Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-01-23


the New Deal strategists secured the
repeal OF the historic two thirds rule
whereby 6623 per cent of the dele
gates voting were required to make
a nomination.
Each convention makes its own
rules and If the delegates should
wish to do SO they can this year re-
Impose the two-thirds rule. A simple
motion by majority vote to the effect
That the rules of the 1882 convention
shall prevail is all that's necessary in
order to bring the two-thirds rule
back.
The principal debate nowadays
about the two-thirds rule is that
persons who favored it's abolition
expected that along with it would
gothic so-called unit rule. Thus it
has been possible in the past for a
relatively small group of delegates to
exercise a majority within certain
States and thereby establish a suffi-
Gent bloc OF votes by the unit rule
as to prevent the nomination of a
particular opponent against whom
forces were joined.
Way Paved for Fight.
The general feeling among those
who have discussed the issue in the
past has been that with repeal of
the tWo-thirds rule, the unit rule also
should go by the boards. The fact
that the administration forces at the
1886 convention repealed the two
thirds rule but didn't abolish the unit
rule has paved the way for a fight
at the 1910 convention.
The significance of these rules is
that II any considerable number of
delegates want to block a third term
nomination they can do so much
more easily with two-thirds re-
qulrement than they could if only
81 per cent vote is required to
make nomination. Likewise, if
there is a considerable opposition
here and there within given State
to prevent third-term nomination,
the abolition of the unit rule would
permit such a minority to have its
votes Tailed in the total.
Individual States react differently
to the unit rule. Some forbid it
and send their delegates instructed
10 cast their ballots as individuals
instead OF as a unit. But there has
been enough unit-rule voting to
wipe out the minority view.
II the 1882 election rules were to
prevail, the denomination of Presi-
dent Roosevelt by means of the
draft" would be a difficult thing for
the New Deal enthusiasts to achieve.
FOR there are enough States already
which either have stanch support
ready for favorite sons or are in
chned to send their delegates "un-
instructed" so as to make more than
the necessary one-third bloc which
would prevent nomination.
The Southern States, in particu-
lar, have held fast heretofore to the
tWo-thlrds rule and the unit rule.
1hey have done so because the Dem
ocratic party has had it's stronghold
IN the South, and by reason of long
service in Congress, many Senators
and Representatives have been in
the forefront of the delegations sent
TO the conventions These Southern
Democrats, through the two-thirds
rule, have been able to exercise
veto power on the nominee by means
OF vote or two in excess of the
one-third needed to block a nomi-
nation. The South has stood fast
tor the unit rule for the same reason.
Battle Royal in Prospect.
Conditions have changed some
what with the elimination of the
tWo-thirds rule. If the unit rule
is abolished, there are many States
IN the North as well as the South
where minority sentiment will be
registered against a third-term
drive. Hence the question of what
rules are to apply at the Democratic
national Convention is already be-
ing talked about as likely to precipi-
tate at the very outset of the con-
vention battle royal.
The Republican National Conven-
ton has for years nominated by a
simple majority vote of the dele
gates, with the unit rule being
applied by State delegations only in
rare instances.
The theory that majority of
the, delegates should do the nom
mating is sound. but it is a denial
OF minority expression to invoke the
unit rule. This is because in a ma
tional convention the true choice
is that of the majority of the dele
gates Of the entire convention rather
than a candidate chosen by per-
maps minority of the total num-
Der of delegates exercising through
the unit rule control of majority
OF the State delegations.
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