The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-08-07
The Crawford Plan OF Nominating Can
didateS.

county, including men VINO have no interest
in party affairs except to aid in securing the
nomination of suitable candidates, are out
spoken in condemnation of the Crawford
system of nominating. Theoretically it is
the fairest plan, as it appears TO give to every
voter the opportunity of expressing his
wishes by his vote with regard to the selec'
ton of his party's candidates. Practically
It does not always express the choice Of 8
majority of the party. It has happened-and
may happen again-that men have received
the highest votes for an office who were not
the choice of the party-the majority vote
being divided among other and more suts-
BILE candidates
The objections to the system, are not 30
much on account of tho danger ofnominating
unsuitable candidates, but because OF the
bitter fight which 10 provokes among those
who are shortly afterwards expected 10 stand
shoulder 10 shoulder againt the opposing
party Animosity and strife are engendered
dur ing the heated canvas for nomination
which can seldom be entirely healed up be-
fore the general election occurs.
The system entails upon candidates an out
lay of money and loss of time which deter
many good men from engaging IN the con-
test. 1t Interrupts the business OF the coun-
ty for weeks before the election-the specta-
Gle being presented of a small army of can
didates and their friends securing the county
to secure promises which many have found
to their sorrow were not kept
The system is demoralizing and corrupt
ing to voters When it was established TWEEN
ty years ago, it may have been an improve
ment upon the machine system Of packed
county conventions which preceded 1t, but it
has been growing steadily worse and If per-
severed in will disrupt the Democratic party.
Unfortunately, in Hartford, as elsewhere, a
number of voters are attached to the MAORI
ty who are willing and anxious to sell their
votes to the highest bidder, and INSCRIPTIONS
candidates, we fear, have not hesitatsd to use
money to secure nominations by bribery
Besides the wrongful use Of money honest
and well-meaning candidates are subjected to
every manner of extortion, at public gather
ings of every kind. They are called upon
for donations for all sorts of purposes. If
they give they gain no votes. If they decline
to give they are branded as mean, ungenerous
and unworthy of support, so that in many
cases they are subjected, as it were, to black
mail.
W. f,,I> haft ho dnUt
and the Dmeocratic Executive Committee of
the county should not hesitate to comply
with what we believe to be the sentiment Of
nine-tenths of the thoughtful, honest and
conservative voters of the party, and make q
change.
1t is urged against the delegate system in
use in other parts of Maryland and in every
other State, that few men control the nomi-
nations This would not and could not be
the case if voters would take as much inter-
est in attending the primaries and selecting
suitable men to represent them In the county
convention, as they now take in seeking to
elect or defeat certain individuals. A con-
vention composed of sixty or more represen-
tative Democrats from all parts of the coun-
ty would be more likely to choose good
ticket, on which each district would have the
representation to which it is entitled, than
the hap-hazard plan we now pursue, in
which the purchasable element often holds
the balance of power and procures the defeat
of good candidates. The convention plan, as
heretofore pursued, has Its drawbacks, we
admit, but there could, in great measure, be
overcome by choosing the delegates TO the
county convention from the several precincts
instead of from each district at large-giviDg
each precinct its fair quota Of representation
in the convention. 1t might be advisable to
increase the number Of delegates to the con.
vention.
Another important and necessary step
would be to secure law legalizing primary
elections in Hartford county.
A county convention composed of repre-
sentatives chosen by and from each precinct,
under the sanction of law, could not be hand
led conveniently en- masse by any selfseeking
politician. 1t ought to be a deliberative
body, assembled to do what might seem best
for the interests of the people and the party
not an assemblage to register the DEGREES OF
bosses and elevate their favorites to offices
of honor or profit.
No plan which could be devised would, in
our opinion, be worse for the party or worse
for the county than the one now pursued
LOCALIZED primaries, under such aconvention
system as we have outlined. would always
secure the nomination of good ticket and
keep the party intact and in better shape to
enter the real contest for Democratic princi-
Piles, with Democrats who, If elected, would
carry those principles out.