Evening star., 1936-05-03
LEADER
RARELY LOSES PLACE
Records Show Outstanding Candidate
for Nomination Usually Wins-Dark
Horses Have Next Best Chance.

one of the other outstanding con-
tenders.
Three times the Republicans have
chosen candidates who stood fifth on
the list of those voted for on the first
ballot-Hayes. Harrison and Harding
and once they chose a candidate
who had received no votes on the first
trial, namely, Garfield. Besides pick
ing Davis in 1924, although he ranked
seventh on the first ballot. the Demo-
Gratis have nominated three candidates
who received no votes at all on the
first polling. These we're Polk, Pierce
and Seymour.
In the case of each Of the Demo-
cratic dark horses the convention was
stampeded in the course of the ball
loting almost Immediately after the
dark horse received his first votes for
the nomination. Garfield, on the
other hand. had one vote on the sec
ond ballot, and thereafter sometimes
one, sometimes two and sometimes
none, down to the 34th trial, which
yielded him II. On the follow
ing ballot he had so and on the
34th he was nominated, with 399
votes. In the Republican National
Convention the rules provide that no
State may change its vote during the
course Of a ballot, thus putting o
check upon sudden impulses to stam-
pede. The Democratic convention, on
the other hand, permits the changing
OF votes in advance of the final an
nouncement, with the result that on
the last ballot, when 1t becomes evil
dent that certain candidate is about
to achieve the nomination, delegation
after delegation will change its vote in
support.
An examination Of the results Of
past conventions leads. on the whole,
to the conclusion that in a majority
of cases the nominees for the presi-
dency have been substantially agreed
upon in advance and that the ballot
ing has served merely 10 register .
decision already formulated in the
minds Of the delegates. Unanimity
OF choice has been the rule. rather
than the exception and protracted
contests in conventions have been
much less frequent than is popularity
supposed.
Protracted Conventions.
The first major party conventions
in which more than 10 ballots were
required for the choice of a presi-
dental nominee were the Democratic
convention of 1882. at which 49 trials
were taken before Pierce was nomi-
mated, and the Whig convention Of
the same year, which required SO
ballots for Winfield SCOTS nomina-
ton. Other protrscted Democratic
/ conventions were those which nomi-
mated Douglas on the 59th ballot,
| Seymour on the 22d. Wilson on the
46th, Cox on the 44th and Davis on
the l03d The Douglas nomination
required a second convention. which
was called six weeks after the regu-
lar convention had ended in dead
! lock The longest session the Repub-
licans ever held was that for Garfield.
who won the 36th ballot Harding's
nomination required 10, the second
highest in Republican history.
In all. the Republicans have nom
mated their candidate for President
on the first ballot in l3 out Of 20
conventions. more than one trial hav-
ing been required in only eases.
The Democrats have nominated on the
first trial in IL out of 26 conventions.
More than one ballot has been nee
essary in IA cases-more than hall
the number of Democratic conven-
tions. In only four conventions-2o
per cent of the total number-have
the Republicans taken more than five
ballots for the choice of a presidential
/ nominee, while the Democrats have
required more than five ballots in
| eight conventions, or close to 81
per cent of the total number.
| The larger number of ballots re-
quired, on an average in Democratic
conventions is explained principally
by the fact that two-thirds vote is
required for nomination. while the
/ Republican candidates need only
majority. 1t has been customary in
! Democratic conventions, however, when
one of the candidates has attained a
majority, for the other leading candi-
dates to withdraw. In only two DEM
ocratic conventions has a candidate
who achieved a majority Of the votes
failed to win the nomination. Van
Buren, was defeated in 1874 and
Champ Clark in 1912 after each had
received more than half the votes in
the balloting.
(Copyright 1850