Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-04
Democratic Convention
| o Run on Strict Rules

states, land adopts its own
agenda and order of business.
Even after adoption, such orders
OF business may be amended or
discontinued at any time at the
will Of the convention and neces-
sarily vary from day to day with
the progress made. But long
established custom has pre-
Scribed forms and orders of pro-
cedure best adapted to the needs
and purposes of the convention. +"
Thus. it is possible to lose
control of delegates or of a time
table for doing business without
losing control of convention
rules. This was demonstrated at
the 1912 Democratic convention
in Baltimore and again in
Chicago in 1882 when opponents
of the proposed temporary chair
men stayed well within the rules
to nominate their own candi-
dates for that keynoter post.
The Democratic convention
manual-and the same will hold
true correspondingly for the
Republican convention week
later in San Francisco-makes
clear that the Democratic Ma
tional Committee SIS the creature
of the national convention and
therefore subordinate to its
control and direction"
National committee members
are nominated in various ways
in their respective States, ter
Iritories and the District. They
are subject to confirmation by
the convention. Between con-
ventionS, the national committee
exercises only such power as is
delegated specifically to it by
the convention.
Built Up Over Years
Sprinkled through the manual
are scores of rulings and rule
interpretations which now carry
unusual strength as precedents
built up by numerous presiding
officers and convention decisions.
AS long ago as 1884 it specific
ally was held that leach national
convention, like each National
Congress, proceeds de noUo, and
a convention is not bound by
rules or resolutions of previous
conventions and may not so
bind succeeding conventions. A"
For an equally long period, how
ever, national conventions sell
dom have varied the rules.
The most notable departure
in recent times was the 1892
abolition of the two-thirds rule
for nomination of President and
Vice President. That rule had
been renewed every four years
since 1882. The 1856 manual.
nevertheless, explains that rule
in some detail because it theo-
retically could be adopted by
any future convention.
The manual notes, moreover,
that the procedure. as first off,
cially interpreted at the 1882
convention. did not require two
thirds Of the total of votes in
the convention, but two-thirds
OF the votes actually cast.
Some Lesser Rules
Some of the lesser known rules
the Democratic convention is ex-
pected to adopt and rigidly en-
force would:
Ban adjournment motions dur
ing roll calls; refuse requests for
polling delegations after the next
State is called; free the chairman
from any obligation to decide
Hypothetical questions; provide
that no delegate shall hold the
floor more than 80 minutes; limit
nominating speeches to 20 min
lutes each and seconding speeches
to four in number and not more
than five minutes. in length; re-
quire a two-thirds vote for ex-
pulsion of delegates failing to
obey the rules; prohibit nomina-
ton speakers from attacking
other candidates; allow roll calls
on demand Of at least eight
delegations.
OF the hundreds Of traditional
procedures mentioned in the
manual this year, one Of the
comparatively minor regulations
may turn out TO be the hardest
to enforce. More than IS years
ago the Democratic NATIONAL
Convention optimistically ruled:
"All persons on the platform
are reniiired IN no seated during