republicans urge that
this ghost be laid away at once, and
that thus an asset of the democratic
party for years be taken. away.