WHY AND HOW NOMINATIONS ARE MADE.
A political party may be defined as a number of persons holding similar views in relation to one or more questions of public policy, and who through unity of action seek to have these views prevail.
The great instrument for securing unity is the convention. It may be a mass meeting, or, as is more usual among the large and well-organized parties, a convention of delegates. In either case it is, be it remembered, not a part of the elective machinery designed by the legislature, but a political device to increase the chances of victory through unity of purpose and action.
Party organization consists of "committees"—town, village, city-ward, county, state, and national. The local committees are chosen by the resident partisans; the county committees by the county conventions; the state committees by state conventions; and the national committee, consisting usually of one member from each state, by the delegates of the respective states to the national convention. Each committee chooses its own chairman and secretary. Besides those mentioned, there are district committees, such as congressional-district committees, senate-district committees, etc., whose members are appointed in a manner similar to that given above. The term of a member is, as might be expected, from the close of one regular convention to the close of the succeeding one. Thus a town committeeman's term is one year, while that of a national committeeman is four years.
The mode of nominating a candidate for the presidency of the United States will illustrate the way of making nominations in general.
1. By long-established practice, each state is entitled to twice as many delegates to the national convention as the number of its presidential electors, and each territory to two delegates. Thus, Minnesota being entitled to nine electors, may send eighteen delegates: and New York, having thirty-six electors, is entitled to seventy-two delegates. Each delegate has an alternate, who acts in the delegate's absence.
2. Though the popular election does not take place until November, the national conventions are usually held in June or July. This is probably to allow plenty of time for the campaign.
3. To allow the machinery time to grind out the delegates, the national committee, having early determined upon the time and place for holding the convention, issues its "call" some months in advance, say in February or March. This is published in the newspapers throughout the country.
4. The next step in the process is the issuance of calls by the several state committees. These are issued as soon as practicable after that of the national committee, and usually appoint the state convention for the latter part of May.
5. In some states all of the delegates to the national convention are chosen by the state convention. But the number of states is increasing, and properly so, in which each congressional district chooses its own two delegates, leaving only the four "delegates at large" to be chosen by the state convention. In these states, the next step is the call of the district committee for a convention slightly antedating that of the state.
6. As soon as practicable after the district call is announced, the several county committees issue their call for county conventions, to be held shortly before the district convention.
7. Lastly, the local committees issue their calls, usually giving a week or ten days' notice. The local convention is called a "caucus."
8. Then in succession the local, county, district, state, and national conventions are held. The caucuses send representatives to the county conventions, which in turn choose the deputations to the district and state conventions, and these finally select the delegates to the national convention. An equal number of "alternates" are chosen at the same time. The state convention also names the presidential electors to be supported by the party.
Thus the national convention is the first to be called and the last to be held, while the caucuses are the last to be called and the first to be held. The caucuses are the real battling-place for the people.
The delegates from each convention receive certificates of election signed by the chairman and secretary thereof. These "credentials" are given to prevent fraud, and constitute the delegates' title to seats in the convention to which they are sent.
The first step taken in the national convention, after securing a "temporary organization," is the appointment of a committee on credentials and another on permanent organization, by the temporary chairman. When the former committee reports, it is known who are entitled to participate in the proceedings; and when the latter committee reports, the convention almost invariably adopts the report and thereby perfects its organization. A committee on rules and one on platform are then appointed.
The states are then called in alphabetical order, and each one that cares to, presents to the convention the name of her "favorite son." Thus in the republican convention of 1860, when Illinois was called, the name of Abraham Lincoln was presented; and when New York was called, the name of William H. Seward was presented, and so on.
When the "roll of the states" is completed, the balloting begins. In the republican convention, nomination is by majority vote; in the democratic, it takes a two-thirds vote to nominate.
The vice-president is then nominated in a similar manner.
After adopting a platform the convention adjourns.
HOW CONGRESS IS ORGANIZED. [Footnote: See also Among the Lawmakers, chapter III. ]
Though the senate is quite a permanent body, two-thirds of its members holding over from one congress to another, its committees are reorganized at the beginning of each congress.
The terms of all members of the house of representatives expire March 4 of the odd-numbered years, and, though many of the old members are re-elected, the house must be reorganized at the beginning of each congress. The mode of organizing the house is briefly as follows:
1. At the first session, the house is called to order by the clerk of the preceding house, who then calls the roll of members-elect [Footnote: The members-elect have previously sent him their certificates of election, received from the state canvassing board.] by states. If a quorum is found to be present, the clerk declares it to be in order to proceed to the election of a speaker. The vote is viva voce on the call of the roll, each member when his name is called pronouncing the name of his choice for speaker. Election is by majority of the votes given. The result is declared by the clerk, who "then designates two members (usually of different politics, and from the number of those voted for as speaker) to conduct the speaker-elect to the chair; and also one member (usually that one who has been longest in continuous service a member of the house) to administer to him the oath required by the constitution." [Footnote: Manual of the House of Representatives.]
The speaker then administers the oath to the members, in groups of about forty, all standing in line before the speaker's desk.
3. The organization is completed by the election of a clerk, a sergeant-at-arms; a doorkeeper, a postmaster, and a chaplain. The vote is viva voce, and the term is "until their successors are chosen and qualified"—usually about two years, though all are subject to removal at the will of the house.
The delegates from the territories are then sworn in.
"At this stage it is usual for the house to adopt an order that a message be sent to the senate to inform that body that a quorum of the house of representatives has assembled, and that ————, one of the representatives from the state of ——, has been elected speaker, and ——- —-, a citizen of the state of —-, has been chosen clerk, and that the house is now ready to proceed to business." [Footnote: Manual of the House of Representatives.]
Each house then orders a committee of three members to be appointed, the joint committee "to wait upon the president of the United States and inform him that a quorum of the two houses has assembled, and that congress is ready to receive any communication he may be pleased to make." [Footnote: Manual of the House of Representatives.] It is in order then for the president to forward his message to congress.
The above are the usual proceedings, and they generally occur on the first day of the session.
The seating of the members is by lot, except in the case of certain members privileged by very long experience or otherwise, who are by courtesy permitted to make the first selection. Each member is numbered, and corresponding numbers are placed in a box "and thoroughly intermingled." Then the numbers are drawn from the box successively by a page, the member whose number is drawn first having first choice of seat, and so on. This may be done while the committees are waiting on the president, as above described.