Evening star., 1927-05-01


sylvania for Vice President.
Conventions at Baltimore.
That convention marked the transi-
ton from the old SYSTEM of nominal
ing through secret party caucus
which had been condemned for years.
There were 160 delegates in attend
ance on the convention, representing
II Of the "a States which then com
posed the Union 1t was the first con.
vention which admitted the press and
permitted full reports of its proceed
/ ings. The following year. MAY 81,
/ 1882, the National Democratic Conven-
/ ton assembled at Baltimore, too. That
convention confirmed the nomination
of President Andrew Jackson for his
/ second term and nominated Martin
! Van Buren for Vice President. 1T was
at that convention that the famous
( "two-thirds" rule Of the Democratic
national conventions was first adopt
ed. Calhoun of South Carolina had
/ been Vice President during the first
administration of Jackson and had
been at odds with Jackson. Van Buren,
was Jackson's choice for the place on
the ticket with him.
The two.thirds rule was adopted
/ largely to grease the ways for that
nomination. 1t has stuck ever since,
much to the grief of some OF the can
didates who have sought the Demo
cratic nomination for President.
among them the late Champ Clark of
I Missouri. who led the field and might
have been nominated in 1912. when
the Democrats met in Baltimore, had
/ there been a ma ajority rule. But Clark
could not make the grade with the
! tWo-thirds rule in effect, and Wood
row Wilson was the final choice of
that convention. William Gibbs Nc
Adoo would have been reioiced If the
old rule could have been eliminated
in 1924, and with the big lead he had
in the early balloting he might have
pulled through under majority rule.
Baltimore Central Point.
Baltimore was a central point in
/ those early days It lay midway be
tween the North and the South. just
as Washington does. In 1886 the
Whig convention met in Harrisburg.
and in 1848 the Wings gathered in
Philadelphia But Baltimore, gener-
ally speaking, was tho meeting place
of ali the national political conven-
tions from 1881 TO 1856, with the eX
ceptions just mentioned. In 1856 the
Democrats moved out to Cincinnati,
Ohio, and the newborn Republican
party held it's convention in Chicago,
nominating it's first presidential can
didate, Fremont.
In 1860 the Republicans met for
their historic convention in Chicago
and the Democrats returned to Baiti-
more. Chicago was the first city TO
construct a hall to be used for the
purpose of holding a national political
convention. The Chicago Republican
Club in 1860 erected the Wigwam in
which to hold the convention which
was TO nominate Abraham Lincoln for
President. The Wigwam was built at
a cost Of ST 500. 1t sounds like fairy
tale, in view of the present-day build,
ing costs. But the Wigwam was said
to accommodate 10000 persons and
had a stage lao feet long by 40 feet
wide.
Held in Churches.
In the early days of national con
ventions, convention halls, so called,
We're practically unknown. Churches,
the largest structures in which meet
ings could be held, We're used for many
Of the national conventions. For eX-
ample, the Democratic convention in
1882 was held in the UniversaIist
Church in Baltimore. In 1885 the
Democrats Republican National Con
vention met first in the Fourth Pres
byterian Church, and then in the First
Presbyterian Church. The Whig Ma
tional Convention which nominated
William Henry Harrison met in the
newly constructed Lutheran Church
in Harrisburg in 1889, and the Whig
convention in 1889 at which Henry
! Claw was nominated was held in the
Uniyersalist Church.
Theaters of considerable size, with
/ larger seating capacity than many of
/ the churches, sprang up. and the
political conventions turned from the
church to the theater to better accom-
.modate the delegates and the guests
/ who fiocked to the conventions as
| transportation facilities improved.
! The Front Street Theater in Balti-
more was used by the Democrats in
/ 1860 and by the Republicans in 1864,
/ when Lincoln was nominated for the
/ second time. Crosbys Opera House
in Chicago was the meeting place for
! the Republican National Convention
in 1868 and Gen. Grant received his
second nomination in the Academy
of Music in 1872. Benjamin Harrison
was nominated for President in 1883
/ in the then unfinished Auditorium in
Chicago.
Try0ut for Telegraph.
Many considerations have entered
into the selection Of convention cities.
/ Usually an effort has been made TO
hold these national gatherings in
cities easy OF access TO the larger
number of delegates. This rule was
departed from, however, when the
! Democrats in 1920 and in 1924 met
in san Francisco and in New York
Chicago has had IS conventions. some
Republican and some Democratic, in.
Guiding the conventions Of the Pro.
gressives in 1912 and 1916. In addi.
tion TO this, Chicago held the con.
vention which nominated the late
Senator La Toilette of Wisconsin for
President in 1924. st. Louis, kansa
City. Denver, Minneapolis and Gin,
cinnati are other cities which have
been so h0nored.
The telegraph, then newly invented
obtained a real tryout al the Demo
cratic convention which met in Balti
more in 1914 and nominated James X
Polk. This convention was held in odd
Fellows Hall on May 27. TelegraphiC
communication had been esta blishe6
between Washington and Baltimore
: only few days before the opening
Of the convention. The proceedings
Of the convention We're flashed Il
! Washington and the local newspapers
were able to publish the news Of the
p convention many hours before they
otherwise would have done.
Factors In Situation.
Now and then a convention has
d been held in a particular city be
cause it was believed that the particu
. lar party would be strengthened in 4
l srfN,au state py4 capfipp Of the country
= The Democrats had this in mind wher
they went to San Francisco in 1920
They wanted to strengthen the party
! in that State and on the Pacific Coast
! 1t did not work, however. in that
year as the election results showed
. when November rolled round. Wash
! lnotnn u O Amhere the citiZens arr