Evening star., 1924-07-20
Direct Nomination of Presidents
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

| this by saying that the law should
provide for both first and second
choice expressions by the voters. and
| that in event no candidate received a
clear majority in first choice votes,
then the one who received the great
est number of both first and second
choice votes should be declared the
nominee.
To the objection that the primary
would favor the candidate with the
most money to spend in a preliminary
campaign, answer Is made that eX-
penditures would be limited in such a
| manner that money could never be-
| come the controlling factor in the
primary.
1t is also pointed out that the con-
| vention system lends itself to control
by money more easily than any pri-
mary could be similarly controlled.
No System IL Perfect.
AS a matter of fact. thoughtful
| leaders recognize that there are OBJ
| jections both to thte convention and
| the primary method OF nomination,
and to any other that has ever been
suggested. No system is perfect
The thing to do. they say, Is to adopt
| the one that Is least Objectionable
and that affords the best guarantee
that tho fundamental ideal and pur-
pose Of a democracy will be con-
| served-that the popular will shall
! prevail.
In the recent Democratic conven-
ton the nomination did not go to the
candidate who had the greatest pop
| ular following in the party, but to
one who, when the convention as
sembled, didn't have a delegate ex-
cept a handful from his own state.
McAdoo and Smith unquestionably
were the choices of the rank and file
OF the party. In 1920 Warren G.
Harding had no appreciable national
| strength when he went into the Re-
publican national convention. Leon
ara Wood and Frank o. Lowden were
the popular favorites. And yet Hard
ing came out with the big prize.
Another thing that is causing party
Leaders to think seriously of presi-
character. or at least of some way
Of modifying the present convention
system. Is their knowledge of what
usually happens to party after an
| unusually bitter convention fight. In
lslZ the Republican party was almost
completely wrecked as a result of the
battle at Chicago in which the Taft
forces finally ropted the Roosevelt
hosts. In that same year Democracy
suffered as result of it's Baltimore
convention fight in which Champ
Clark was done out of the nomina-
ton largely through the influence
Of Bryan. True, Woodrow Wilson
was elected. but his vote was far
short Of the normal strength Of his
party and II the Republicans had not
been SO disastrously split, the Prince
| ton statesman would never have been
| In the White House except as a guest.
| This year the Republicans had a
perfectly amiable convention, SO far
as the naming Of . ticket was con-
cerned, but there were differences of
opinion over the platform. such that
La Toilette is heading . revolt. The
| Democrats came through their tenn
pestuous session without an open
| split In their ranks, and with McAdoo
and other defeated candidates pledg-
| ing support to Davis, but still there
is an ominous something in the air
| that does not promise we'll for party
solidarity at the election.
Conventions may be blamed for
this, or the contests preliminary to
| the convention, or 1t may be that
! whatever nominating system were
adopted there Is q gradual breaking
down Of party lines that cannot be
| stayed.
incidentally it is to be remembered
| that the Democratic gathering in
| Madison Square Garden, with its "a
sessions and 103 ballots. cost almost
| = million dollars and the actual ex-
penses Of the delegates were fully half
as much more, while everybody partic-
| ipating lost At least three full weeks
| Of time. That 70 something that Will
be tnought.about when the direct pri-
| mary question comes.