Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-10
THE SUNDAY STAR


tion Of $40 million IN each presiden.
tial year to reimburse the States for
holding the primaries, at q rate Of
not more than 20 cents for each vote
cast.
Candidates desiring to enter the
primaries under this plan would have
to file with the Attorney General
petitions signed by ct least 500 Quali-
fed voters in each Of SO States. To
prevent splinter parties from organ
ling to take advantages Of the new
plan, It would apply only to candi-
dates Of parties which polled at
least 10 million votes in the last
election.
On this basis only the Democratic
and Republican parties could enter
candidates In such primaries this
year.
The results Of the primaries would
not be binding on the national con-
yentions, but the presumption Is that
il most Of the States participated,
the trends would have q strong psy-
Geological effect on the convention
delegates.
Those who have, joined Senator
Douglas In sponsoring the bill are
Senators Smathers, Tobey, Repub-
lican. Of New Hampshire; Hunt,
Democrat, Of wyoming; Margaret
Chase Smith. Republican. Of Maine;
Murray, Democrat, of Montana;
Kefauver, and Aiken, Republican. OF
Vermont. It has been introduced
In the House by Representative Ben
nett, Democrat. Of Florida.
June Primary
The Smathers constitutional
amendment would abolish the prac-
tice of nominating in national con-
yentions. It would substitute q
Nationwide June primary In each
party to pick the ticket each party
would offer the voters IN November.
The electoral vote system now used
in the election also would apply to
the primaries. Each party would
have in each State an electoral vote
equal to the total number Of Senators
and Representatives from the State.
Each party candidate would receive
electoral votes. in the primary based
on the ratio Of his popular vote to
the total party vote.
Senator Smathers gives this ex.
ample of how it would work:
Florida has electoral votes Il
in the Democratic primary Mr.. A re-
I ceived 100000 votes as Democratic
nominee for President, and Mr.. B
received only 100000, then Mr.. A
would get electoral votes, and Mr..
B would get 2. These would be added
to the various electoral votes in the
other States eventually to determine
the nominee Of the Democratic
Party"
This apportionment is different
from the electoral vote system now
used. On election day the party
/. which wins majority of the popular
votes gets the entire electoral vote OF
the State, no matter how slender that
majority.
b Conventions Would Be Drob
Senator Smathers' plan Is intended
= to do away with the smoke filled
rooms" In which candidates are some
times picked at national conventions,
especially when two strong candi-
Il dates get into deadlock. Under his
proposal there might still be national
4 conventions to draw up the party
u platforms, but they would be dull and
y colorless affairs without the nominate
ing battles. Supporters Of the plan
argue that platforms would have
more meaning then, because they
could be built to fit the candidate.
Now the platform is hammered into
shape while the battle for the NOM
nation is still in doubt and FIRE.
quently the nominee must interpret
it to fit his own position on the major
issues of the day.
It probably viii take long time
to put through so revolutionary re-
form. Senator Smathers himself re-
calls that his father, Judge Frank
Smathers, worked on the same idea
with woodrow Wilson 40 years ago.