The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-06-04
Timely Suggestions.

Mr. Editor There Is a view of the work OF
the caucus, or convention, in politics that needs
some thought Just now. Bear with a few words
on the subject. We are frequently urged to
attend the primary meeting, or caucus, and see
that good men are sent to the state convention,
and these made the candidates for Office, as
though that ended the matter, or at least met
the most important call upon the citizen in the
work OF securing the nomination Of good and
true men. Many Of us have needed this advice
and many fail to act upon 1t. To some there
Turk in 1t some practical fallacies. 1t sounds to
many like an invitation to decide a matter at
game Of cards, in which the innocent country
man is sure to get heeced by the old hands
Now there is something in this, and certain
things need to be borne In mind by members
Of conventions and other nominating bodies.
The fact is that probably less than half Of our
voters ever attend a primary meeting OF any
sort. They are voters because the state has
made them such. They are republicans merely
because they usually vote for the ticket put in
nomination by that party on more or less
definite conviction that these men better repre-
sent the principles they approve. But they
have nothing to do, and never have had, with
the management Of the party. They take a
given ticket or not, or they take or refuse any
other thing proffered them as gift, OF favor,
or for a consideration. They feel no more
bound to go and help make up the ticket than
they do to go and help make the wares the tin
peddler brings to their door, in order to secure
surest way to do this is to let the peddler pass
on few times. This is very much what the
people in New York did two years ago. 1t Is
what many town in Vermont does about its
representative. There has been so much hum
buggery about the representative character of
the caucus and convention that many have let
1t severely alone, having In their hands the
most powerful Of remedies-the freedom to let
its nominee severely alone at the polls. And
they have some, II not sufficient, reason for it.
IlaNA ta d.. n.N, H. A.
laws Of the state that binds him to be an at
tendant upon these outgrowths of American
politics The caucus Is, at the best, an incident
and not an essential of our political, or even
party system. All its work could be done
through committees, or by newspapers Indeed,
the latter do much Of the work. 1t is very kind
in dozen or so interested gentlemen to give
out call and get together as many as they can
control to put up ticket There is great adj
vantage in 1t. But, after ALL this is work OF
supererogation, so far as constitutional necessi-
ties are concerned. In some instances the ad-
vice given has as little weight as the puff one
reads OF the last nostrum Another thought
The persons who compose caucus or conven-
ton generally assume that their own personal
opinions represent the opinions of all their fell
low-citizens. The assumption Is made that
those who go to a county or state convention
may be safely taken as the true exponents of
public opinion in their constituencies The
truth is that they more frequently represent
tne VIEWS Ol tn6 POLITICIANS OF tnelr towns, ana
know as little OF the real sentiments of the mass
OF intelligent voters as they do of Greek. They
take no pains to find out the opinions of any
outside their own set. The state and local con-
ventions are representative bodies, but not of
the people OF the state. A majority of these
generally consists of those who may be safely
reckoned in the office-holding or office-seeking
class. Men of unsefish regard for the state
who never held an office and never care to leave
their business for its honors, are not present
Such men are too troublesome to the traders in
office. The mere politicians get together and
close their ears to all suggestions that they
may, after all, represent affairs only in part
And when state is fairly aroused, as Yer
mont now seems to be, there is no telling what
the independent voters may do Party lines are
not Of much account then. good democratic
candidate becomes better than poor republ.
can. What is the upshot Of all this? Simply
this: Leaders OF opinion must first strive to
make caucuses and conventions representative
bodies for calm deliberation and free expression
of opinion. To choke freedom of action there
Is to kill the caucus or defeat its nominee
Secondly, IL a few only choose to attend them
those few have greater responsibility, and
must exercise 1t with care. They are selecting
candidates for those whom they do not consult
and it may be for those who distrust their wis
dom, and 80 stay away. And thirdly, they
must consider that since the candidates must,
from the nature of the case, be first named and
brought forward by the few-either in the eau
Gus, or If that bring together all the voters,
then in a smaller body-the prime duty is to
find out what the really just men in the town
think or want and how far their opinion
should be regarded Unless such principles
as these are adopted, Mr.. Editor, all invitations
to caucus and convention will be declined by
increasing numbers. They sound like the
spiders invitation into his "little parlor" The
voter will fall back on his position as citizen.
The caucus may languish. An air of uncer.
tainty as to results of the election will trouble
the machine. But the result will be healthy.
CITIZEN