Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-01-10
Legislative Caucussing.

The secret ballot is considered very necessary
element material in the preservation of our free
dom. The people who go to the ballot box to ex-
ercise the right of suffrage properlyresponsible
to no one for their decision or act Their own
science is alone their guide and guard and to that
alone are they responsible. Hence the secret bal
lot is their right and their safety. Not so, howev-
er, with the representative. HI is responsible to
those who have delegated to him his power and au-
thority, and it is right and proper and necessary
| that they should know the manner in which he has
fulfilled is fulfilling his trust Hence the vote
by voice, becomes in that case right and proper,
! and necessary.
Ii was doubtless with this view that the conven-
ton which framed the constitution of this state
acted that all elections by the legislature shall be
by voice. 1t was just and wise provision, but in
this case as many others, it appears there is pow
err behind the throne greater than the throne ITSELF
which practically nulliies this provision of the
stitution, and deprives the people of the benefit
which might otherwise result from awse enactment
which power is the Legislative CAUCUS. Here the
representatives of the people meet in secret and use
commend nor how they vote, and their subsequent
viUa roce vote in the Legislature is nothing more
than formal ratification of the dongs of the Sc
cret caucus. Of what is the viua roce vote I'M
der such circumstances. AS we view it, that whole
provision of the constitution is rendered entirely
null and void, and it either was wrong and had no
business there in the first place, the people are
cheated by this system out of the benefits of it. We
have seen representatives walk deliberately into
caucus and come out, declaring that the choice of
the caucus was in direct opposition to the will OF
therconstuents, and yet they deliberately endors-
ed that violation by open vote in the legislature.
The same constitutional convention wisely divi-
ded the state into separate assembly districts, so
that the several constituencies might stand indie
pendent and be heard by their ownrepresentatives:
yet this caucus system nullifes all that The jour
nal of he legislature isdesgned to be correct po-
ltcal history of the state yet no one can tell from
its pages the true position at any time of any con-
stituency in the state, because the whole has
been previously decided in caucus, and the rep
resentative in the legislature has in all probability
voted at the dictation of some other constituency.
than his own. This places the representative above
the people, destroys the voice and influence of the
latter, and if tolerated. of course makes the egia-
ture an entirely irresponsible body. choosing Off
GERS as important United States Senators,
according to their own individual fancy, without
the least regard to the will of the people
If the system of viva voting by the le5sla-
ture as established by the constitution be demand
ed by the best interests of the people, then most
certainly this system of caucusng which utilities
that provision of the constitution, should be abol
shed
We need not pursue the subject 1t must be
seen that the system of Legislative Caucussing fur
nishes an ample field and opportunity for wrongng
the people, and we hope the time is now at hand
when the people will not hold him guiltless who
violates their known will, the plea tina, it was so
ordered in caucus