Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-07-12
Che freeman.
Delegate Conventions.
BY GEN. j. W. PHELPS

The delegate system of nominating to
Office was first rcsorted to, it Is said. by the
anti-Masonic party as means Of defeating
the Masonic lodge. or ring system of nom-
nations. But that system has gone. where
all power is certainly going, from the
many TO the few; or in other words, from
the people to close organizations. The
men who make our officers for us rule the
state; and where secret organizations
standing political caucuses) are the NOM
mating power, the people cease to govern.
The officer will hold himself responsible
to the power that gives him office; and
where he gets his Office from the lodge, he
will not be responsible to the people.
Men cannot well protect themselves
against the ring by mere individual ac-
ton, and they must therefore have the
protection of the law. They must take
the power of nominating our officers out
of the hands of rings and exercise it them
selves. To this end we propose law. the
substance of which is rough sketched, rs
follows:
On the first Tuesday of June, 1881, and
on that day every second year thereafter,
nominating convention OF the people to
be held in their respective cities and town
ships for the selection of nominees TO all
the state and county offices to be filled by
the popular vote. Duplicate lists of all
the ballots cast for nominees TO be made
and certiii I'd to by the town clerk of each
township or city, one Of which lists to be
deposited among the records ofthe respec-
tive city or township, aud the other sent
within one week after the convention to
the governor of the state.
70 be the duty Of the governor Of the
state to cause to be ascertained from the
nomination lists trausm itted to him the
names of persons not exceeding ten nor
less than two, who shall have received the
highest number OF ballots for each Office to
be filed and, on or before the first day of
August following, to announce the same
by proclamation to tho people of tho state.
The persons who receive tho two highest
numbers OF ballots for nomination TO any
ono Office to bc considered the regular
candidates for election to that Office, at tho
ensuing election, to bo conducted and con
ditoncd a. now directed by law, proyid.
ed that the nominating ballots Of no city
or township shall be rcckouCd i'll deciding
upon the nominees, unless Il majority of
tho voters Of said city or township shall
have been present and voting at the NOM
mating convention thus appointed.
By the operation OF an act similar to
this, the nominating power may be taken
from rings and close organizations and
restored to the whole body Of the people,
where it belongs. Under the present
ring system our farmers are being crushed
aud ruined. They have no weight in the
political affairs Of the state. The men
who pay the taxes, the farmers, may be
said TO have no representation. The gov
ernment is given II direction adverse to
their interests in spite ofthem. The voice
Of Vermont is, and has been for years,
drowned and silenced under the clack of
ling machinery. The old character of the
state, rs well as the farming interests,
must 90 to decay under 1t. as we can see
by looking at the shrub grown pastures of
almost any hill side.