The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-05-07
EARLY CONVENTIONS.

ePPo 10
very much alarmed lest the state centra
r committee should be guilty of the enor
nous offense of calling a convention t
Y nominate a state ticket so early as tn
l middle of June. The TRIBUNE has notet
; every word uttered by these journals OF
; this subject but has failed to find ex
preston given to a single good reason
for the position taken. Bare assertion
and nothing mor is found. To illustrate
the Standard of yesterday had an edi
torial on the subject of which the fol
lowing is about the strongest and mos
important sentence:
The important point is that Montana'e
state ticket ought not to be put in the
field at a spring conventions; and another
important point is that a spring conven-
ton ought to be held SO that democracy
can express itself in a representative
way in a selection of the delegates sent
to Chicago.
If this does not bring the committee
men over to the Standard view OF the
case, they must indeed be proof against
reasoning! The argument is quite as
strong as that of the colored brother who
exclaims and re-exclaims that "the sun
do move y
Now the position of the TRIBUNE is
that there is but one object to be kept in
view in the matter of setting the party
machinery in motion, and that is plainly
and simply the best interests OF the
party. All other considerations must be
brushed aside, and we believe this is
just what will be done by the committee.
Whatever may have been the practice
or policy heretofore, it Is quite certain
that this year the democratic party of
Montana must place its reliance for sue.
cess upon the business of its cause and
upon organized effort. Political organi-
cation has come to be a science, and I'M
less the democratic party of the state
goes into the fight thoroughly armed
and equipped. with captains of thous-
ands and captains of hundreds, all care
fully drilled and marshaled for the party
fray, it can not hope to be victorious.
The fuss and fury of a six weeks cam.
paign,' as suggested by the esteemed
Standard. would accomplish but little
unless the party had a clear and I'M
questioned majority of the voters. This,
unfortunately, is not the case. Montana
is a close state and the eagles of victory
In all likelihood will perch upon the
banners of the party that has the strong
est and closest organization.
Viewing the situation in this light the
TRIBCNE believes the party should set
about the work of organization as soon
as possible. This is a task for the state
hut it can not do much I'M
aided. 1t must have something more
than moral support, something more
good wishes, something more than
promises soon forgotten; 1t must have
he active aid of interested, working
in every part of the state.
Until the nominations are made this in
crest cannot be aroused. The candi-
iates on the state ticket and on the
county tickets make the best possible
l~id-de-camps to the state con
.nittee, and the sooner they are nomi-
lated the better. The state convention
will name new committeeman and the
county conventions new committees.
Until this Is done the party machine is
Practically at a standstill and the work
t organization must languish. Believ
ng that this is of the highest possible
Importance to the party, the TRIBUNE is
lnequivocally in favor of an early state
invention and as we'll of early county
onventiOns.
This is exactly the line of policy pur-
ued by both parties in the older states. !
tate candidates have already been nom
in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas,
indiana, Ohio, and other states, and the
onventions have been called in nearly {
very one of them. Montana being so
irgc a state, with widely scattered set
.ements, is all the stronger reason for {
n early convention. While the tickets I
re put in the field early throughout the {
-ates, the campaign is not formally |
pened until about the first of Septem- 7
er, and that should be the procedure +
kewise in this state. But meantime
he preparatory work of the campaign
IN go on vigorously and successfully. t
These are afew of the reasons why the @
believes the democracy should n
old early conventions and in accord |
ace with these views we are of the L
pinion that one convention to nominate O
state ticket and select delegates to t
he Chicago convention is all that is e
ecessary. We take this position be- c
we believe it is good party policy, O
nd for no other reason. a
The republic of Salvador has proposed il
lother attempt to organize a confeder- G
of the five Central Amar;c,p ro -