U.S. PRESIDENCY.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 95, 22 April 1924, Page 5

U.S. PRESIDENCY.

HOW CANDIDATES ARE CHOSEN THE UPROAR BEGINNING. EOLE OF THE BRASS BAND. The quadrennial uproar which tradition demands shall accompany the nominating of candidates for the Presidency of the United States is already beginning to be distinctly heard, writes the New York correspondent of the "Times." The Democratic party has set 24th June as the date for its convention, and has chosen New York for the place. Five months, it might be thought, 6hould give ample time for leisurely preparation, but democracy, which goes out to name its candidates, not with a brass band, but with many brass bands and with an organising enthusiasm as painstaking as Max Keinhardt gives to the managing of a stage mob, suffers from no sucli illusion. Precisely as the Eepublieans will do in their turn, the Democrats have gone to work, without a moment's delay, to prepare the campaign. Choosing the city for the convention was, in fact, no small part of the preparation. New York won because, in bald fact, it was the highest bidder. It offered 255,000 dol. (nominally £51,000), which was 5000 dol. (£1000) moro than San Francisco, its nearest rival, could afford; and the national committee, with a deficit of 200,000 dol. (£40,000) on its hands from the 1920 campaign, was only, too glad to find so easy a way to solvency. Like the other bidders, New York promised more than merely the money. There would be no raising of prices in the hotels and restaurants—no "gouging" anywhere. Special entertainments and travel facilities of all sorts would be provided for the convention delegates and for 200,000 other visitors who might foe expected to come in their train, There were other promises, too. On the National Committee's side there wae an agreement that the convention would be kept in session for a certain minimum number of days, so that the New York business men who contributed to the convention fund might have a sporting chance of getting some of their money back. Within 24 hours after New York was chosen the National Democratic Committee had taken over a floor in an "uptown" hotel for their headquarters, and ; the local committee a floor in the Wool 1 worth building " iowntowji"—to eaj nothing of the suites- of rooms engaged by the backers of particulars candidates Each had named a long list of sub-com-mittees, with chairmen who will devote most of their time for the next five months to the work of the convention. Within 48 hours plans for the seating arrangements for 18,000 people iv Madison Square Garden had been com pleted, and tentative allotments oi places had been made to 700 Press representatives and about 400 telegraphists, Not only will the convention's doings be sent out to newspapers throughout the United.States and to many abroad, bu( they will be broadcast by wireless sc that they may be heard by 30,000,00(1 persons. When the Convention Meet*. When the convention actually meets the hall will be profusely decorated with flags and bunting. The delegates, man; of them picturesquely dressed, following the informal standards of the West and South-west especially, will be grouped around standards, bearing the names of their States in bold black lettering. i There will be a powerful brass band, ready for any service to excite enthusiasm, to drown sporadic acrimonies, to head a stampede procession around the floor. AH these services bands have been called upon to perform in the past. And there will be, inter alia, the privileged eccentrics on the floor and in the galleries, making, one would say, a nuisance of themselves, but by Americans readily tolerated as long as they seem to be "funny." ■ Nominations From the Floor. The nominations will be made from the floor, the chairman of each delegation naming its choice as the : roll of States is called in alphabetical order. Alabama, it may be, will be persuaded ■to give way to Illinois, or Pennsylvania to Texas, as part of the game. There is a fine strategy in naming a candidate at exactly the psychological moment, for invariably a considerable number of the delegates are influenced by mob feeling. Of course, nearly always the real naming of the candidates is done in quiet and wholly unadvertised meetings of a few powerful leaders gathered in a hotel- room. Because of the rule in democratic conventions which requires the votes of two-thirds of the delegates to make a nomination. effective, it is seldom possible to muster in advance for any one candidate more than a strong nucleus of votes,' bo that in a way the convention itself ultimately names the party choice, but unconsciously its range of selection is within narrow limits. However, to lend excitement to the sessions there is always the possibility that a stampede will occur such as made William Jennings Bryan the candidate in 139 G. Favourite Sons. There will be "favourite sons" of different States, ebmc of them real candidates, some of them without the ghost of a chance. It makes no difference which they are, the speeches proposing and seconding them will be equally long. Of oratory, indeed, there will be virtually no end—always supposing that this conventon is not unique. And when at last the voting comes, with the delegates worn from loss of sleep, and with their nerves ragged from too much tobacco, too much excitement, and too little fresh air, there will be an .uproar of cheering and band-playing and thumping of boot heels and crashing oi overturned chairs. A hundred delegates will leave their places at once, shouting and cheering, waving flags and banners wrenched loose from their standards, and for 15 minutes or so will parade wildly up and down the aisles, while the band brays frantically, "Hail, hail, the gang's all here," or some other timehonoured favourite. Ten minutes after the noise has subsided there will be another sudden outburst and another parade. So it will go on until, finally, the course of voting—after a few roll-calls, or a score—leavoe it no longer to be doubted who is to be nominated: and then will begin the greatest scramble of ah, the struggle to "climb on the band waggon"—to identify one's self with the winning faction. With all the disorder, democracy will be at work. It is more than likely that the successful candidate will prove to have been the real choice of the party, fulfilling the people's will.