Evening star., 1926-06-01
TW0-TH|RDS RULE
CAMPAIGN ACTIVE
Opponents Hope for Majority
Against 1t Before Next
Democratic Conveption.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Whether 1t is due to partisan con-
viction that the popularity of Presi-
dent Coolidge is on the wane or
whether it is due to the natural
restlessness of the political mortal.
the Democratic national leaders are
busy people these days.
The movement to abolish the two
thirds rule in the Democratic con-
ventions is gaining headway because
what amounts to an organized cam
paign is behind it. In the South,
where the possibility of the unit rule
being tied up to the two-thirds rule
might be expected to furnish an OBJ
stacle to any change in the existing
rules, the reports indicate shift
of sentiment. Leaders in Tennessee,
Georgia and Kentucky are coming
out for the principle of nomination
by the ma jority.
''One-Way Veto"
THE South is no longer convinced" ;"
says George +. Milton. one of the Nc
Adoo leaders from Tennessee, who
has been organizing the fight against
the two-thirds rule, that the two
thirds rule gives it veto. 1t feels
rather that the veto is possessed by
the Eastern Tammany group and Is
one.way veto"
While 1t is recognized that there Is
no direct connection in the rules be.
tween the voting of delegations in a
unit and the proviso that candldate
must get two-thirds of the ballots
cast nevertheless it is recognized that
the two will be considered jointly When
the mater comes before the national
convention. AS the price of agree
ment to the abolition of the tWo.thirds
nd "a CT o.
Gratis will ask that the delegations
agree to abandon the unit system of
voting, so that individual delegates
will count.
1t is not necessary for the next ma
tional convention to cast a tWo.thlrds
vote in order to change the method OF
balloting, unless, Of course, the rules
have already been adopted and there
is a desire to suspend them. In other
words, when the committee on rules
presents its report Il majority vote Is
all that is necessary. The difficulty at
the last convention was that the com
mite report had already been adopted
and it would have required tWo.thirds
to change 1t. just as 1t would nave
taken two-thirds to nominate.
Want Candidates. Separated.
The hope of the sponsors of the
movement is that they can reach the
convention floor with the proposition
on it's merits entirely divorced from
candidates.. That's why they are
trying to get pledges a long time IN
advance. Whether these pledges will
stand up in the face of a concrete
political situation is another question.
For while the national committeeman
and committee women may have
good deal to say ahead of time, they
are not always controlling factors in
the State delegations, especially un-
der the primary system.
If by the time the next convention
is held it becomes apparent that the
effort to abolish the two-thirds rule
and substitute a majority vote has
been started by McAdoo men and
carried forward with the hope of
nominating the former Secretary or
the Treasury, there will be a night
on the convention floor against the
change In rules. But the situation
will have this difference-that if the
McAdoo men have a majority of the
delegates they can win. They did
not succeed in getting a majority Of
the delegates during any of the many
ballots taken last time.
If the McAdoo champions were to
announce their decision not to place
him in the race and If the friends of
AL Smith were to do likewise, the
movement to change the rules might
be construed as a measure entirely
apart from effect on individual can
didacies. But both men are in the
race, and the "favorite sons" who are
expecting to oust both realize that the
one-third veto is a strong lever OF in
fiuence, and they will not give it up
without a struggle.