Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 April 1880 — NATIONAL CONVENTIONS. [ARTICLE]

NATIONAL CONVENTIONS.

Before many months have passed, the candidates for President and Vice President of the United States will be nominated by National Conventions that will represent the several parties. The convention system was not established until long after the adoption of the constitution. Washington was elected without any nomination whatever. After him the candidates were presented by party caucuses in Congress. Even as late as 1832, President Jackson was a candidate for re-election without lieing nominated by a convention. The Democrats, however, held such a convention to choose a candidate for the office of Vice President. Since then all candidates have been chosen by conventions, consisting usually of delegates, regularly elected from all the States. In the early days of the Republican party, however, conventions had no existence in the Southern States, and Mr. Greeley’s first nomination as a Liberal Republican was made by a mass convention. A National Convention is made up of representatives from each State, to the number Of twice its representation in Congress. Thus Delaware, with two Senators and one Representative, has six delegates; Ohio, with two Senators and twenty Representatives, has fortyfour delegates. Sometimes, but not idways, two delegates are admitted from each organized Territory. Conventions formerly consisted of only one delegate for each Senator and member of Congress. The custom sprung up of electing twice as many delegates and allowing only half a vote to each. The later way is much better. It is the business of a National Convention first to make a “platform,” or a declaration of the principles of its party, and then to nominate candidates. The platform is made by a coinmittee on resolutions, consisting of one member for each State. The work of this committee is usually submitted to the convention and adopted entire, all the contest over it taking place in secret. Sometimes opposition is made in open convention, but it is rarely successful. While it is comparatively easy to secure an appearance of harmony as to party principles, contests over the candidates cannot be avoided. This is particularly the case in Democratic conventions, which adopt a rule that no candidate shall be nominated unless he receives two-thirds of all the votes. In 1860, Mr. Douglas had a clear majority of votes on every one of the fifty - seven ballots taken in the Baltimore Convention; yet he never received two-thirds, and the convention divided and nominated separate candidates. Again in 1868 Mr. Pendleton went into the convention with great strength, but Mr. Seymour w,as nominated on the fifth day of the session and on the twenty-first ballot. ' Only two ballots were necessary to nominate Mr. Tilden at St. Louis in 1876. Mr. Lincoln was nominated in 1860 on the third ballot, and again in 1864, almost unanimously on the first ballot. Gen. Grant was nominated unanimously and on the first ballot, both in 1868 and in 1872. Mr. Hayes was nominated in 1876 on the seventh ballot, after a very hard struggle. The conventions of third parties are rarely of much interest. There was so so much division in 1860 that the candidacy of Bell and Everett was quite an important matter. But few people now remember that Gen. Fremont was a candidate against Mr. Lincoln in 1861, although nobody voted for him, or that Mr. O’Conor was voted for by a handful of Democrats in 1872. At the last election, in 1876, the Greenback party made its first national appearance with Mr. Peter Cooper as u candidate. He received in the whole country less than 82,000 votes, or only twice as many as the Greenback candidate for Governor received in Maine last September. No doubt the party will have a candidate this year, and something more than the usual interest will be attracted by its convention. The reason for this is the very wide difference of opinion as to the condition of the party. Outsiders are apt to think it has had its day, and is dead. The leaders think differently, and promise to astonish the country. The preparations for the several conventions are now going on, and will draw increasing attention until the candidates are selected, when the seventeenth Presidential canvass for President’ of the United States will be fairly opened.