The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-08-16

TnE oRAwFonD couNrr sYsrEM.

/ = r SAaEA " A0AAAN A0N@N - ~
MENTOR, KANSAS, August 10, IsSs.
Dear Sir:-At the County Repub-
lican Convention held ten or eleven
months ago, a resolution was intro
duced declaring in favor Of adopt
/ ing what Is known a. the Crawford
county system, Of nominating
candidates for our county offices
This resOluti m was discussed at
some length and some serious OBJ
jectiOns were raised 10 its adoption;
but the only objection which seemed
10 have any real weight was that
il gave 10 the city Of Salina almost
absolute control Of all nominations,
from the fact Of the large vote she
contained and which could all be
brought out as, the primaries were
held here after business hours aud
places Of voting were so convenient
that every voter could aud would
If there was any interest at stake
turn out to the primaries. Il was
noticed by those favOring the res
nlution that this objection was not
raised by anyone having hayseed
ia his hair, or even by one who had
ever before shown any concern for
the granger's interests in cOnVen-
ton, aud 80 far a. my memory
serves all the opposition Ia the
resolution came from persons OF
this claas, who seemed to be in
siantly converted to the granger's
interest although living in Salina
and revOlted at the idea Of seeing
the farmer crushed beneath the
deadfall he was himself mainly
instrumental in setting. Now we
do not object to instantaneous con
versions, la fact We believe that
when n man is convinced OF the
error uf his ways the sooner he turns
aud makes a profession the better,
aud all that We ask of such is that
his subsequent actions prove his
sincerity. In spite of all objections
the resolution seemed to gain friends
by the discussion and when a vote
was taken passed by large majori-
Is.
The cause for this was that the
matter had been pretty we'll discuss
ed, the evils OF the delegate conven-
ton had beeu long felt aud com
planned OF, a remedy had been looked
for aud so far a. it had been tested
in other states WAS found in adopt
ing this system Of making nomina-
tions.
An objection that Is urged against
il is that in such cities a. Salina,
Rockville, Gypsum city and ASA
ria where they had some special in
terest at stake every one would vote
-Republicans, Democrats, Third
Partyeits, Union Labor and every
body else and il could not Ice pre-
vented and they could nominate
whom they chose. Now this obiec-
ton Is only imaginary and has no
real existence whatever. IL Is only |
set up ~ one Of the possible abuses !
OF the system and is not shown To be
actually put into practice when the
Crawford county system is in Oper-
alton. II does not occur under our
present system and certainly Repub-
licans would be as true under one
system a. the other.
can see nothing Of a cOrrupting |
nature ia it, nothing 10 make |
shysters and ballot suffers out Of
good men.
1t has been adopted in other COM
munities where the same necessity |
had been felt and their reports are
universally favorable 10 its coniin-
uance. Why then should We follow /
the example of Dickinson county /
and strangle the infant just a. il
comes to the birth? This looks too
much like child's play and not the
action Of intelligent men. No intel
ligent voter who has considered the
matter carefully really believes il
will do any harm. We have thought
about IL, talked about il and resOlv-
ell to adopt il, and in the language
OF Patrick Henry "Let il come, and
when we have given it fair trial
We will be better qualified to judge
of its merits.n A GRANGER.