This is practically the order of procedure today.The national convention is at once the supreme court and the supreme legislature of the national party.It makes its own rules, designates its committees, formulates their procedure and defines their power, writes the platform, and appoints the national executive committee.
Two rules that have played a significant part in these conventions deserve special mention.The first Democratic convention, in order to insure the nomination of Van Buren for Vice-President--the nomination of Jackson for President was uncontested--adopted the rule that "two-thirds of the whole number of the votes in the convention shall be necessary to constitute a choice." This "two-thirds" rule, so undemocratic in its nature, remains the practice of the Democratic party today.
The Whigs and Republicans always adhered to the majority rule.
The early Democratic conventions also adopted the practice of allowing the majority of the delegates from any State to cast the vote of the entire delegation from that State, a rule which is still adhered to by the Democrats.But the Republicans have since 1876 adhered to the policy of allowing each individual delegate to cast his vote as he chooses.
The convention was by no means novel when accepted as a national organ for a national party.As early as 1789 an informal convention was held in the Philadelphia State House for nominating Federalist candidates for the legislature.The practice spread to many Pennsylvania counties and to other States, and soon this informality of self-appointed delegates gave way to delegates appointed according to accepted rules.When the legislative caucus as a means for nominating state officers fell into disrepute, state nominating conventions took its place.
In 1812 one of the earliest movements for a state convention was started by Tammany Hall, because it feared that the legislative caucus would nominate DeWitt Clinton, its bitterest foe.The caucus, however, did not name Clinton, and the convention was not assembled.The first state nominating convention was held in Utica, New York, in 1824 by that faction of the Democratic party calling itself the People's party.The custom soon spread to every State, so that by 1835 it was firmly established.County and city conventions also took the place of the caucus for naming local candidates.
But nominations are only the beginning of the contest, and obviously caucuses and conventions cannot conduct campaigns.So from the beginning these nominating bodies appointed campaign committees.With the increase in population came the increased complexity of the committee system.By 1830 many of the States had perfected a series of state, district, and county committees.
There remained the necessity of knitting these committees into a national unity.The national convention which nominated Clay in 1831 appointed a "Central State Corresponding Committee" in each State where none existed, and it recommended "to the several States to organize subordinate corresponding committees in each county and town." This was the beginning of what soon was to evolve into a complete national hierarchy of committees.In 1848the Democratic convention appointed a permanent national committee, composed of one member from each State.This committee was given the power to call the next national convention, and from the start became the national executive body of the party.
It is a common notion that the politician and his machine are of comparatively recent origin.But the American politician arose contemporaneously with the party, and with such singular fecundity of ways and means that it is doubtful if his modern successors could teach him anything.McMaster declares: "A very little study of long-forgotten politics will suffice to show that in filibustering and gerrymandering, in stealing governorships and legislatures, in using force at the polls, in colonizing and in distributing patronage to whom patronage is due, in all the frauds and tricks that go to make up the worst form of practical politics, the men who founded our state and national governments were always our equals, and often our masters." And this at a time when only propertied persons could vote in any of the States and when only professed Christians could either vote or hold office in two of them!
While Washington was President, Tammany Hall, the first municipal machine, began its career; and presently George Clinton, Governor of New York, and his nephew, DeWitt Clinton, were busy organizing the first state machine.The Clintons achieved their purpose through the agency of a Council of Appointment, prescribed by the first Constitution of the State, consisting of the Governor and four senators chosen by the legislature.This council had the appointment of nearly all the civil officers of the State from Secretary of State to justices of the peace and auctioneers, making a total of 8287 military and 6663 civil offices.As the emoluments of some of these offices were relatively high, the disposal of such patronage was a plum-tree for the politician.
The Clintons had been Anti-Federalists and had opposed the adoption of the Constitution.In 1801 DeWitt Clinton became a member of the Council of Appointment and soon dictated its action.The head of every Federalist office-holder fell.
