NATIONAL CONVENTION.
The National Convention is called to order about noon on the day
appointed in the official call, by the chairman of the national
committee.
The convention is opened with prayer.
The call is read, after which the national committee names a list of
temporary officers for the convention, temporary chairman, secretary,
clerks, sergeant-at-arms and stenographers.
The temporary chairman takes the chair and makes a formal speech on
the political situation.
A resolution is adopted making the rules of the preceding convention
the rules of the convention until otherwise ordered.
Motions are made for the appointment of committees on credentials,
permanent organization, rules and resolutions, each consisting of one
member from each state and territory.
Resolutions concerning contested seats are presented to the convention
and referred without debate to the committee on credentials. (Every
state is allowed double as many delegates as it has Senators and
Representatives in Congress. The four men corresponding to the
representation of the Senate are delegates at large, the others are
district delegates, which number twenty-two district delegates and
four delegates at large, making twenty-six delegates to the National
Convention from Kentucky.)
This ends the first session of the convention.
When the convention assembles for the second session, the first
business is the report of the credential committee.
In deciding contested seats, the committee on credentials gives each
side a chance to present its claims, and then decides between them,
generally in favor of the regular delegates, those endorsed by the
state and the district committee.
Two full contesting delegations from the same state, sometimes seats
are given to both, each delegate being entitled to one-half vote.
After the credential committee arrives at a decision concerning
contested seats, its report including a list arranged by the states of
all delegates entitled to seats is usually accepted by the convention
with very little debate.
Then the committee on organization make their report, which consists
of a list of permanent officers of the convention--previously arranged
to some extent by the national committee. (This report is usually
arranged beforehand and therefore adopted without much trouble, if
any.) A committee is appointed to escort the permanent chairman to the
platform, who usually delivers a speech on the issues of the coming
campaign.
The chair calls for the committee on rules first, for their report.
Two rules of great importance in a Democratic Convention are: First--A
rule requiring for the nomination of candidates two-thirds of the
whole number of votes in the convention. The Republican requires only
a majority.
Second Rule--The so-called unit rule under which a majority of each
state delegation is allowed to cast the entire vote to which the state
is entitled even against the protest of a minority of the delegation.
These two rules are strictly adhered to in the Democratic party only.
While waiting on the resolution committee's report, miscellaneous
business is disposed of, such as the election of national committees
and of committees on notification. Such committees usually consist of
one delegate from each state and territory, the members being
designated by the respective delegations.
About the third day the resolution committee is ready to report the
platform.
This platform is a formal statement of the party's attitude upon the
public questions of the day; next to the nomination of candidates it
is the most important work of the convention.
The platform of any party is usually adopted as read.
Nominations for candidates are next in order, and these begin with the
roll call of the states arranged alphabetically for the presentation
of candidates for the presidential nomination. Several candidates are
often nominated. The delegation from any state when called in its
turn may pass its right of nomination to any other delegation not yet
called.
Some good and influential speaker will nominate the candidate from his
state, and it is usually seconded by a good speaker from some state
that has not a candidate.
After roll call for nominations is completed the convention proceeds
to the first ballot.
The chairman of the delegation from his state when the state is called
by the secretary of the convention, arises and announces the vote of
his state. Sometimes a candidate is nominated by acclamation, but
usually many ballots are necessary to decide the contest.
If a candidate is not nominated on the first few ballots, a dark horse
sometimes receives the nomination, but this is seldom the case.
As soon as a candidate receives the number of votes necessary to
nominate, which is two-thirds of the delegates in a Democratic
convention and a majority in a Republican convention, usually some one
moves that the nomination be made unanimous, which is adopted with
great applause.
After the nomination for President is over the convention proceeds in
the same way to nominate a candidate for Vice President.
At the national convention of each party a new national committee is
appointed to carry on the campaign and act until the next convention.
The platform adopted at the national convention of either party is an
expression of the principles of the party.
Sometimes a plank is put in to catch voters. On some questions the
plank may not be plain, but may straddle the issues.
The national platform gives the principles to which the party is
committed and its attitude on important public questions.