Evening star., 1924-07-07
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

were as easily managed by political
bosses as had been the legislatures,
and in more than half the states the
convention system for all elections,
been superseded by direct primary
elections by the masses. Only the
President and Vice President are
still the creatures of party bosses
dominating the delegates to the great
national conventions.
The people may vote their popular
choice for President and Vice Presi-
dent, and. theoretically. the delegates
to national conventions should be
governed by the popular vote. but
the results show that they are not so
bound. The national conventions
have ostensibly taken over the origi-
nal deliberative functions of the
ELECTORAL college, though not bound
by any federal law of control. The
conventions have thus usurped-above
law-the powers OF both the people and
OF the electoral college. Under the unit
rule in the conventions. and with the
major management and secret trading
by party managers and campaign
managers of candidates, the indivi-
dual delegates have about as much
influence on the results of the game"
as have the ivory pawns in game of
chess.
vital issue through the annual mes
sage of President Wilson, December
II, 1913, in which he urged the
| prompt enactment of legislation
which will provide for primary cleo
tions throughout the country at
which the voters of the several states
may choose their nominees for the
n aCiS ;t
OF nominating conventions"
He proposed that national con-
Ventlons should be continued, but
| respective states, declaring and ac-
cepting the verdict of the primaries
and formulating the platform of the
parties" He proposed that these con-
ventions should consist not of dele
gates chosen for this single purpose
but OF nominees for the House of
Representatives, nominees for the
vacant seats in the Senate Of the
united states. senators whose terms
have not yet closed, the national COM
mittees and the candidates for the
presidency themselves. in order that
the platforms may be framed by those
responsible to the people for carry
ing them into effect"
The provisions OF the Constitution
expressly forbid the election Of any mem
Der OF Congress or of an Office holder to
the electoral college, so as to prevent an
office holding oligarchy. President Will
sons plan in detail would reverse
that and restrict conventions to the
"of1clal oligarchy." upon the theory
that the office holders who drew up
the platform would have to explain
what ii meant"
1t is noteworthy as evidence OF
President Wilson's sincerity and
| elf-effacement in his urging the re-
| form, that the evils Of the old sys-
| tenn were the prime influences which
apart from any action by him or his
party. had brought about his own
election. The 1912 Republican con-
vention had been controlled by ad-
ministration forces so that the
steam roller" had become a party
issue, leading to the Progressive
split of the Republican forces, which
gave victory to the Democrats.
| However ideal was the Wilson
plan, it was not welcomed by ''prac-
tical politicians" and there is not
| believed to be great prospect today
| for constitutional amendment to
| make il possible. unless the abuses
now charged become too obvious for
public tolerance.
The independence of the conven-
tions from influence by popular votes
IS SHOWN IN the votes Tor PRESIDENTIAL
candidates in 1920. In the popular
vote in advance of the convention
Herbert Hoover had more than twice
as many votes did Warren q.
| Harding. Lowden had more than three
times as many, Gen. Wood had SIX
times as many as Mr.. Harding and
Senator Hiram Johnson had more
than eight votes to Mr.. Hardings s
one. Yet the convention chose Mr..
| Harding.
The Democrats had given MIR.
| Palmer more votes in the primaries
| than Gov. Cox, but the convention
| chose Mr.. Cox.
| UcnnHrixht 1904 nv PanI Y Collins