The Washington herald., 1920-03-14
BY WILLIS ). ABBOT.


New York. March IL. - The pri-
maries in New Hampshire last Nom
day serve to call attention to the
small part that direct primaries and
instructed delegates may play in
the conventions of the two great
parties next June.
Only twenty-five States hold Pres
idential primaries, and not in all
of these is any Presidential pref
erence indicated on the primary bal
Tot. In New Hampshire the express
sion of preference for any individual
candidate was a matter of choice
for each delegate. In New York
there Is no indication on the pri-
mary ticket to guide the voter as
to the preferences of those seek
ing to be chosen delegates. and the
assumption of the unofficial State
convention Of either party that it
can tie the delegates with binding
Instructions is purely an assump-
ton which the convention can. II
/ 1t chooses, ignore. In other States
the laws differ according to the
purposes of the political bosses who
put them on the statute books.
Pledge Delegates In Georgia.
In Georgia, for example. the law
seems to imply the election of dele
gates pledged to q particular can
didate. But a group of politicians
confident of controlling the primary
vote of either party get around that
by arranging for the election OF
delegates pledged to some public
man who is known not to be even
a receptive candidate for the NOM
ination. When the convention be-
gins voting such a delegation will
cast one or two perfunctory ballots
for the man in whose name 1t was
chosen and then throw its strength
in the direction indicated by the
bosses.
Both of the forthcoming conven-
tions are going to be composed
mainly of uninstructed delegates.
Such is the announced policy of the
Republican leaders, while in the
Democratic party only two candi-
dates seem to be seeking delegates
outside their own States. Among
the Republicans the largest num-
ber of votes as yet claimed for any
candidate is go for Wood. while
among the Democrats no campaign
manager has as yet had the hardi-
hood to make any claims whatso-
ever. Mr.. McAdoo. by gossip in po-
litical circles regarded as the most
popular Democratic candidate. has
refused to permit his name to be
used for the purpose of getting in
structed delegations, and Attorney
General Palmer is too recently In
the field to be making any claim
of delegations captured.
Is nm Instructed Convention
Desirables
How far a convention of delegates
directly instructed by the people
would make for wiser action is a
question yet to be determined. And
how far it is possible to make such
instructions binding is still more a
matter of controversy. Mr.. Bryan.
who was for many years the most
ELOQUENT and influential advocate
of iron-bound instructions as the
only way of compelling the regis
tration of the peoples will in a con-
vention, discarded his own instruc-
tions at Baltimore and thereby
nominated Woodrow Wilson. How
much that example may have acted
as a deterrent can only be guessed
at but Ii is a fact that the move
ment for presidential preference
primaries. and instructed delega-
tions. which up to that time had
been advancing irresistibly. sus-
tained a sudden check and has made
40 progress since.
1t Is easy for the politician to
make out plausible case against
instructed delegations-and never
easier than in the chaotic state OF
party politics today. Delegates are
elected months in advance of the
conventions. Probably a clear ma
Jority of each convention this year
will be chosen two months before
the date of assembling. In that
interim political conditions that af-
feet individual candidates may ma
terially change. Some unexpected
event may cause a complete rever-
sal of public sentiment upon a man
or an issue. For a convention to