UNITED STATES PRESIDENCY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 89, 31 August 1912, Page 2 (Supplement)

UNITED STATES PRESIDENCY

WILSON PREFERRED TO TAFT. ROOi-EYELT'S THIRD PARTY. New York, July 5. By tar the ii(ost important result of tliis year's campaigning will bo tin; abolition, or, at any rate, the radical modification, of the existing system of "nominating conventions." Tlie experience of both parties Juts demonstrated beyond doubt that, as working machinery, these are now hopelessly obsolete. They date back only 30 years, and were devised by General Jackson to give to the people what during the iirst half-century of the Republic they utterly lacked —a voice in the selection of the President. And for many decades they worked fairly well; and until very recently were so sensitive to all the wishes of the rank and file of the party that even the shrewdest of the machine-managers never felt entirely secure from a wild stampede from the "slated" candidate to a new and unmanageable man—as happened, for example, when Bryan, by that phrase about crucifying humanity upon a cross of gold, swept the Democrats off their feet. INFLUENCE OF INTERESTS. But since the "special interests," by lavish use of corporation patronage, and even in some eases of hard cash, have recruited an ever-increasing corps of friends in both parties, extreme care has been taken to ensure the selection of absolutely controllable delegates; and the discreditable record of both of this year's conventions shows that they were at all times under the severest curb. Wilson, it is true has been reluctantly permitted to become the Democratic standard-bearer, but his running mate for Vice-President is almost, if not quite, a reactionary, and the national committee and tie general machinery of the party remain in the hands of the antiprogressives. If elected, as he quite probably will be, Wilson will be almost as utterly powerless to get support for his policy from his own party as was Cleveland during his two terms of futile effort for betterment. The special privilege people dreaded most of all the selection by the regular conventions of Roosevelt and Bryan, for in that case, no matter which of them won, radical social and financial changes would have been inevitable. And now, not only in Bryan as a matter of honor forced to support Wilson, and therefore muzzled, but in many States where Wilson will win he will carry into office with him the bitterest personal enemies of Bryan and of real reform; for example, in New York State, having opposed him almost to the last in the convention, Tammany Hall will run the Wilson canvass, and will see to it that Congressmen on the Wilson ticket have the true Tammany stripes on their fur. FRAUDULENT CLAIMANTS. In the Republican convention, Roosevelt had a clear majority of tho rightfully elected delegates, but the national committee coolly recognised enough fraudulent claimants of seats to give Taft 21 votes more than a majority in a muster of 1087 delegates. In local conventions, such things are by no means, alas, infrequent, but little harm is done, because the local voters know the facts and at the polls the fraud is fitly, punished. But it is not exaggeration to say that at no former national convention has any like nakedly shameless robbery been perpetrated. And hardly had the regular convention adjourned before more than two-fifths of the delegates reassembled in another hall to listen to counsel from Roosevelt. All of them were eager to enrol forthwith in a new third party, but Roosevelt wisely suggested to postpone positive action until the Democratic Convention had met and adjourned, for it was just possible that the reactionaries might insist upon a man of the same docile temperament as Taft; and in that case the Progressives in both parties could unite and form a third party, which even at the outset would feel confident of victory.

TAFT OR WILSON. As between Taft and Wilson, it is a, foregone conclusion that Wilson will be tlie victor, and even money has been bet in Wall street that, if Rooseveltand his third party also take the field, raft will "Ot carry a single State in the Union; nd another man has agreed to pay 1000 ollars unless Taft carries a majority f all States —that is, 25. Bets are poor rffuments, of course, but they are traws that show which way the wind 3 blowing. On Monday next the call or a third party convention will probably be issued, and no doubt very many killed political veterans will take pait n the movement—not because they ex,ect that Roosevelt, in an improvised ampainn, can win out, but because ail ,ver the country his ticket will be in •Roosevelt" districts overwhelmingly m he lead, and a fair percentage of retail and State officers will thus be elected, md will serve not only as a nucleus fo l sterner struggle, under-the same leader four years hence, but also, quite )o's<iblv may in the meantime hold the KS'rf powov «lik« i» in many of the State Legislatures, toi 'eivably, too, Wilson-a Southerner by birth and in earlier days author of a book some clauses in which grate somewln t liar-hlv upon up-to-date ears-nmy o i ny Northern Democratic votes to Roosevelt; and with Roosevelt and Wilson both running, the one the "interests" will be to secure enough ni-i,,. f nr Taft to sive no one ot tnc SS2&& . majotiw «« College.

-V CLUMSY CHOICE. And then the House of Representatives elects a President from among tile three highest candidates. But the method of doing this is mconyeivaWy unjust and clumsy. Each State delegation meets by itself, and, having made its choice, casts one vote and no mme New York, with nine millions of people, having only the same voice as Arizona. with one-twentieth of the population. And. of course, we all know already how such a vote in would'stand. Of the 48 states, 23 a «. Democratic, 22 Republican, and . ' evenly divided representatives, im.se last three are normally Republican; but that only makes more remote the possibilitv of a change of position. l<oi cl. tion the President must have a cleai majority of ail-that is 25. Bemoera s and Republicans alike fall shoit o th< , an.l the Constitution makes no provision for counting the evenly-dn id i States as a half-vote to each side, and even if it did, the ts have only 24V. votes, and it \u>uld f ticklish question for the Supreme Court to decide whether a fraction above half the total vote could be a majority. It is more than half, o course, but a majority surely means a integral quantity. Quite probabl> tlii ■ire mere idle speculations, but tlu> at least show that a paper Constitution often falls far short of covering all possibilities of the future. GROTESQUE REPORTS. of the narrative reports of the eomlitons in the "yelloAv" American newspapers have been grotesquely cxag"3. ,UKI «.»*,. «. ""PI"!™ sions of Gorman- «»« ™ EiHish correspondents, are quite excus able U neither convention was theie mv serious rioting, or even border. Probably at least a third of the 2100 men on the Baltimore floor were the general knowledge of that due weight in the maintenance of enduiable manners.