Evening star., 1936-06-21
ROOSEvELT'SHOLD
ONPARTYASSURED.
TWo-thlrds Rule Repeal Due
to Cement Control OF
Delegates.
By JAY g. HAYDEN.

By JAY @. HAYDEN.
PHILADELPHIA, June 20.-If James
A. Farley and the other Democratic
managers have their way-and there
Is every evidence that they will-the
creation of the national convention
meeting here on Tuesday will be as
completely the personal party Of
Franklin .. Roosevelt as fascism Is of
Benito Mussolini or Naziism of Adolf
Hitler.
The candidate win be Roosevelt:
the platform viii be Roosevelt; and,
far more important, perhaps, from the
standpoint Of the party's future, its
rules VIII be 20 changed as to make
1t easy for President Roosevelt, In the
event Of his reelection this year,
either TO nominate himself for a third
term or choose his successor.
As respects the latter proposition,
the cat slipped from the bag Friday
when Farley admitted that the Roose-
velt proposal to repeal the two-thirds
rule. which has governed all Demo-
cratic nominations since the time of
Andrew jackson, does not contemplate
repeal also Of the unit rule" The
States, he said, would be left to decide
for themselves as respects the unit
rule.
This would mean, in effect, not
nomination by q majority Of individ-
ual delegates, as is the practice in
Republican conventions, but nomina-
ton by q group of State majorities.
possibly controlled by much less than
q majority Of the individual dele
gates.
Control Held Assured.
Under this condition, it is hard to
conceive of an administration In
power, with its hoard Of pay roll sat-
elites, failing to control q national
convention.
The rule Of Democratic conven-
tions always has been that a unit
rule, applied by a State convention,
Is recognized unless there is q pro-
vision of State law to the contrary.
The only States with laws on the
subject are those which elect their
delegates in popular primaries, and
even in the latter group California
is an exception. In California the
entire delegation Is elected en- bloc by
majority of the voters participating
in the primary. In 1892, for example,
John N. Garner received all of the
California votes. although his dele
gates won over the rival states of
Roosevelt and Alfred Z. Smith by
much less than o majority Of the
total vote cast, and both Of the lat
ter carried several congressional dis
tricts.
In all but q handful Of the States
the unit rule still prevails In the
Democratic party and serves to 81
lence recalcitrant minorities.
This Is the main reason why the
Democratic conservatives this year
quickly gave up all hope Of register
ing their opposition in the national
convention. They might have elected
. scattering Of Roosevelt dele
gates in number Of States, but, un-
der the unit rule, these woyId have
been barred from expressing them
selves. In the face of this situation
most Of the conservatives chose to
stay at home.
G. o. p. System Different.
The Republican system is entirely
different. That party has no two
thirds rule and no unit rule. A Re-
publican State convention can in
struct its delegates to vote as
unit, but, If any individual so in
structed chooses to vote otherwise,
his vote is recorded.
Thus, every decision in o Republi-
can convention is made by an actual
majority of the individual delegates.
The move to repeal the two-thirds
rule seems likely to provide the one
hight Of the present convention, but
the administration is sure to win, and
this again because Of the existence of
the unit rule.
Farley, for months, has been busily
travelling over the country, making
sure that as many Of the delegates as
possible were for Mr.. Roosevelt and
whatever Mr.. Roosevelt wants. When
the test comes on the two-thirds rule,
ne has only to see that the unit rule
Is slapped on delegations from enough
states to insure him the victory.
The one region which Farley has
apparently been unable to line I'D on
this proposition is the South, the veto
power Of which in Democratic conven-
tions. under operation of the two
thirds rule. dates back to slavery DAYS.
In the eyes Of the Southern delegates.
the proposal to repeal this rule now
Is just another feature Of the Roose-
welt drive to wipe out States rights
and to concentrate all power in the
executive, both Of the party and the
Nation, and it is chiefly on this ground
tnat the battle will be waged against
its adoption.
(Copyright 1895 nv the North A,.r,