Evening star., 1948-07-05

Senator Bennett Clark's big moment
tioral Convention in Philadelphia on d
Standing behind him, gaDel In hand,
Arkansas, permanent chairman OF the c
Twelve years ago in Philadelphia the Demo-
cratic National Convention ditched its 104-
year-old two-thirds rule.
Without that rule staring him in the face
President Truman has every reason to antici-
pate his nomination next week on the first
ballot. Were the rule still in effect there might
be different story to tell.
For the rule, though applying originally only
to the choice of vice presidential nominee,
was devised to meet the situation that faces
the President nova sectional split in the
party In the history of the Democratic Party
its utilization by minorities had blocked the
nomination Of two candidates favored by
majority of the delegates. Some authorities
have held the two-thirds rule responsible for
the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil
War that followed.
Martin Van Buren, having served one term
as President, was defeated for a second term
in 1S40. In 1874 he came before the Demo-
cratic convention third time as the potential
nominee He led and obtained a majority
during the first eight ballots. But on the
ninth ballot the delegates dropped him cold
the first dark horse"-who up to that time
had not received a single vote.
In 1860 Stephen A. Douglas led with q ma
jority-but not Wo-thirds-.of the delegates for
81 ballots at the Democratic National Conven-
ton in Charleston. The convention was torn
by that days sectional strife and Douglas plat
form led to withdrawal from the convention
of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Caro-
lima, Florida, Texas and Arkansas. After 10
days the convention recessed to meet in Balti-
more, where it was deserted by Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mary
land. The Northern wing Of the party finally
nominated Douglas; the Southern wing,
Breckenridge. The popular vote received by
Breckenridge and Douglas together exceeded
the popular vote for Abraham Lincoln, pre-
senting the theory that If the Democrats had
been solidly behind Douglas as the nominee,
he would have been elected, and history might
have followed another course.
But it was the 1912 convention In Baltimore,
which nominated Woodrow Wilson, that really
spilled the beans for the two-thirds rule. The
late Speaker Champ Clark had a clear majority
for as many as eight ballots, when Bryan de-
serted him, with Wilson's subsequent nomi-
nation The spilled beans took the form of
personal vendetta against the two-thirds
rule and the man who never forgot and who
lived to kill the rule was Champ Clark's SON.
Bennett.
Mere Convention Visitor Now
He is out of politics now, perhaps for all
time and lives the relatively cloistered life
of Judge on the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia. He will
be in Philadelphia next week as a spectator,
the first time since 1900 that he has attended
Democratic National Convention with moth
i,,r ~ do Io fn hiS frio and
fellow -Missourian nominated. And If the
absence of two-thirds rule helps make that
possible Mr.. Truman can thank Judge Clark.
Twelve years ago, in the spring of 1896, Jim
Farley offered the then Senator Clark the
post of temporary or permanent chairman of
the convention. The Senator wanted neither.
The job he wanted was to be chairman of the
Committee on Rules and Order OF Business.
He wanted the personal satisfaction Of spiking
the two-thirds rule.
The 1892 convention, which first nominated
Mr.. Roosevelt, had the abrogation of the two
thirds rule before it, but passed the decision on
to the 1886 convention. Senator Clark told Mr..
Farley that he would take the Craftsmanship
of the Rules Committee provided President
Roosevelt was willing to kill the two-thirds
rule. And, he told Mr.. Farley, he wanted that
assurance first hand, from the President him.
self. Next day Mr.. Roosevelt called Senator
Clark on the telephone and told him to go
to it.
When the Rules Committee met in Phia-
delphia in June of 1886 Senator Clark had the
votes But he also had two-day argument
on his hands, Some of the Southern delegates
Senator Maybank of South Carolina in par
ticular-were against dropping the rule. Every
body was for Mr.. Roosevelt and the two-thirds
rule was not important-then. But there
might come a day later on when 1t would pc
important, especially to the South. For two
days the debate went on, with Chairman Clark
spending more time on the floor than in the
chairmans seat, arguing to kill the rule. He
finally won out in the committee with
unanimous report, result OF compromise
under which the succeeding convention, IN
1910, would take under consideration plan
to improve the system of apportioning dele
gates and reward by bonus in delegates the
States that came through with Democratic
votes.
The resolution for dispensing with the rule
contained, with other things, provision that
"the rules of the last Democratic National
Convention, including the rules of the House
of Representatives of the Seventy fourth Con-
oress shall be the rules of this convention"
1talics supplied.
Masters of Parliamentary Rules.
Under the rules of the House a motion to
consider "the previous question" is not debat-
able The late Senator Joe Robinson OF
Arkansas was permanent chairman OF the
Philadelphia convention and he and Senator
Clark agreed in advance that when Senator
Clark presented the report of the Rules Com
mittee and moved its adoption he would also
move the previous question. Under the House
rules, governing the convention, that would
shut OF debate. Senator Clark, former
House parliamentarian, and Senator Robinson
knew the significance Of the notion Few OF
the delegates. however, understood precisely
what was going on.
Just as Chairman Robinson was about to
reco1nize Senator Clark . smalI band entered