Evening star., 1948-06-12
Credentials Arbiters
Can Swing Vital Vote,
In Party Conventions
Action More Than Once
Determined Choice for
Presidential Nominee
By Frank X. Kent

IN any SQCll ll&tlt dS IldS llU" uc-
veIoped among both the Democrats
and Republicans it would be a mis-
take to leave out of consideration
the extraordinary power of the Gre
dentials Committees in the national
conventions. More than once In the
history of both parties its action has
determined the nominee. In some
ways it is more important than the
Resolutions Committee, the chair
man of which writes the platform.
In naming Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge of Massachusetts, for that
post, the Republicans could hardly
have made better selection.
The function Of the Credentials
Committee is to pass on the creden-
tials of all the delegates chosen by
the States and territories. Its head
is named by the chairman of the
National Committee, who also sets
up preliminary committee of one
man and one woman from each. This
committee begins examination OF
charges and hearing of contested
delegations before the convention as
sembles. After the selection OF the
temporary chairman, also designated
by the National Committee, the first
work of the convention is to regu-
larize the preliminary Credentials
Committee. Then it creates the Reso-
lutions Committee, charged with the
Job OF framing the party platform.
Then it considers the report of the
Credentials Committee. In almost
every case the committees report is
ratified by the convention. Until
that is done the convention is simply
not organized. Often there is bit
ter fight in the committee and some
times this fight is carried to the con-
vention floor. But this is rare, and
almost always the report Of the COM
mittee's majority is accepted. What
this means, of course, is that in the
case of a contest it is the Credentials
Committee which seats or unseats.
The theory is that the Credentials
Committee decides the contests that
come before it strictly on their merits
and after an impartial investigation
of the facts. The truth is that in
most cases-and in both parties
the committees decisions are fla
vored by the political predictions
and preferences of its chairman and
the majority which he almost al
ways controls. Few observers who
eyer saw q national convention in
action will dispute this. 1t is natural
tSoL L1n ie
accepted.
This being the case, it is easy to
understand the advantage Creden-
tials Committee friendliness can
give to any aspirant for the preSi-
dental nomination in close fight.
The seating of supporting delegates
and the unseating of hostile ones
easily may affect vital votes in the
convention. Certainly it has done
so on a number of occasions. Per-
haps the most notable example in
recent years was in the 1882 Demo-
cratic Convention at Chicago, when
the late Mr.. Roosevelt was first
nominated. Through control OF the
National Committee, the Roosevelt
forces were able to organize that
convention, selecting the temporary
and permanent chairmen and die
tating the heads of the Resolutions
and Credentials Committee.
Long Case Recalled.
A number of contests developed
before the latter, all Of which were
decided in favor of the Roosevelt
forces. The most conspicuous was
the contesting delegation from
Louisiana, which challenged the
late Senator Huey Long and his
delegates. The decision in this case
was an open scandal. The contest
ing delegation not only was COM
posed of the most distinguished
citizens of the State but the evil
dence of fraud and corruption
which they presented was over
whelming and convincing. Yet. the
committee seated the Long delega-
ton. Some of those who voted with
the majority came out privately
saying that they were ashamed OF
what they had helped do, but that
there was no help for it. A vote to
unseat the Long delegation would
have been a vote against Roosevelt
which might have meant his de-
feat. AS a matter of fact, the Long
delegation was a pillar OF strength
to Mr.. Roosevelt when the ballot
ing began. Next to the California
deal, by which Mr.. Garner became
the vice presidential nominee, 1t
contributed more to the Roosevelt
nomination than any other conven-
ton factor.
There may be no comparable
contest before the Credentials Com
mittees in the coming conventions
but there are sure to be some. On
the Republican side there will be
at least one contest among the
Southern States - and probably
more And. no matter where they
are from or what are the contest
grounds, the odds are heavy that
every contest will be decided in
the time -honorcd way-according
to the candidatnrial Affiliations of
the chairman. To some extent the
Credentials Committee is always
a packed committee and to some
extent it always has a chance to do
o little packing of the convention.
Usually, these committees operate
in executive sessions, though some
times their hearings are open. They
attract relatively little publicity,
being overshadowed by the contend
ing presidential aSpirantS and the
various more spectacular and inter-
esting things that go on. Neverthe-
less in anything approximately
close in the way of a fight, expert
enced men will keep their eyes on
the Credentials Committees. What
they do in their executive sessions
can be significant of what the con-
vention will do in the open. In this
respect the coming conventions will
L.