The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-07-19
Those March Resolutions Of the
Central Committee.

} The Boise Democrat and Elmor
Bulletin publish, without common
some incoherent resolutions passe
! by the democratic territorial com
mittee last March. They are tn
report of committee on organize
J ton, adopted and approved 70
} the guidance of the county organi
cations in the several counties O
the territory"
We presume that this report
designed for use and direction a
the coming election. If so, we fea
that the committee has a very i'm
perfect idea of the functions of tina
body, or of the possible operation 0
its orders. 1t would be difficult tc
find any authority either by usage
or delegated by conventions or thu
people, for an assumption of power
by the territorial central committee
over the entire state democracy sc
arbitrary and injudicious. It looks
ike an ln1as;ca Of local jurisdic-
ton when it hastily undertook, lene
before admission, to command and
supervise the county committees
and to dictate the formation, and
even the presiding officers of the
various judicial and legislative dis
trict committees. These assump-
tons of authority by territorial
central committees is a growth of
late years in both parties; claim
to constantly NEEDLE with, and
dictate the local management and
direction which properly belongs
only to those who have to do the
work and are mainly interested in
the result of elections. 1t is an ex-
ercise of authority that has grown
to an unreasonable, intolerable de-
gree, and should be checked. 1t is
inconsistent with the spirit of de-
mocracy, which demands the larg-
est liberty and freest action com
patible with organization. Organi-
cation is necessary, but overmuch
of it is bondage. The way to inspire
it is to inspire the people them
selves. No castiron jacket can be
made to handicap the free action
of great party's limbs without i'm
perilling it's spirit and force. No
committees composed exclusively
of chairmen of other committees,
by chairmen of other
self-made committees, can expect to
accurately represent the real senti-
ments and desires of the great mass
of the voters upon whom it relies
Committees must breathe the air
of the common people, who will
have their own way at last if they
cannot at first.
The following extracts from the
resolutions of the democratic terri
torial committee, adopted March
20, 1890, are here given as the text
for the foregoing remarks:
The member or members Of the several
county committees shall have power to
call to their aid such assistance as they |
nay deem necessary, and they shall, when
practicable, organize an executive COM
nittee for each precinct, of which COM
nittee the member of the county central
committee OF said precinct shall be
znown as chairman.
The several senatorial, representative
md judicial district committees shall
consist of the chairman and secretary of
he respective counties comprising such
enatorial, judicial and representative
district.
Said committee shall have power to
elect its chairman and secretary, to pro-
'ide for the holding of senatorial, repre-
entative and district conventions, to fix
he time and place of holding the same,
nd to determine the basis of representa-
ion therein, the delegates thereto to be
elected by the several county conven-
ions in session. .
We believe the central committee
an do better than this; throw over
oard their obsolete, cumbersome
and leave this matter to
he people to attend to themselves.
UGH system may be good for
tiles, but is worthless in mining
nd agricultural districts, among {
lain people capable and accustom-
/ to attend to their own business,
ithout having chairmen and Sec
,taries appointed over their heads.
Until some better preliminary
lethod is devised, perhaps no bet
r suggestion can be made than to Y
commend the people in each pre- r
net to meet and organize in their Q
Ivn way elect their own chairman, e
,cretary and subcommittee con- |
act their own business; choose \
leir delegates through clubs or a
and make their nomina- b
ons to suit themselves; and after $
among others, hold n
'eir district conventions without s
citation or interference from any g
le. In this way they will inspire Il
and make themselves Q
card and respected when votes are I
anted, in conventions or out of 1
lem. t
THE Boise correspondent of the :,
alt Lake Herald, abiding to the .
ubois-Mc Connell fight, says of the Il
tier:
He went to Bingham, Dubois own O
univ and effactpA an orroni1of;nn 8