The National Both national conventions are composed of two delegates from each Congressional district and four delegates-at-large from each State. Thus a national convention contains twice as many delegates as there are members of the House and Senate combined. Both the largest parties admit delegates from the Territories, varying as to numbers and privileges of voting. The State organization determines the method of electing delegates to national conventions but the Re publicans prescribe that delegates shall be chosen in the same way that Congressmen from the same districts are nominated— either at primary elections or district conventions. 'The Democratic delegates may be selected by the State comention as a whole, by the delegates of each individual district or by each district at a district convention. Having assembled, the convention at its first session accepts the tem porary officers nominated by the national com mittee and upon the roll call by the temporary chairman, the delegates of each State and Ter ritory select one of their number as a member of each of the four raost important convention comrnittees, by whom the permanent organiza tion of the convention is effected. At the next session, on the acceptance of the report of the committee on credentials, the permanent chair man, vice-presidents and other officials are elected and the rules adopted, usually as sug gested by the committee on rules and order of business. Democratic national conventions have always required a two-thirds vote for the nomination of President or Vice-President, but the other parties require only a simple majority. The Democrats also employ the ((unit rule,D under which a majority of the delegates from a State may cast the entire vote of the State even over the protest of the minority, whereas .the Republicans allow delegates to vote as in dividuals even though the State convention may have instructed the delegation to vote as a unit. The rules having been adopted, the com mittee on resolutions then presents the platform which may or may not be amended by the con vention before acceptance. The nomination of
candidates is the next and most important busi ness, the roll being called by States in alpha betical order, whereupon the delegates selected to place the candidates in nomination malce their formal speeches. The balloting continues until one candidate receives the vote required to nomi nate, several days being consumed sometimes in reaching an agreement Having completed the most important task for which they assembled, the delegates finish the work of the convention by electing a new national committee which, as previously stated, takes full charge of the cam paign and remains in office until the next na tional convention has assembled. The direct primary (q.v.) has done much to rid the political parties of the obnoxious Moss') system by making the nominations more truly representa tive of the body of the voters. It has shown also that the convention system is not a necessity but is mainly useful for the formulation and promuletion of party principles.
Bibliography.— Beard, C. A., (American Government and Politics) (New York 1911) ; Becicer, C., (The Unit Rule) (in American His torical Review,Vol. V, pp. 64-82, 1899) ; Bryce, James, (The American Conunonwealth) (rev. ed., New York 1914) ; Dallinger, F. W., (Nom inations for Elective Office) (1897) ; Ford,. H. J., (Rise and Growth of Atnerican Politics) (New York 1898) ; Hart, A. B., (Actual Govern ment) (New York 1903) ; Jones, C, L., 'Read ings on Parties and Elections) (New York 1912) ; McKee, T. H., (National Conventions and Platforms, 1789 to 1905) (Baltimore 1906) ; Ogden, R., (New Powers of the National Com mittee) (in Atlantic Monthly, Vol. LXXXIX, pp. 76-81, 1902) ; Ostrogorslci, M., (Democracy , and the Organization of Political Parties) (New York 1902); Reinsch, P. S., (Readings in American Federal Government) (New York 1909) ; Stanwood, Edward, (History of the Presidency) (Boston 1916) ; Woodburn, J. A., (Political Parties and Party Problems in the United States) (2d ed., New York 1914).