Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-07-11
POLITICAL PLATFORMS.

The first and most arduous duty of q
political convention nowadays is max
ing up platform. 1t is work Of great
magnitude in the eyes Of oil delegates to
Q convention, and the unfortunate fran.
ers have to exercise considerable amount
Of ingenuity in cutting aud trimming.
patching and piecing political truth and
falsehood, SO as to get together pre-.
sentable amount OF principles. The con-
struction Of political platform is On
srt in itself and one possessed by very
few. There is required for the success.
full political joiner fair amount of as.
surance, q slight knowledge of what he
is talking about, and what tho people OF
that particular district require, and cor
tain amount of prophetic intuition as to
who is going to stand on tho platform.
1t 10 now good many years ngo since
New York led off in the absurd practice
Of platform making. 1t took. and for a
while was all the 60. every little town.
ship convention had to have a platform
to uphold the respective candidates for
political honors, and the practice is likely
to be kept up now for an indefinite pc
Rod. Too much attention Is paid to
platforms. They arc unnecessary pieces
OF furniture and are only in the way. Tho
country was governed well before tho po-
litical parties ever thought of making
platforms. Apart from the additional
labor entailed upon the unfortunate pro-
ducers and upholders of those curious
political constructions, is the contradic-
tory and antagonistic attitude different
platforms assume in the same party. Then
comes a host Of explanations and an army
Of scribblers is called into use to show the
why and the wherefore Of the case and re-
concile as best they can the oft times OPP
posite principles advocated. Take the
recent Democratic platforms for instance.
The Ohio platform comes out strong for
imitation. The New York Democrats
speak up in wise tones for hard money
and at once comes up whoop from OPP
posing factions as to what is right and
what ia wrong. Instead Of recognizing
the fact and seeking for more sensible
plan Of political cohesion, the press are
spreading the platform so as to make
room for Allen with his greenbacks and
Tilden with his hard money. In the
meantime the platform is weakened and
the candidates are in danger OF being
thrown to the ground by tho too Jealous
action Of their friends. 1t may be said
that a platform is necessary to enunciate
certain principles and place the candi-
dates before the people in proper light.
We don't think 80. 1t is pretty well I'M
derstood what the chief principles of the
different political parties consist of, and
any one that is ignorant wont be enlight-
ened much after reading the different
platforms Of the day. If anything, he
will be in q worse fix than before, for
whatever ideas he may have will be up
set and mixed in hopeless degree of
confusion. Governor Allen OF Ohio is
platform in himself, so is o. p. Morton
or George Pendleton. A new political
organization may deem it necessary to
state their principles in concise form,
but the long winded aud verbose COM
positions of the day, which are decoy
ducks for catching voters, are worse
than useless, and as the matter stands,
are illustrative of one of the political
follies of the age.