The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1912. THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1473, 22 June 1912, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 1912. THE AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.

America is a Republic endowed with an extremely efficient Constitution that gives as much play as possible to the free working of the people's opinions and manners. The wild .drama now being enacted in Chicago—with its fierce language, its hour-long uproars, its white-hot passions,, and earthquaking intrigues, its respectable citizens transformed into howling dervishes— ,would bo reproduced in Britain, or something similar, if the Monarchy were abolished and the Englishman had to face every four years the election of a partisan Dictator. Even in tho succinct cable messages we are receiving, which are but the faintest reflection of the thousands of daily columns in the press of America and Britain, it is possible to see something of the picture that has never been better drawn than by the Right Hon. James Bryce. For all his sobriety of style, Mr. Bryce was unable to prevent his description of a "National Convention" (in his book The American Commonwealth) from being a fascinating and memorable piece of writing. For days before tho Convention opens the delegates flock into the city, and "before the great day dawns many thousands of politicians, newspaper men, and sightseers have filled to overflowing every'hotel in the city, and crowd the main thoroughfares so that the cars can scarcely penetrate the throng. It is like a mediaeval pilgrimage, or the mustering of a great army." Intrigues begin at once, "the air is thick with tales of plots and treasons." Mr. Brvtce, in the course of his sketch of this amazing feature of American political life, records his "European" amazement at this method of selecting the head of the State, and comments, in the language of astonishment, upon the strange mixture of "orderliness and excitability" that is the most striking feature of hif* American public gatherings. Reading the cable messages of the last day or two amidst the winter comforts of Queenstown Mu. Bryce will probably feel inclined to fancy that it js no longer, true in 1912, as it was in 1893. that the Conventions aro sustained bv "an underlying lovs of fair play. ' Wo have not yet had any news of the_

actual balloting!—the. cliinffx of the drama—but it fip.i'ie'a'rs to- be preUy ccrtaiii by 110'w that NI s;. T-ai-i: i's .sa.f-e' and that there will he ivo. ''staninotle." For M', l :. Ivoo.s'iiviiLT lias"thrown up tho s'pOiigt;, 50 far as the Convention i.s couceri;ed.

The annou.nQQnient that the • e'?;- fPresident _wi : l-l run a.s .ah iiidepeii-!' dent candidate means tlvat be: relies | upon his powe.v' the nation j next November, As we; o'xip.l.ailicit; the other day, the people will vote in Xovember for ■'P.resideiTtiivi electors." Mii, .HaosKVi-XT evidently believes on -of. .some o'f his. successes in the States in which primaries arc in vogue, tha i he can cure a majority of tlie ''Presidential electors." Thfire- -w' ; rll be a ''ItoofiKvki.t ticket", in every State, ami h. is really quite possible that, ciunigh liooseveltians will be sent to tiie College to elect, the. .e.x-Presidm'it f to the great discredit, -as -ivo mii's.fc b.e--. lieve, of the great Republic,' In. the ■ meantime there is the. Democratic : party. Tho Repulilica 11 s .have, grown ■ accustomed, and the world' outside, has grown aee.ustomed, lo ■ imagine '■ that nobody conuted but the, liepulilicans. Yet -t'lie Gongfe'ssioiial'. e'iections of 1910 showed, that, there existed then a;.' gicat ,:anti:4 v en!:ibfi'caii ■; majority amongst the national votoi's; tho Democrats swept the polls; : A good_ Democratic candidaie, full . of public arid3,'pcr|ortAt iiverft,.. aiul : unquestion.iblv cie\oint t( the mnin Democratic policies, would probably liavo an easy;win, with good mailagenient. lint the Deino.erais are burdened with bitter internal rivrtlr: ries. Two yt>ars ago. nothing seemed more likely than rliat .Mi:-. 'Woonuowf UilsoNi ?rj.vnierly - President o.f I Pnncetori Unneisib .ml now Go\ernor of New- Jersey, would be She trVtiinpho ub .'.her,p':.bf.-'' party, _ Lafcjy-;u;liiowey^i:j., jfas fallen into, at the best',- secoiid piace• to Mb. Chajsp C'lauk, the Speaker' of the House'. of Representative*, who became . famous through .liis' spread-eagle- attitude 011' Hie qur-s-! tion of reciprocity witli Canada, i The Democratic press has been very confident that the next President will be a Democrat, .and they are doubtless deriving': fresh confide,nee from the TArr-liposKviaf split.. The greatest of all tlie • Democratic organs, the New' York li'rmVi late.lv commented upon the. fact;.that the Democratic youu's - have hesitated to fall in definitely behind any of the possible candidates (Wii.sox, CriARK,: Haujiox, Undkhwood, and ;'ptliefs): and it said that tliis was rather fortunate, since, it left- all Democrats free to swing .in .wlidly behind that. Democratic candidate whom the' l(e----publiean Convention, would point to. as the one mostilil^elyiicto. ■' The Democratic Convention opens on Tuesday, of next week at Ballimore, and the decision oi the Republican Convention 1 no\v .. .sitting- in Chicago will' -vitally ihihioiice " t'ne. Democratiir choice. AYhen -.tlie last mail left easily in the. lead of the Democratic possibilities, but there- nniy bo nearly, as much material for.' ill torna 1 : wa 1-'. fare in the,. JX'nioeratic . canip iis amongst the Republicans. The con, centratiou of ; attention, including Democratic attention,., upon the Taft-Rooskvelt '.quarrel,, however, looks like a godsend, for Democratic; hopes, for tliejDeinocratif; "possibilities" are all at.one on the broad lines of policy. Next .week we/shall hear something of 'the Raltimore 'Convention, and we may ; expeef, with some confidence their that aspirant; who.will.probably be Mn. Champ Clakk,. who looks most like being really the most popular, of, them all. .. The Democrats have, this advantagc^qyer-..the. that their party, rules, arp such that their Nation,aliXConvcntibn^'^wiic|jchooses the canclidatfl) jiH).re.'fairly reflcets the par,ty.voting power in -the various State, It'.is possible. that next November will see the election oi an there will be'a niajority for a I)e- ; mocratic candidate,' which- would hardly have been .likely but for .the defiance, not only of "precedent, but' of his own pledged word in 190-1 nevor again, "under" any ■■ oircunistances,' to seek, renomiiia'tion. ~..