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