Evening star., 1924-07-09
BACKERS BELIEVE
CHANCE BEST NOW
Think With Present Situation
in Mind, Delegates Will
Favor Such Move.
BRYAN FAV0RS CHANGE
South and Few Western States,
However, See East Given
Too Much Power.
BRYAN FAVORS CHANGE
BY GOULD LINCOLN.
STAFF CrUrespondeut of The Star.

BY GOULD LINCOLN.
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
NEW YORK, July 9.-An effort to
do away with the two-thirds rule of
electing nominees for President and
Vice President in the Democratic ma
tional conventions and thus to pre-
vent disastrous deadlocks such as
has held the Democratic party in it's
grip during the present convention
is 20 be launched, it was predicted
today by William Jennings Bryan
and Homer Cummings of Connecticut.
former chairman of the Democratic
The effort to abolish the two thirds
rule and to go to a majority rule
probably will not come until the
is the feeling in the present Gonven-
ton have been completed. So bitter
is the feeling in the Present conven-
tion that it would be impossible, it
Such change would require a two
thirds vote of the convention.
But once the way has been cleared
by the completion of the nomina-
tions, supporters of the majority
convention go on record in favor
of the abolishment of the two-thirds
rule. a rule which has maintained
for nearly century and which has
been responsible for many famous
deadlocks in Democratic conventions.
Delegates Ready to Go.
ocratic national committee, while ad-
mitted the desire of some of the
leaders to get the rule changed
pointed out that one thing might
prevent it's consideration at the
present convention-the desire of the
York from their feet as speedily as
possible after the nominations have
been made and go home.
"A proposal to change the two
thirds rule undoubtedly will lead to
debate" said Mr.. Hull. And the
delegates probably will be in no mood
for protracted debate, once the bal
loting has been brought to a close"
Not withstanding the weary days
and nights, the serious divisions
which have arisen in the party as the
deadlock has continued, many of the
Democrats now assembled in conven-
tion still favor the retention of the
two-thirdS rule. The only hope of
the proponents of a majority rule, 1t
was said, is to strike while the feel
ing because of the deadlock is still
fresh in the minds Of many others.
South Opposes Change.
Strong opposition to the proposal
to abolish the two7 thirds rule and go
the southern delegates. They argue
that the southern states always vote
the Democratic ticket; that many Of
the northern and eastern states with
large delegations like New York,
Pennsylvania and Massachusetts,
rarely vote the Democratic ticket in
national elections. Why should these
Republican states, the southerners
ask, be given such control or inf1u-
ence in the Democratic conventions as
of a majority rule.
Nor is the opposition confined to
southern states. Some of the west
ern delegates believe that it would be
a mistake to adopt a majority rule for
he same reason as the southerners-
given to the populous Industrial
states, with their large delegations
Senator Key Pittman of Nevada, for
example, said today that he believed
the tWo-thirds rule was a distinct ad-
to the party nationally. He
much as the Senate of the
United StateS-each state having two
senator's no matter how large or how
small it's opulation-operates in
legislative matters.
Hits Instructions.
Senator Pittman said that he be-
lieved the chief cause of the difficult
ties which have confronted the Dem
ocrats have been the instructions
given to delegations to vote for this
or that candidate. Do away with
such instructions, he said, and much
of the trouble will be avoided in the
future.
If state delegations find it impossi-
BILE to continue to obey these instruc-
tions and bring about nominations of
for President and Vice
President, he said, it is obvious that
these instructions should not be
given. But if the state delegations
so instructed do not obey their in
structions, there is always criticism
of them at home because of their
failure to GO through to the end as
instructed.
consider a change in the rules before
it adjourns, then the matter will be
taken up with the Democratic ma.
tional committee, it was said. "
course, the committee could make
only to the next
national convention in regard to the
matter But as a matter OF fact ina!
is all the present convention couio
do. No national committee has ever
vet recommended the abolition OF the
wo-thirds rule, Mr.. Cummings SAID.
would XIII Unit Rule.
. Mr.. Bryan, who for years has urg-
ed the adoption of majority rule
said today that if the two-thirds rule
is abolished then the so-called unit
rule by which many of the state dele
cations are bound to vote as ma
fority of the state delegations de-
mands, should also be allowed TO go
by thesboard. Mr.. Bryan himself may
offer a resolution dealing with tne
matter. he said, though he had not
made up his mind fully in regard TO
his course of procedure.
In fact. all of those who are adVo-
eating doing away with the two-tnlros
rrle. which they declare to be undem-
ocratic, are favoring the abolition at
the same time of the unit rule.
Iohn F. Costello, Democratic na-
tionaI committeeman for the District
of Columbia, expressed the opinion
too.> that determined effort would be
made to have the Democrats adopt
majority rule in the selection Of can
didates for the presidency and vice
presidency. He said that If the unit
rule were abolished at the same time
as the two-thirds rule, 1t would go q
ion1 ways toward preventing the con.